How much of my diet should be protein?
For active individuals, protein should make up about 25 to 35 percent of total daily calories. “That usually lands around 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, depending on how much training someone is doing,” Kevin Rail, a health coach and nutritionist, says. He adds that people with higher training volumes, especially resistance training, tend to benefit from the upper end of that range.
“Sedentary individuals can do well with a lower intake, but going too low makes it harder to preserve muscle during weight loss or ageing,” Rail says.
For the average person, this should work out as around 15-25% of your total calorie intake. “Bodyweight is the better measure,” Jordan says. “Most people would benefit from getting protein at every meal, rather than front-loading or skipping it.”
Are there any risks to eating too much protein?
These days, everything from milk to bread boasts of its protein content. But is there such a thing as too much protein?
“For most healthy people, higher protein diets are safe and well tolerated. But if your overall calorie intake is too high even excess protein can contribute to weight gain,” says Jordan, who adds that anyone with kidney disease should check with their doctor before increasing their intake.
As long as your energy expenditure remains high, it shouldn’t affect your health goals too much.
“If your total calorie intake is appropriate for your goals, excess protein is unlikely to be stored as body fat,” adds Rail. “Protein also has a higher thermic effect, meaning the body uses more energy to digest it compared to carbs or fat.”
That said, Rail adds that extremely high protein diets without enough fiber or hydration can create digestive issues. And there’s another consideration. “At higher intakes the calories contributed by dietary protein can begin to displace the opportunity to include other important foods, such as plants, legumes. mushrooms, nuts, seeds and fruits,” Richardson says. “These other foods contribute other key dietary factors, such as fiber, different micronutrients, and phytonutrients, some of which are essential and others major positive players in determining gut health, brain health and mitochondrial function.”
How to eat 100g of protein a day
100 grams of protein is a common goal for especially active people. On a 2,000-calorie diet, 100 grams of protein is 20% of your total calories, so you can hit 100g and still have room for other meals.
“It’s less complicated than you might think,” Jordan says. “The aim is progress over perfection. Once you start paying attention to your protein and build the habit, you’ll feel the difference quickly.”
To hit 100 grams of protein, she suggests a typical day could look like this:
Breakfast: 200g Greek yogurt with 40g of a nutritional supplement powder, berries and tsp butter (optional) ~38g
Lunch: Chicken breast with 100g quinoa and roast veg tray bake ~32g
Dinner: Lentil and chickpea curry with 150g cooked lentils + 100g cooked chickpeas, served with 100g cooked brown rice and a dollop of Greek yogurt ~30g protein