How Much Protein Women Should Consume Daily: It is generally seen that women take full care of men’s protein, but when it comes to their own health, only a few options in their diet are protein rich. In fact, even today many people believe that men need protein only to build muscles. Whereas the answer is the opposite. Actually, protein is a very important nutrient of our body and it is even more important for women. Balanced intake of protein is very important for maintaining muscles, weight control, speed of metabolism, bone strength – all these. You also need to know that the needs of every woman are not the same. The amount of protein varies according to one’s age, weight, activity and health goals (like losing weight, building muscles, staying fit).
How much protein should one take daily?
-For normal and less active women, 0.8 grams of protein per kg body weight daily is considered sufficient.
-If you are a little more active than usual or exercise every day, then taking protein up to 1.0 grams per kg is beneficial.
-For weight loss, building muscles or improving fitness, experts suggest that 1.2 to 1.5–1.7 grams of protein per kg should be taken daily.
Understand it like this:
If your weight is 60 kg, and you do light activities, then you should take at least 48 to 60 grams of protein daily. If your goal is to lose weight or build muscles, then it can increase to 72 to 90 grams.
The need increases in certain situations-
-Harvard Health According to, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, a woman’s protein demand increases. For this, it is advised to take 75 to 100 grams of protein daily, so that both mother and child can get adequate nutrition. With increasing age, especially after 50, muscle mass starts decreasing. In such a situation, taking a little extra protein can prove useful.
Where to get protein from?
There are many sources of protein. If you are a non-vegetarian then you can eat chicken, fish, eggs, milk-curd and if you are a vegetarian then you can eat pulses-rice, paneer, soya, nuts-seeds, pulses-vegetables etc. Experts suggest including 15–25 grams of protein in every meal.
You can make your diet plan like this:
For breakfast: Curd or cheese + porridge or roti
Afternoon: Dal-Rice or Chicken/Fish + Vegetable
Evening: Nuts/Soya Snack or Milk/Buttermilk
Night: Roti + Dal or Tofu/Paneer
In this way, it becomes easy to take protein three-four times a day and the body gets balanced nutrition.
Experts have been saying that every woman should decide the right amount of protein for herself according to her age, weight and lifestyle. For women with a normal routine, about 0.8–1 g/kg daily is sufficient. But if you want to stay fit, lose weight, or exercise, then the need for protein increases and it should be increased to 1.2–1.7 g/kg.
It is clear that if you follow right diet, adequate protein and better lifestyle, then these three together will help in maintaining your health, muscles and fitness. Whether you are starting a diet for the first time or want to stay fit as you age, protein should be an important part of your diet.
