This is Harvard Health Publishing, they say I need about 0.8 grams of protein everyday, now, that means I would have to consume about 70 grams of protein everyday (minimum) to stay healthy, now, I live in India and don’t consume that much, but I consider myself pretty healthy.
So, what’s the amount one should realistically be aiming towards? If I were to take 70 grams of protein everyday, what measurable changes can I expect in my life🤔?
Do you eat enough in general (eg 3 meals a day, you don’t feel hungry most of the time)? It’s not hard to meet the basic nutritional goals by just eating what you want when you want. Protein is in everything so it’d be quite hard to be significantly deficient if you’re not starving.
I eat a protein low diet, 400 grams of rice and maybe 200 grams of what and some dal (which is protein rich but I eat very less quantity of it). One egg, and this is the best case scenario and I don’t think that will get me more than half of what they say I need to be healthy.
I mean, you have your answer right there. It’s not like Harvard is a particularly untrustworthy source for diet recommendations.
Why are you doubting the number? If you feel fine and don’t want to change, don’t. Everybody is different and has different needs, and you might just need less, but anyone reputable is going to give the same rough range.
If u wanna build muscle eat at least 1g per pound of body weight (or 2.2 per kg).
Make sure ur getting enough carbs and fat too though, they’re equally important.
A lot less than Americans think. Going from memory it’s about 6-8% of calories.
People dont always calculate their total protein intake correctly, because things like wheat (12% protein) and rice and potatoes (3%) have protein although thought of as carbs. Studies say 50g of protein per day is ok, but some people say more is better, particularly if trying to build muscle mass etc
Too much protein can fuck up your sleeping schedule. Especially if it’s lean protein with little fat. Happened to me when I was eating too many chili cheese smoked sausages all the time because I was lazy. They’re delicious though.
I don’t mean to pry but sausage in general, especially seemingly chili cheese sausage, has an incredible amount of fat (that is not to say the fat is bad, subtypes and fatty acid chain length are important to note), wouldn’t this be counter to your point? Unless the chili cheese smoked sausages are some Franken-Sausage (lol) that is super lean.
If your recommend protein intake is 70 grams per day (meaning you weigh about 195 pounds / 87 kg) and you’re only getting 20 grams per day, then you are likely already experiencing health issues.
From https://www.verywellhealth.com/protein-deficiency-symptoms-8756264 you could expect to experience:
- Weakness and fatigue, meaning you’ll feel exhausted - mentally, physically, or both
- Skin, Hair, and Nail Problems
- Mood changes, including the development of mood disorders, such as depression
- Compromised immune system
- Slowed wound healing
- Decline in bone strength
- Fatty liver
- Weight loss due to your muscles and organs being broken down - but my understanding is this is mostly relevant if your overall caloric intake is quite low (starvation levels)
- Weight gain due to fluid retention or increased hunger
Not all of those are immediately noticeable.
However, I’m with the other commenter who said that they think it’s likely that you’re under-estimating your daily protein intake. What method did you use for tracking and calculating it?
I have a very monotonous food that I am fed, so, I just calculated how much protein I am getting from it and it turned out to be no more than 20 grams average per day. Boy, I need to add more proteins to my diet, can protein powders be digested by the body well or should I look for natural sources of protein?
Just eat more beans, put milk in tea, some meat if you eat that, you don’t need protein powder. Food will give you more nutrients than a protein isolate. A balanced diet is the way to go.
Powders can be good, but they can also be garbage. It depends on the brand. But with whole foods like legumes or animal meats, you can be sure you’re getting quality protein.
I mean most powders are from natural sources. Pea protein, whey comes from milk. Depends on the person, some people have digestive issues if they start taking a ton of protein and don’t adjust bit by bit. If you’re lactose intolerant, watch out for powders that are Whey based, some contain enough lactose to upset your gut. Some say lactose-free.
Also, thanks for the detailed answer!
