[kaytlin90]

How much proteins do I need daily ? I'd also like to know what are some great sources of proteins. Just so you know, I don't eat any red meat at all.

[marbleflys]

My trainer recommended that I try to get 18-20 grams per meal..but that is hard for me to hit....sometimes i can only do 13-15 grams.

read labels so you know what the nutritional content is....

[ddc]

The rule of thumb is half of your lean body mass in grams of protein.
So, if you weigh 150 lbs and your body fat % is 25%, then you have approx 37 lbs of fat, so 150 - 37 = 113 lbs lean body mass--divide that by 2, so approx. 56 grams of protein per day. Of course this is just an estimate.

Good sources are: eggs, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken or turkey breast, pork tenderloin, lean beef, beans, nuts, soy, tofu, fish and other seafood.

[zenor77]

This is a highly debated topic.

How much protein do you need for survival? About 8 grams.

How much do you need for optimal health? According to the USDA 10-15% of your calorie intake should be protein.

How much do you need for optimal weight loss? That depends. I think it varies from person to person and it depends on your exercise regime.

ddc's equation looks like a good place to start.

One thing to mention, if you are going to eat a high amount of protein, make sure you get enough calcium. Your body uses calcium to process protein and it'll take it from your bones if there isn't enough available.

I don't eat red meat either. I get my protein from eggs, cheese, fish, poultry, tofu, nuts, vegetables, and grains (veggies and grains to have small amounts of protein in them.)

[PhotoChick]

The RDA for protein is .8g per 1kg of body weight. 1kg = 2.2#

So a woman like me who weighs 165# = 75kg = 60g of protein per day.

However, there are all kinds of variations to that rule. Some sources recommend that people who are weight lifting and working on really building muscle strength eat much more protein - as much as 1g per # of body weight.

I try to get in around 100g - 120g per day as best I can. I usually wind up right around 100g.

Oh, and sources: I eat eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, oats, chicken, fish, yogurt, and I generally fit in one or two scoops of protein powder per day.

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