{"id":12801,"date":"2026-02-11T15:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=12801"},"modified":"2026-02-11T15:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:39:24","slug":"how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Protein Do You Really Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Protein is essential to\u00a0maintaining\u00a0overall good health. However, consuming extra protein often comes from eating meats high in saturated fats, which can add to elevated LDL cholesterol levels or \u201cbad\u00a0cholesterol\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 0.8 g\/kg per day for adults 18 years or older. Based on weight, growing children and pregnant or lactating women\u00a0require\u00a0more protein than a typical adult man or woman. In terms of calories, the recommendation is that 10% to 35% of your daily calories come from protein.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can consume your recommended daily allowance of protein from several food sources. If someone\u2019s body weight is 70kg (154 lbs.), the RDA of protein is 56 g\/day. If you drink an 8-ounce glass of milk,\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0take in about 8 grams of protein. Add a cup of yogurt for about another 11 grams. Follow that up with a 3-ounce piece of lean\/extra lean meat, which is about 21 grams of protein, and a cup of dry beans, which is about 16 grams, and you have already reached the 56-gram daily requirement for an adult man. For an adult woman, a 46-gram daily requirement of protein can be reached by eating one serving of low-fat Greek yogurt, a 4-ounce serving of lean chicken breast, and a bowl of cereal with skim milk.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The American Heart Association has a guided outline of the suggested servings for each food group:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n