This is Harvard Health Publishing, they say I need about 0.8 grams of protein everyday, now, that means I would have to consume about 70 grams of protein everyday (minimum) to stay healthy, now, I live in India and don't consume that much, but I consider myself pretty healthy.
So, what's the amount one should realistically be aiming towards? If I were to take 70 grams of protein everyday, what measurable changes can I expect in my life🤔?
It depends on your activity levels, metabolism, age etc. in general that amount of protein (assuming your diet is consistent) will keep your muscle mass constant and keep your brain functioning well (and other bodily functions - it’s not siloed in its purpose and basically impacts every aspect of your body’s functions . Your body’s processes are not solely reliant on protein but if you don’t have enough your neurotransmission and cognitive function will suffer. If you consume less protein than your base amount for a prolonged time, your body doesn’t have what it needs to maintain core functions and renew and maintain muscle mass. If you don’t consume enough calories overall you’ll find your body will consume its own muscles as a source of energy which is a dangerous metabolic process that can have lasting detrimental effects.
Basically over a short term or one day in a while, not consuming enough protein shouldn’t be an issue, but on a consistent or prolonged timeline, your body just doesn’t have what it needs to maintain itself and you are at risk of longer term impacts to your wellbeing in many facets of your basic bodily functions. I’ve read numbers like .75g per kg for women and .84g per kg for men daily, for basic maintenance of bodily condition. Obviously it isn’t One size fits All, but as a general jumping off point I think that’s a reasonable ballpark. Basically if you’re healthy, and assuming all other things being equal, those amounts should maintain your current state.
I started tracking what I eat some days ago and hadn't had a single day I got even near that level. And since the only change was that I increased my protein, I probably didn't met that level for some time now. But I feel very good.
Just to double check, you weigh around ~87kg? For that weight I’d guess you’re eating 2500kcal/day+ right?
And you’re counting protein from all sources, not just meat or meat equivalents? Eating some yogurt, lentils, beans, etc all of that protein content can add up pretty quickly but you might not be counting it.
As a final note, they recommend that for healthy but that doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy without it. But you could consider adding a little bit of high protein sources (chicken, tofu, etc) to your diet to hit closer to that goal and see if it makes a difference for you.
A bit less, so that I'm aiming for about 2000kcal/day I am using the cronometer app. I enter everything I eat I they count the nutrients. So I hope they are counting everything.
And yes, I am trying to add some high protein sources right now but it still is rather hard to hit the daily goal. But , still, thanks for the tips.
Quark yogurts are your friend, I get some that have 25g of protein per serving for only around 130cal, I top them with a bit of muesli so they're less boring and the whole snack is then like 180/190cal and way more filling and more protein than a bar with similar calories (they're already flavoured as well)..