How Much Protein Does One Need?

 The body uses protein to build and repair bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood as well as to make important chemicals in the body, including enzymes and hormones. It requires eight essential amino acids in proper proportions and in adequate quantities to synthesize tissue proteins . The other twelve amino acids present in the dietary proteins, though required for the protein synthesis, are not considered essential since the body can synthesize them from other carbon and nitrogen sources.

 Egg protein is used as a reference protein to judge the quality of other proteins.Vegetable proteins, mainly in cereals, legumes and vegetables are of poorer quality than animal proteins, not only because they are more difficult to digest but also because they   lack  one or more of the essential amino acids.

Cereal proteins are deficient in lysine, and pulses or legume proteins contain low amounts of methionine. However, when both cereal and pulses (legumes) are present in the diet in proper proportions, the  proteins from these two sources supplement each other .However, Indian diets deriving their proteins from a 5:1 combination of  cereals and pulse have a biological value of only 65% relative to egg protein. Apart from this, how efficiently food protein is used in the body  depends on its digestibility and absorption of the amino acids.

So, how much good quality protein is required a day?

How much you need is simple and straightforward.  According to ICMR, adult men of ideal weight need 60 grams of complete protein per day, adult women of ideal weight  need 50 grams of complete protein  which is about 1 gram per kg body weight per day , but pregnant women  need about 15 grams more per day and nursing mothers need 25 grams per day  more  in the first 6 months and 18 grams more per day  in the second six months.

How much protein is enough for you depends in part on whether you are vegetarian, trying to lose weight or have kidney disease. In the first two instances they need to make a special effort to get enough protein while in the third instance, ‘how much?’   is  a very important issue.

 

For vegetarians and vegans

Adjusting to a vegetarian diet is pretty easy. There are many options such as milk and milk products, lentils and pulses and eggs..But vegans, who do not eat meat, fish, and sea food , eggs or dairy products have a harder time satisfying their protein requirements.

Tofu, in its many forms, has a good amount of protein as do legumes, nuts, and seeds but they also  may have  many  carbs, which can spike blood glucose levels.

Protein increases the feeling of fullness after a meal and those who want to lose weight to manage diabetes better should increase protein intake.

Kidney disease needs:

People with diabetic kidney disease need less protein to avoid stress on kidneys. The Joslin Diabetes Center states that “Up to 40 percent of people with type 1diabetes and 20 to 30 percent of those with type 2 diabetes have some form of kidney disease.”

You may be a vegetarian or a vegan, need to lose weight, or have chronic kidney disease, or you may have none of these . In any case, you need to eat the right amount of protein if you want to be  healthy.