The Scoop On Protein

How much do you need? When should you eat it? It’s not easy to sort through the mixed messages about this nutrition staple. So we asked experts for the dos and don’ts.

- Arielle R.Franklin

FACT: CONSUMING protein is key to ensuring your body fires on all cylinders. It boosts energy and immunity, helps build and repair muscles, regulates hormones, and is necessary for the growth of red and white blood cells. In other words, you can’t live without it. But experts say that many people go overboard, and it’s likely because we’re inundated with messages that we need more, more, more—from the array of protein-packed snacks, powders, and supplements to all those trendy protein-focused diets.

So how much of this good stuff does your body actually require to function? According to the Institute of Medicine, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) suggests that the average person eat 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight, which can be converted by multiplying your weight in pounds by 0.36. For reference, that means a 140-pound woman needs around 50 grams of protein a day. Yet, according to a 2014 survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, the average woman ingests about 70 grams of protein daily.