Dietitian Answers: Optimal Protein Intake For Your Goals (weight loss, muscle gain etc...)
Channel: Maria Lucey-Dietitian & Nutrition Educator
Date: 2024-03-03

There is so much confusion around the correct amount of protein we should be eating. In this video, I unlock the exact amount of protein you should aim for, no matter what your goals are.

📚Get your FREE Protein Cheat Sheet here. https://maria-lucey-rd.ck.page/560d35b0ee

Find the article available here:
https://www.marialuceydietitian.com/dietician-nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/

🛍️ All my YouTube Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/marialuceyrd_dietitian

KEEP IN TOUCH:
🌍  My website - https://www.marialuceydietitian.com/
📸  Instagram -  @marialuceyrd_dietitian  
🔵 Facebook -  @marialuceyrd  
📧 Email info@marialuceyrd.com

DISCLAIMERS & DISCLOSURES 🤍
This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always speak to a healthcare provider about your unique health needs. Please use this video (as with all of my videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations. This description contains affiliate links. 

⏰TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
00:28 RDA for protein
00:52 Protein Metabolism
01:12 How to calculate your weight in kg
01:24 How much protein do you need daily
01:37 Protein Requirements for General Health
01:47 Protein Requirements for Muscle Gain
02:02 Protein Requirements for weight loss
03:06 Is more protein better for muscle gain
03:45 Sparing effect of protein
04:19 resistance training
04:41 protein requirements for older adults
04:53 protein timing
05:48 protein quality
06:05 Essential amino acids
06:27 Complete plant proteins
06:43 complementary proteins
06:55 leucine threshold
07:41 bioavailability of protein
08:04 Protein requirements for vegetarian athletes
08:29 Is too much protein harmful?
09:06 How to eat 100g of protein every day


Video Script: Full script available on the website.
🎥
How Much Protein Do You Need? ALL Your Questions Answered with A Registered Dietitian
Protein has been a hot topic in nutrition over the last number of years, and it doesn’t look like the hype will be dying down anytime soon.
Yet, most people still don’t know how much protein they need. This video will hopefully help change that.

Protein is one of the three macronutrients. It plays a structural role in our body, forming blood cells, skin, hair, nails, hormones, enzymes, etc. Without protein, our body would not be able to build the tissues we need to survive. 

In this post, we’ll be discussing in-depth the role of protein, protein intake recommendations for weight loss and muscle growth, plant-based diets, protein timing and more.

Why Is Protein Important?
Protein is an energy source, just like carbohydrates and fat, providing calories/energy for our body to function.
Proteins are necessary for the proper functioning of the cells our body is made up of. We cannot live without them.
Protein is a bit like the scaffolding of our cell body, giving us shape and keeping us upright.
Protein is needed for growth, repair, and healing in our body
Proteins are responsible for the creation of hormones. Hormones carry important messages between cells, tissues and organs in the body and help coordinate bodily functions.
Enzymes are proteins. They carry out important chemical reactions in the body, like digesting nutrients.
Antibodies are vital proteins that keep our immune system working well to fight diseases and infections.
The RDA For Protein
The US RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for protein is a very conservative 0.8g per kg of body weight per day. But the RDA for protein is just the bare minimum you need to eat to avoid protein deficiency. Many studies have shown that even sedentary people would benefit from eating more protein daily

Protein Metabolism
Now, the first thing I need you to know about protein is that, unlike fats and carbs, we cannot store protein in the body, which means that we must consume a sufficient amount of protein each day from food. Carbohydrates and fat can be stored until they are needed to be used. But your body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding new protein and muscle. This is called ‘protein turnover’. It’s an energy-using process, and this is why people with more muscle have higher metabolisms.

How Much Protein Do You Need?
Protein Requirements For General Health
Sedentary Adults
Well, as I mentioned, the RDA is 0.8g/kg of body weight/day. So, if you do the math, this means an 80kg human will need 64g of protein. However, this is the bare minimum!

So, for most of my clients, I will typically advocate that we aim for at least 1-1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. So if you are 80kg, you ideally want to be having at least 80g of protein a day as a good benchmark.

Active Adults
Now, for active people looking to build or even just maintain muscle, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends that we should eat 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you’re keeping score, that would be 112 to 160 grams of protein per day for a person weighing 80kg.