Protein is everywhere right now. On pudding pots, cereal bars and iced coffees. At the same time, very few people know how much they actually need. In this article I do the maths for you. I show you what the nutrition societies recommend, why it’s not only about the amount but also about the timing. And what your lunch has to do with the chocolate at 3 pm.
Why protein matters so much
Protein is not a sports topic. Protein is building material. Your body rebuilds itself every day: muscles, skin, hair, bones, enzymes, hormones and immune cells. For all of that it needs building blocks, the amino acids. Some of them your body can’t make itself. These essential amino acids have to come from your food.
If your body gets too little, it takes the building blocks wherever it finds them. From your muscles, for example. You won’t notice that overnight. But over the years it makes a big difference to how strong you feel.
The recommendation: 0.8 grams per kilogram
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for adults up to 65. From 65, it’s 1.0 gram. The US recommended dietary allowance for adults is also 0.8 grams per kilogram.
Here’s how to work it out: your weight times 0.8. Done.
| Body weight | up to 65 (0.8 g/kg) | from 65 (1.0 g/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 44 g per day | 55 g per day |
| 65 kg | 52 g per day | 65 g per day |
| 70 kg | 56 g per day | 70 g per day |
| 80 kg | 64 g per day | 80 g per day |
| 90 kg | 72 g per day | 90 g per day |
Many people are surprised when they work it out for the first time. 56 grams sounds like little. But if you only drink coffee in the morning, eat a sandwich for lunch and pasta with tomato sauce in the evening, you often don’t get there.
What experts see for people over 65
The official recommendation is a minimum that is enough for almost all healthy people. For older people, many experts see the need as somewhat higher.
An international expert group, the PROT-AGE Study Group, recommends 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram for healthy people over 65. If you are very active, you often need a little more. The reason: with age, the body becomes less efficient at building new muscle from protein. So it needs more building blocks for the same result.
Not only how much, but when
In many households the day looks like this: hardly any protein in the morning, a little at lunch, a lot in the evening. A big piece of meat or fish for dinner, and the daily total adds up on paper.
A study from Texas looked at exactly this. Participants ate the same amount of protein over the day, once spread evenly with around 30 grams per meal, once concentrated in the evening. With even distribution, muscle building over 24 hours was around 25 percent higher.
The study was small, only eight people. But the direction matches what many experts recommend: every meal gets its share of protein.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Breakfast: eggs, quark, natural yoghurt or cottage cheese
- Lunch: pulses, fish, poultry or cheese
- Dinner: meat, fish, tofu or lentils
My breakfast, by the way, is almost always an omelette or scrambled eggs with cheese. I lived completely vegetarian for almost two years and noticed how hard it was for me to get enough protein into my day. Since then I make sure every meal has its share.
The 3 pm chocolate is not a willpower problem
Do you know this? Around three o’clock things get sluggish. Your concentration drops, and your hand reaches for the chocolate as if by itself. Many people think it’s a lack of discipline. Often it’s something else.
After a lunch with lots of fast carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises sharply. Your body responds with a lot of insulin, and afterwards your blood sugar drops again. Right in that dip, the cravings kick in.
Three things help me:
- Protein and vegetables first: in a small study in people with type 2 diabetes, blood sugar rose much less when they ate vegetables and protein before the carbohydrates. Same meal, different order.
- Fibre at lunch: salad, vegetables, pulses or wholegrains slow down how fast sugar enters your blood.
- Five minutes of movement after eating: an analysis of several studies shows that even short walking breaks of a few minutes after eating dampen the rise in blood sugar, much better than just sitting.
That’s not giving anything up. It’s just a different order, a different plate and a short walk in the fresh air.
Do you need protein products?
No. Most people meet their needs with completely normal food. Many products with “high protein” on the pack are much more expensive and often contain sweeteners, flavourings and additives. What I think of them you can read in my article “Light, zero, high protein”.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat too much protein?
With completely normal food, very few people eat too much. If you have kidney disease, it’s best to discuss the right amount with your doctor.
Is plant protein just as good?
Plant sources like lentils, beans, chickpeas and tofu are valuable. It’s best to combine different sources so the amino acids complement each other.
How much protein is in an egg?
A medium egg provides around 6 to 7 grams of protein. 250 grams of low-fat quark comes to around 30 grams.
Building blocks, not calories
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- German Nutrition Society (DGE): new reference value for protein (press release 08/2017, German): https://www.dge.de/fileadmin/dok/presse/meldungen/2011-2018/DGE-Pressemeldung-aktuell-08-2017-Referenzwert-Protein.pdf
- Bauer J et al.: Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2013;14(8):542–559: https://researchexperts.utmb.edu/en/publications/evidence-based-recommendations-for-optimal-dietary-protein-intake/
- Mamerow MM et al.: Dietary protein distribution positively influences 24-h muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults. Journal of Nutrition 2014;144(6):876–880: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4018950
- Shukla AP et al.: Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Diabetes Care 2015;38(7):e98–e99: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4876745
- Buffey AJ et al.: The acute effects of interrupting prolonged sitting time in adults with standing and light-intensity walking on biomarkers of cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine 2022;52(8):1765–1787: https://researchrepository.ul.ie/entities/publication/aa08dfec-ae01-4c61-9707-b44088d24ce6