How to Know if You're Eating Enough Protein

Getting enough protein is important for your health, maintaining your weight, and muscle maintenance and growth. Find out how to make sure you’re getting enough.

Protein is an essential macronutrient that plays a crucial role in our overall health. It's responsible for building and repairing tissues, supporting muscle growth, and even helping with weight management.

The amount of protein you need depends on several individual factors, including your age, gender, activity level, and overall health. Consuming enough protein is essential for maintaining your overall health and well-being. Not getting enough protein can result in brittle hair and nails, muscle weakness, brain fog, and stress fractures.

At Internal Expressions: Resetting Health and Life in Aldie, Virginia, Michael Williams offers personalized nutrition coaching to help veterans and active-duty military members understand how food choices affect their health and wellness. Figuring out how much protein you need and how to get it is part of the program.

Figuring out how much protein you need

To assess your protein intake, you must first understand how much protein your body needs. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.8 grams per kilogram).

However, your protein needs may be higher if you're more physically active, older, or have specific health goals like building muscle or recovering from an injury. Michael can help you figure out the correct daily amount of protein grams for your particular needs.

Tracking your protein intake

Once you know the number of grams of protein you need, you need to track them to ensure you're getting enough. Also, be sure to spread your protein intake throughout the day. Don't gobble it all in one meal. While packaged goods have the grams of protein listed on the package, it may be harder to determine how much protein is in fresh food.

Here are the grams per 3 oz of some high-protein meats:

Skinless chicken: 28 grams
Steak: 26 grams
Roasted turkey: 25 grams
Lamb: 23 grams
Pork: 22 grams

But you don't have to eat meat to get the protein you need. Eggs, seafood, yogurt, beans, legumes, and even some vegetables contain protein as well. For example, 3 oz of salmon has 22 grams of protein, and 6 oz of Greek yogurt has 18 grams.

Michael can help you calculate your protein requirements, monitor your intake, and make adjustments to your diet if necessary.

If you're interested in learning more about nutritional coaching and how it can help you reach your health and wellness goals, call Michael at Internal Expressions: Resetting Health and Life to make an appointment or request one online.