Protein for Active Lifestyles: How Much is Enough?

The exact amount of protein an athlete needs depends on their activity level and fitness goals. While a sedentary adult requires only 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight, an active jogger needs about 0.5 grams per pound, and a serious weightlifter requires up to 0.9 grams per pound.

Key Takeaways

• Active adults and athletes require 0.5 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight, compared to a baseline of 0.36 grams for sedentary adults.
• A 160-pound athlete needs between 80 and 144 grams of protein daily, scaling based on the intensity of the activity.
• Whole food sources like chicken, lentils, Greek yogurt, tofu, eggs, and canned tuna provide muscle-building protein alongside essential vitamins and minerals.
• Seafood options like salmon and tuna offer high-quality protein with the added benefits of being lower in saturated fat and higher in omega-3 fatty acids than many other animal proteins.

Why do active lifestyles require more protein?

Exercise puts stress on your muscles, which are made of protein, and eating protein before or after a workout helps tired muscles recover, rebuild, and get stronger.

Elite athletes aren’t the only ones who need protein. If you run, hike, climb, swim, or play a sport, you need yours, too. Your muscles are literally made of protein, and all forms of exercise put them under stress.

Research shows that eating protein before and/or after a workout helps tired muscles recover and rebuild themselves, which is how they get stronger. If you want to stay healthy and active, it’s important to make sure you’re eating enough protein. But how much is enough?

How do I figure out my protein baseline?

To calculate your minimum daily protein baseline, multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.36.

This starting point represents the minimum amount of protein required per day to keep your muscles working without the added stress of exercise. In other words, that’s your starting point. For example, here’s the calculation for a 160-pound adult:

• 160 pounds x 0.36 grams protein per pound = 58 grams protein

This is based on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for sedentary adults, which is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (g/kg), or 0.36 grams per pound (g/lb). Individual protein requirements depend on a variety of factors, but at least figuring out where to start is super easy. All you need is your weight and a calculator.

How much protein does an athlete need?

Most athletes should aim for a daily intake of 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or about 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound.

Athletes of all levels need to eat more than the minimum amount of protein. Unlike the RDA, though, there’s no single number to shoot for. It’s a range. According to current research, these ranges apply to adults and adolescents alike, so if your kids play competitive sports, take note.

The numbers may look small, but they make a big difference. If the same 160-pound person from earlier started working out regularly, they’d need between 80 and 144 grams of protein at either end of the range.

How do my fitness goals change my protein needs?

The exact protein target depends on your goals, with light aerobic exercise requiring the lower end of the range and intense weightlifting requiring the maximum amount.

That’s a pretty wide spread, so how do you know where you fall? The short answer is that it depends on your goals. Use this decision framework to find your target:

• Choose 0.5 grams per pound if you participate in light to moderate endurance activity, such as a jogger.
• Choose 0.9 grams per pound if you are focused on intense muscle building and hypertrophy, such as a serious weightlifter.

Activity Level	Weight (pounds)	Protein Per Pound (grams)	Total Protein (grams)
Jogger	160	0.5	80
Serious weightlifter	160	0.9	144

How much food do I need to eat to get the protein I need?

To reach an athletic protein goal of 80 to 144 grams, you will need to consume multiple portions of protein-rich whole foods like poultry, legumes, dairy, or seafood.

First, studies suggest that protein-rich whole food sources build muscle just as well as protein supplements, but offer additional dietary benefits in the form of vitamins, minerals, and unsaturated fats.

You probably already know which of your favorite foods are high in protein, but depending on your dietary preferences and needs, you may be shocked to learn just how much you’ll need to eat.

What does 80 grams of protein look like?

You can reach 80 grams of protein by eating 2 chicken breasts, 4.5 cups of lentils, or 4 cans of tuna.

Let’s take the same 160-pound person for example. If they, for some reason, decided to get all their protein from a single source, here’s how much they’d need to eat to make that happen:

Ways to get 80 grams of protein:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, OR
• 4.5 cups of cooked lentils, OR
• 4-5 servings (28-32 ounces) of low- or nonfat Greek yogurt, OR
• 2 pounds of firm or extra-firm tofu, OR
• 13 large eggs, OR
• 4 cans of Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water

What does 144 grams of protein look like?

You can reach 144 grams of protein by eating 3.5 chicken breasts, 8 cups of lentils, or 7 cans of tuna.

If that same person needed the maximum amount of protein for serious weightlifting, here is what it would take.

Ways to get 144 grams of protein:

• 3.5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, OR
• 8 cups of cooked lentils, OR
• 7-8 servings (49-56 ounces) of low- or nonfat Greek yogurt, OR
• 4 pounds of firm or extra-firm tofu, OR
• 23 large eggs, OR
• 7 cans of Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water

This is not to say that you need to eat 7 cans of tuna or 2 quarts of lentils every day—variety is key! The goal is to know how much protein you get per serving of your favorite foods, so you can mix and match to suit your needs.

How should I combine foods for a protein-rich meal plan?

Mixing different protein sources across your meals ensures you comfortably reach your daily goals without relying on just one food type.

Here are some daily meal plans to cover the protein part of your diet if you’re that 160-pound jogger we described earlier.

Ingredients	Protein Contribution
Plan 1
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (1/2 portion)	20 grams
1.5 cups cooked lentils	26 grams
8 ounces of Greek yogurt	18 grams
Plan 2
4 large eggs	24 grams
1 can of albacore tuna	20 grams
1 pound of tofu	36 grams
Plan 3
2 ounces Greek yogurt	6 grams
2.5 large eggs	15 grams
1 cup of cooked lentils	18 grams
0.5 can of albacore tuna	10 grams

What are the benefits of seafood in a protein-rich diet?

Seafood is an excellent protein choice because it is lower in saturated fat, higher in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than other animal proteins, and highly convenient.

Getting your protein from fish like tuna or salmon is a fantastic option, especially if you’re watching your saturated fat intake. Not only are these foods lower in saturated fat—and higher in omega-3 fatty acids—than other animal proteins, they’re also delicious and versatile enough for any meal plan. High-quality seafood like canned tuna also offers the practical benefit of being a fully cooked, highly convenient protein source right out of the pantry.

Increasing your protein intake does take some getting used to, especially if you’ve never thought about it much. Eating a variety of protein-rich foods from both plant and animal sources gives your muscles everything they need to recover from tough workouts and hard games—so you can do it all again tomorrow.

What are the sources for these protein guidelines?

These guidelines are supported by sports nutrition research, academic institutions, and medical literature on exercise recovery (see sources listed below).

Sources:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5477153
• https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/protein_intake_for_athletes
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852800