Protein Requirement – Adequate protein intake is also necessary as part of a healthy diet. Protein also plays a unique role in muscle building and weight loss.

What Is The Protein Requirement Per Day, And How Is It Calculated?

Proteins are constantly being built up, broken down and rebuilt in the body. The waste products are excreted through the kidneys. Ideally, 10 to 20 per cent of total daily calorie intake should come from protein to make up for this loss and meet daily protein needs.

How Can The Protein Requirement Be Met?

Numerous foods contain protein – both animal and plant-based. In addition to meat and dairy products, it is found in legumes and soy products, for example.

Nutritional Examples To Cover The Daily Requirement

An adult weighing 60 kilograms covers his protein requirement of around 48 grams daily with a cup of low-fat yoghurt. For breakfast and a 200-gram salmon for lunch or dinner.

Alternatively, a handful of cashew nuts (approx. 25 g) in the morning muesli, 100 grams of cottage cheese in a salad at lunchtime (13.6) and 100 grams of turkey breast with quinoa (50 g) in the evening are also suitable.

Vegetarian and vegan alternatives are, for example, a bowl of oatmeal (50 g) with 100 ml soy milk and a tablespoon (10 g) of flaxseed in the morning, a portion of lentils (approx. 100 g uncooked) for lunch and a stir-fry with 100 grams of tofu for dinner.

Protein Requirements: What Happens In The Event Of An Overdose?

Eight of the total 20 amino acids are vital and technically essential. The body itself can make the rest. To supply these eight in sufficient quantity, the scientific literature indicates a protein requirement of 0.34 grams per kilogram of body weight and day.

Otherwise, the organism switches to protein metabolism. The highly concentrated protein can severely strain the kidneys and damage them.

Protein Requirements: What Happens When There Is A Protein Deficiency?

A protein deficiency is rare due to the composition of the diet in this country, and if it occurs, it can be easily remedied. However, not taking in enough protein can have severe consequences in the long ter. It is since the amino acids are involved in numerous processes in the body.

A deficiency is particularly noticeable through disorders of the bone structure and the immune system. In extreme cases, a mild cold can develop into pneumonia in people with low protein levels.

Since the amino acids are also involved in the formation and maintenance of the skeleton, a protein deficiency accelerates the risk of fractures and age-related bone loss.

Muscle building: An increased protein intake per day is necessary for targeted muscle building. Muscles are built from proteins, which must be ingested through food to build muscle.

Protein And Their Importance In The Body:

Growth:  Children and adolescents in growth phases also have an increased protein requirement. The recommendations are 1.2 g/kg between the ages of 1 and 3 years, 1.1 g/kg between the ages of 3 and 6 years and 1.0 g/kg between the ages of 6 and 14 years.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding mothers: During pregnancy and breastfeeding, women need significantly more protein than usual. Therefore, in addition to the standard protein requirement (regardless of weight), a further 20 grams of protein per day should be consumed.

Regeneration phases: After illnesses and operations, the body needs additional protein for regeneration and tissue development.

Diabetes: In the case of diabetes mellitus, excessive protein consumption should be avoided. A maximum of 0.8 g/kg applies as a guideline.

Kidney insufficiency: Since high protein consumption strains the kidneys, people with kidney diseases must reduce their protein consumption in consultation with their doctor. The reason for this is high levels of creatinine and urea in the blood, which can only be reduced with reduced protein intake.

If the protein level drops sharply over a long period, you often feel listless. Anyone unsure about their protein levels can have their levels measured by a doctor and their protein requirements determined.

Are Vegetable Protein Sources Inferior To Animal Ones?

In a direct comparison of individual foods, the proteins from animal products have a higher biological value than those from plant products. It means that, for example, the same amount of protein from a hen’s egg can be absorbed and processed by our body better than the same amount of protein from lentils. In the daily diet, however, foods are rarely found individually but are combined with other foods at meals. Combination of different vegetable protein sources, their biological value can be increased to the same level as animal products.

In the body, the so-called amino acids, which make up larger proteins, are collected in amino acid pools throughout the day and used as needed to build muscle or to heal wounds. For your body to get all eight essential amino acids, you should consume different types of plant-based protein sources. Therefore, without hesitation, reach for lupins, soy products, lentils, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, hemp seed, oatmeal, etc., to cover your protein needs.

Recommended Protein Sources

The best animal protein sources are meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. All contain the essential amino acids for our body. Plant-based foods containing plenty of protein include legumes, nuts or grains such as quinoa. In contrast to animal protein sources, vegetable protein sources also score points with high fibre content.

Conclusion

Pay attention not only to the protein content in a portion of food but also to the biological value. The protein from eggs (100%), milk (whole milk: 86%), quark (lean quark: 86%), fish such as redfish (filet: 80%), beef (medium-fat filet: 76%) and Soybeans (76%).

The best protein sources for vegetarians are eggs, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese. Vegans can use legumes such as beans and soy products. However, different vegetable protein sources should be combined because the body needs numerous other amino acids from the protein.

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