Our Daily Requirement Of Protein

Our daily requirement of protein

Proteins are collectively known as a dietary component. It is the building block of our body. It is an essential part of all living organisms especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, etc and as enzymes and antibodies.

We should intake a certain amount of protein daily. They are essential for our life because…

• Protein is vital in the maintenance of body tissue including the development and repair. Hair, skin, eyes, muscles and organs all are made from protein.This is why children need more protein per pound of body weight than adults as they are in growing stage.Protein is a major source of energy. If we consume more protein than we need for body tissue maintenance and other necessary functions our body will use it for energy.
• Protein is involved in the creation of some hormones which help to control our body functions that involve in the interaction of several organs. Like Insulin, a small protein is an example of a hormone that regulates blood sugar.
• Enzymes are proteins that help to increase the rate of chemical reactions in the body. In fact most of the necessary chemical reactions in the body cannot efficiently proceed without enzymes.
• Protein is a major element in transportation of certain molecules. For example, hemoglobin is a type of protein that transports oxygen throughout the body.
• Proteins in the forms of antibodies that help to prevent infection, illness and disease.

Best sources of protein: 

• Milk and milk products. Dairy foods are packed with protein and contain bone-building calcium.
• Fish and seafood.
• Soya products.
• Chicken and turkey.
• Fish
• Dal and dal products
• Beans
• Nuts and seeds

Recommended dietary allowances value of protein or how much protein we should eat daily:

For most people a daily dose of around 0.8-1g of protein per kg of body weight is recommended. For athletes 1.2-1.7g per kg of body weight is recommended per day and of 1.2-1.4g protein is recommended for endurance athletes. After an exercise the intake of protein is important because the muscles need it to recover and grow. A portion of protein (15-25g) is recommended within 30 minutes of exercise when our muscles are particularly involved in the synthesis of protein.

For most of us, our daily requirement of protein is easily achieved by a healthy balanced diet. It is also recommended to avoid consuming larger amount of protein (55.5g of protein for the average man and 45g of it for the average woman). This is because that there is evidence for consuming too much protein can lead to health issues such as an increased risk of osteoporosis and kidney problem.

One of the main issues for our Western diet that most of our breakfast and lunch are low in protein but high in carbohydrates with a protein -packed with evening meal. It is better to aim to spread our protein intake throughout the day.