How much protein do we need to consume daily?

Ever since we start physical training, we are thrown with so much misinformation around protein. Let’s find out how much protein we really need.

If you are into health and fitness, then you must have heard some trainers or some fitness experts say that we need 2gm of protein daily per kg of the body. This piece of information has been doing rounds for a few years now, and no one knows where it originated. But the fact is that we do not need so much protein. We need much fewer proteins for the body than protein supplement sales representatives tell us. In this blog we will find out how much protein do we need and what is the importance of protein for body.

Importance of protein for body 

Protein is one of the macronutrients, other two being fats and carbohydrates. It is essential to build muscles, tendons, organs, and skin, as well as enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and various molecules that serve many vital functions for our survival. 

Macronutrients provide calories or energy. One gram of protein contains 4 calories. And protein makes up about 15% of our body weight.

Chemical Composition

Chemically, protein is composed of amino acids. Amino acids are organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur. They are the building blocks of proteins. Our body produces some of these amino acids, but we must get the rest from our diet. There are a total of 20 amino acids in our body and out of them nine are classified as essential amino acids. 

Now that we know what proteins are and why we need them, let’s find out the appropriate  quantity of proteins for body. 

Proteins for body: How much do we need?

We do need protein in enough quantities but how much protein for the body is considered sufficient? Well, it depends on the level of your physical activity and body weight. For an average person the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The RDA refers to the amount of a nutrient that we need to meet our basic nutritional requirements to avoid getting sick — not the specific amount we are supposed to eat every day. But for an active adult, a daily protein intake to meet the RDA would supply as little as 10% of his or her total daily calories.

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