How much protein do you need?
One number. A few foods. No weighing.
The number
If you train, aim for about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. At 75 kg that is about 120 g. Close is good enough.
Where to get it
Figure 1
Protein in everyday foods
Chicken breast
31 g
Lean beef
26 g
Tuna, tinned in water
25 g
Firm tofu
17 g
Eggs
13 g
Greek yogurt
10 g
Lentils, cooked
9 g
02040
Grams of protein per 100 g
How to hit it
- Put a palm-sized portion of protein in every meal.
- Start at breakfast. Eggs or Greek yogurt beat toast and cereal.
- Keep something easy in the fridge: cooked chicken, tinned fish, cottage cheese.
- A protein shake is fine. It is food, not magic.
When to eat it
It does not matter much. Your total for the day matters. Spread it across your meals.
Put it into practice: Lose fat, keep muscle
Based on 6 sources
- How much protein helps muscle gains from liftingReview · 2018 · British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Expert guidance on protein amounts, timing and sourcesGuidance · 2017 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
- Total daily protein matters more than exact timingReview · 2013 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
- What different diets do to fat and muscleGuidance · 2017 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
- The US government's food nutrient databaseData · 2019 · USDA
- A big protein meal isn't wasted: muscles use it for hoursStudy · 2023 · Cell Reports Medicine
