How much protein should I be getting?

Chelsea777

My protein intake target shows about 105 g. I am wondering if this is correct or am I incorrectly interpreting the abbreviations. I am having a hard time achieving that much protein daily. I do not eat a lot of meat, however I am making sure to eat protein rich foods. RDA states the recommended amount is around 46 g. Am I missing something? I am 36 year old female wishing to maintain my weight. Thank you for any advice. I am new to this app and new to nutrition focused eating. Images attached...

Susan_RD_101

@Chelsea777

Minimum protein for non-active, non-vegan individuals is 0.8 g per kg of healthy body weight. If you are active or following a plant-based diet, I'd aim for 1 g per kg per day (vegan) or at least 1.2 - 1.5 g per kg per day (active individuals). Higher protein is also beneficial when it comes to weight loss as it tends to be satiating.

Hope this helps!

robartsd

My guess is that the plant based diet protein requirement is adjusted upward to make up for the chance that protein consumed may be lacking in some essential amino acids. If you are monitoring your intake of each essential amino acid, you probably don't need to adjust the total protein value upward.

Karen_Cronometer

Hi Chelsea77,

There are a couple of different ways of looking at protein recommendations.

The RDA of 0.8 g/kg body weight. This is the minimum amount estimated to meet most people's needs for replacing body protein that is lost each day. You can use this value in your protein target by changing your macronutrient targets to Fixed Values in the Macronutrient Target settings. This can help you focus on meeting your minimum target.

The second approach is to use protein values that fall within the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR). AMDR is the range of intake for a macronutrient that is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease while providing intakes of essential nutrients. We need more calories than the minimum requirements provide, so this option helps you keep you distribute your remaining calories in proportion to the other macronutrients. If this is a better approach for you, use macro ratios in your macronutrient target settings in Cronometer.

Best,

Chelsea777

Why does a plant based diet need more protein? Thank you

Susan_RD_101

@Chelsea777

It has to do with bioavailability. The presence of other nutrients in plant-based foods (such as fibre) makes it more difficult for the body to absorb protein. Wheat gluten (i.e. seitan) and soy are as absorbed as well as animal protein, pulses have an 80-90% bioavailability, while remaining sources of plant-protein are around 50-60%.

If a vegan isn't including soy or seitan in their diet, I push for a slightly higher protein like 1.2 g per kg. For the average vegan (low-active) I'm happy with 1 g per kg of healthy body weight.

Kind regards,