How Much Protein Do You Need in a Day?

The trendy macro is everywhere—and so is misinformation about it. We set out to clear up the confusion.

August 28, 2025

A cutting board piled with proteinrich foods

Even if you’re not exactly sure what protein actually is—or how much protein you need—one thing is for sure: It seems to be everywhere right now. Somehow, this humble macro managed to transcend the realm of nutrition nerdiness and break into the mainstream. All you have to do is shop your local supermarket or scroll your social media feed to find the evidence. Celebrities are starting their own protein brands, TikTok influencers are sharing high-protein recipes (looking at you, fluffy yogurt), and everyone is drinking CorePower shakes.

But for all the protein products vying for your money and content clamoring for your attention, that one aforementioned issue is rarely addressed: How much protein do you really, truly need in a day? (And for that matter, how does your activity level factor in?!)

Great Qs—all of which we’ll answer below to clear up any confusion you may have. Here’s a rundown of what protein is, what it does in your body, and how much protein you should actually be shooting for. Because, sorry, your favorite fitness girly or wellness guru isn’t necessarily a reliable source.

What protein actually is

If the term “protein” isn’t much more to you than a fitness buzzword, allow us to explain. Dietary protein is one of the three macronutrients (i.e. nutrients the body needs in sizable amounts). Unlike carbs and fat (the other two), protein is not usually a major energy source, although we definitely get some energy from it (at four calories per gram, to be specific).

Almost all animal-derived products—meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish—contain a significant amount of protein, so they are often labeled as protein sources when we’re talking about diet and nutrition. But protein is also present in a lot of plant-based foods. There’s a good amount in black beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds, for instance. Meanwhile, vegetables and grains generally contain smaller amounts, according to the FDA. Keep in mind, though, that whole grains generally have more protein than refined grains, which have been processed to remove the part of the grain that often supplies a lot of the macro, as SELF previously reported. (That also strips a bunch of fiber too).

Proteins are made of amino acids, small units often nicknamed the building blocks of life because of their central role in growth and development. There are 20 different amino acids in total, and they can be broken down into two main groups, per the FDA. Nine of the 20 are what are referred to as essential amino acids, meaning that the body is unable to produce them itself and must source them from food as a result. The other 11 are nonessential because the body is able to produce them itself or synthesize them from the essential amino acids, according to the US National Library of Medicine.

When a protein is a good source of all nine of the essential amino acids, we call it a “complete protein.” All animal products are complete proteins, and so is soy (including soy products like tofu, tempeh, and edamame). When a protein is missing or pretty low in any of those essential amino acids, it’s considered incomplete. That’s the case with most plant foods.

But in good news for vegetarians, vegans, and lovers of plant foods in general, you don’t necessarily have to eat complete proteins to get all the essential amino acids: Eating a wide variety of incomplete proteins will do the trick as well. As the FDA explains, incomplete proteins are often just lacking in one or two amino acids, so they’ll naturally make up for one another’s deficiencies. For instance, grains are low in an amino acid called lysine, while beans and nuts are low in methionine. But when you eat, say, beans and rice or wheat toast with nut butter, you’re getting all the amino acids that you do when you eat, say, chicken. While people used to be encouraged to eat incomplete proteins in complementary combinations at meals to get the full array of aminos at once, we now know this is not necessary, according to the US National Library of Medicine—as long as you’re eating a variety throughout the day, you should be A-OK.

Why we even need protein

That building block nickname is no exaggeration: Protein is an integral component of every cell in your body, including your muscles.

“If we don’t get enough protein, our bodies actually won’t be able to rebuild properly and we’ll start to lose muscle mass,” Colleen Tewksbury, PhD, MPH, RD, assistant professor in nutrition science at Penn Nursing and past president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells SELF.

Protein helps repair the microtears that occur in your muscle fibers when they’re strained during exercise, the American College of Exercise (ACE) explains. That process of damage and repair is what maintains and increases your muscle mass.

But protein isn’t just important for people who work out: In addition to muscle growth and repair, protein is essential to the growth and repair of virtually all cells and body tissues—from your skin, hair, and nails to your bones, organs, and bodily fluids, according to the FDA. That’s why it’s especially important to get enough during developmental periods like childhood and adolescence.

Protein also plays a role in crucial bodily processes like blood clotting, immune response, vision, fluid balance, and the production of various enzymes, hormones, and antibodies, per the FDA. And because it contains calories, it can also provide energy for storage or immediate use. (But like we said before, this definitely isn’t its primary role, which we’ll discuss more in a bit.)

What happens in your body when you eat protein

Unfortunately for those hoping for instant gains, it’s not like eating a piece of chicken will send protein directly to your biceps. No matter what kind of protein you’re eating—plant or animal, complete or incomplete—your body’s first objective is to break it back down (via the digestive process) into all the different amino acid units it was assembled from, Dr. Tewksbury explains.

Then, those singular amino acids get reconfigured (by the liver) into whatever kind of protein your body needs. For instance, some proteins in the body form antibodies that help the immune system fight bacteria and viruses. Others help with DNA synthesis, chemical reactions, or molecule transport, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences explains.