It depends on your activity levels, metabolism, age etc. in general that amount of protein (assuming your diet is consistent) will keep your muscle mass constant and keep your brain functioning well (and other bodily functions - it’s not siloed in its purpose and basically impacts every aspect of your body’s functions . Your body’s processes are not solely reliant on protein but if you don’t have enough your neurotransmission and cognitive function will suffer. If you consume less protein than your base amount for a prolonged time, your body doesn’t have what it needs to maintain core functions and renew and maintain muscle mass. If you don’t consume enough calories overall you’ll find your body will consume its own muscles as a source of energy which is a dangerous metabolic process that can have lasting detrimental effects.
Basically over a short term or one day in a while, not consuming enough protein shouldn’t be an issue, but on a consistent or prolonged timeline, your body just doesn’t have what it needs to maintain itself and you are at risk of longer term impacts to your wellbeing in many facets of your basic bodily functions. I’ve read numbers like .75g per kg for women and .84g per kg for men daily, for basic maintenance of bodily condition. Obviously it isn’t One size fits All, but as a general jumping off point I think that’s a reasonable ballpark. Basically if you’re healthy, and assuming all other things being equal, those amounts should maintain your current state.
You missed a )
Oh, I was just taking a breath - I hadn’t finished…)
I started tracking what I eat some days ago and hadn’t had a single day I got even near that level. And since the only change was that I increased my protein, I probably didn’t met that level for some time now. But I feel very good.
Just to double check, you weigh around ~87kg? For that weight I’d guess you’re eating 2500kcal/day+ right?
And you’re counting protein from all sources, not just meat or meat equivalents? Eating some yogurt, lentils, beans, etc all of that protein content can add up pretty quickly but you might not be counting it.
As a final note, they recommend that for healthy but that doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy without it. But you could consider adding a little bit of high protein sources (chicken, tofu, etc) to your diet to hit closer to that goal and see if it makes a difference for you.
A bit less, so that I’m aiming for about 2000kcal/day I am using the cronometer app. I enter everything I eat I they count the nutrients. So I hope they are counting everything.
And yes, I am trying to add some high protein sources right now but it still is rather hard to hit the daily goal. But , still, thanks for the tips.
Quark yogurts are your friend, I get some that have 25g of protein per serving for only around 130cal, I top them with a bit of muesli so they’re less boring and the whole snack is then like 180/190cal and way more filling and more protein than a bar with similar calories (they’re already flavoured as well)…
Best AskLemmy question I’ve seen in years
Hehe… Thank you!
This is a good question but you’re going to get a wild range of information because of a number of factors.
That number is a good starting point but it’s likely low especially if you’re physically active or using a vegan/vegetarian source.
Also, something one must keep in mind is that the vast majority of research in the field is built on the fundamental assumption carbs should be the largest part of the diet which is likely wrong as the body seems to run better the less sugar you give it.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE8LmUoWei5Qp5Nz7C4FMNs6hGNx7M3Jg
Im going to say the Harvard estimate is probably pretty close. It is probably a bit higher than what you would need on a day to day basis for survival, but enough to help your body maintain some muscle over the long term.
Its not enough for someone wanting to be fit or muscular though.
if you eat the recommended amount of protein (and a little extra as a buffer) then you would not notice any particularly striking change, but statistically your quality of life will improve for myriad subtle reasons. Hormone production will be more stable, you will be less likely to get diseases associated with protein deficiency, you will build muscle slightly more easily, your brain will technically function slightly better in subtle metabolic ways, as with all your other organs. etc. You will likely, not notice any of it. But across your life it will statistically make a difference in your health outcomes. this is true of all phytonutrients, not just protein.
The recommended amount contains a buffer. No need to add your own buffer as well
based on the screenshot, it does not seem to include a buffer, and is unlikely to imo because that requires taking a stance on the size of that buffer.
The rule of thumb I remember using is the portion size of a pack of cards, now also remember that you can get proteins from other sources as well Some are complete proteins & some you need other ingredients to complete.
