Question

What is the appropriate protein portion for women?

Answer 1

Appropriate protein portion:

If you simply follow the government’s Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA, for protein intake you’ll fall short. The RDA protein intake amount—just 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, or around 48 grams per day for a typical woman—is just 10 percent of daily calories. With this plan most of your calories would come from carbs and fat. Technically, it’s enough for anyone who is sedentary, but it’s far from ideal.

Most people go over the RDA, and the average American consumes about 16 percent of daily calories in the form of protein. (1) According to the Protein Summit Report, 16 percent of daily calories from protein is not too much, and in general Americans eat too little protein. (2) The Report states that at least doubling the RDA is recommended and safe.

Women and Protein – Counting Grams

One way to make sure you are getting enough protein is to count the grams in everything you eat. Different sources have different recommendations, but generally 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is the minimum. For women who are active or trying to lose weight, more is better.

A good general guideline is 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

For a woman who weighs 150 pounds this means eating between 80 and 136 grams of protein per day. The high end of this range is pretty extreme and only really necessary for any client doing a lot of strength training, preparing for fitness competitions, or who is a serious athlete. Experts recommend you don’t stay in that upper level indefinitely.