Since your body can’t store excess protein, it will break down any it doesn’t need right away and usually stow it in fat tissue (as triglycerides), according to Merck Manuals. Rarely, if your body is in a fasting state or not getting enough calories from other macronutrients, broken-down protein can be converted into glucose and used for emergency fuel, Whitney Linsenmeyer, PhD, RD, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells SELF. But this is not typical, because the body prefers to treat carbs as its primary source of energy (followed by dietary fat, if the body is not getting enough carbs). “We can adapt to use protein for energy as well, but it’s not ideal,” Dr. Linsenmeyer says. “Ideally, [our bodies] want to leave it alone to build and maintain body tissues.”

How much protein your body needs

Okay, so how much protein are we talking about here? The amount of protein your body actually requires for tissue growth and repair is determined by factors like sex, age, height, weight, health, activity level, and overall calorie needs, according to the US National Library of Medicine. So it’s going to vary a lot from person to person.

A good starting point for roughly estimating minimum protein needs is the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Basically, the RDA refers to the average minimum daily intake that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements (i.e., prevent a deficiency) for most healthy individuals (who are sedentary or minimally active). For protein, that’s 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or about 0.36 grams per pound. (So you would multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 to get your RDA.) For instance, the average 200-pound person needs at least 72 grams of protein per day to hit theirs.

People with a higher activity level will likely need more. Individuals who work out and want to maintain and/or build muscle mass through diet and exercise definitely benefit from getting more protein than the RDA, Adam M. Gonzalez, PhD, CSCS, professor in the Department of Allied Health and Kinesiology at Hofstra University, has told SELF.

How much more, exactly, depends on additional factors (like how much you exercise and your body composition goals, as SELF has reported)—as well as who you ask. Several large organizations—the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy), Dietitians of Canada (DC), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)—reviewed the research on sports nutrition and agreed that the optimal daily protein intake for active adults and athletes is 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound). Similarly, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.6 to 0.9 grams per pound).

Based on those recommendations, for instance, a 200-pound person would want to get between 100 and 180 grams of protein a day. Generally, the higher your activity level—the more frequent, strenuous, and long your workouts are—the higher in that range you’ll be, Dr. Gonzalez says.

That said, more active people aren’t the only ones who need more protein than the average. Sources like UCSF Health recommend pregnant folks get a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day (20 to 25% of their total daily calories)—an increase to 1.1 grams per kilogram per day (0.5 grams per pound). Meanwhile, a 2020 study published in Current Developments in Nutrition found that exclusively breastfeeding folks would benefit most from getting around 1.7 to 1.9 grams per kilogram per day (around 0.8 grams to 0.9 grams per pound). And last but not least, most sources advise that older adults get around 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram per day (around 0.4 to 0.5 grams per pound) due to the increased risk for muscle mass loss, though Stanford Lifestyle Medicine suggests up to 1.6 grams per kilogram per day (around 0.7 grams per pound).

How you should space out your protein intake

When you eat your protein is just as important as how much you eat. You don’t want to load up at one meal or after a workout and then skimp for the rest of the day. Like we mentioned, the body doesn’t have a protein holding tank like it does for carbs, where it can siphon away extra for easy access as needed.

That’s why the best way to get your protein is to stagger your intake throughout the day. Going this route helps your body direct protein where it’s needed when it’s needed—not to mention keeps you feeling satisfied and energized! So take a look at the recommendations above, calculate your daily goal, and see how you can divide that amount among your various meals and snacks.

Spacing out your protein intake is also super important for active individuals. That’s because muscle repair and growth are “greater when you consume adequate protein at breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Dr. Linsenmeyer explains. Yes, “protein is vital after a workout,” Yasi Ansari, MS, RD, national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has previously told SELF. “But it is important for people to know that more [all at once] is not necessarily better.”

Let’s dig into that a little more. To start with, your muscles are going to be hungrier for protein for at least 24 hours after exercising, Dr. Gonzalez says—so basically most of the time, if you work out most days. The Academy/DC/ACSM recommend getting 15 to 25 grams of protein (or 0.25 to 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight) about every three to five hours to maximize muscle repair. The ISSN suggests getting 20 to 40 grams (or 0.25 grams per kilogram of body weight) every three hours or so. So a good target combining those ranges is 20 to 30 grams of protein at a time, as SELF has explained. If you want to be a bit more precise, convert your body weight in pounds to kilograms (divide your weight in pounds by 2.2), and multiply that number by 0.25 or 0.3. For a 200-pound person, for instance, that works out to 23 to 27 grams of protein.

The bottom line on protein? This nutrient is vital to keeping you healthy and functioning at a high level, so you want to hit at least the recommended minimum no matter what—and if you work out, get a good bit more than that. That said, don’t fall into the trip of thinking that more is necessarily better. Realistically, you probably don’t need as much as the internet tells you, so odds are you’re doing just fine as is.