And, as well talk about, protein certainly does enough to earn its reliably good reputation.
While you know protein is a great thing to have, you might also have a few questions.
Like, why exactly does your body need it?
Nadine Greeff/Adobe Stock
Howmuchprotein do you should probably eat, and when should you eat it?
And how does your activity level factor into that?
Heres a rundown of what protein does and how much of the nutrient your body needs.
What protein actually is
Protein is one of the three macronutrients (i.e.
nutrients the body needs in sizable amounts).
Butprotein is also presentin a lot of plant-based foods.
Food and Drug Administration(FDA).
Proteins are made of small units called amino acids.
National Library of Medicine.
All animal products are complete proteins, and so is soy.
When a protein is missing or pretty low in any of those essential amino acids, its considered incomplete.
Most plant foods are considered incomplete proteins.
National Library of Medicine, as long as youre eating a variety of complementary incomplete proteins throughout the day.
Why we even need protein
That building block nickname is no exaggeration.
The stuff is an integral component of every cell in your body, including, yes, your muscles.
That process of damage and repair is what maintains and grows your muscle mass.
Thats why its especially important to get enough of it during developmental periods like childhood and adolescence.
And because it contains calories, it can provide the body energy for storage or use.
(But this definitely isnt its main gig, which well get into in a bit.)
Dietary protein gets broken down and reassembled into the various kinds of proteins that exist in the body.
Wecanadapt to use protein for energy as well, but its not ideal, Dr. Linsenmeyer says.
Ideally, [our bodies] want to leave it alone to build and maintain body tissues.
How much protein your body needs
Okay, so how much protein are we talking about here?
National Library of Medicine.
So its going to vary a lot from person to person.
prevent a deficiency) for most healthy individuals (who are sedentary or minimally active).
(So you would multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 to get your RDA.)
People with a higher activity level will likely need more.
Thats why the best way to get your protein is split up throughout the day.
Spacing out protein intake is also super important for active individuals.
But it is important for people to know that more [all at once] is not necessarily better.
So for a 200-pound person, for instance, that works out to 23 to 27 grams of protein.
The bottom line on protein?
If you work out, get a good bit more than that.
And instead of loading up at one meal, spread the protein love throughout your day.
