How Much Protein Do You Really Need?
Between the influencers screaming ‘more’ and the skeptics saying ‘less,’ the actual number is boring, evidence-based, and easy to hit.
Protein is the single macronutrient with strong, consistent evidence behind a target. It matters because it drives muscle repair, keeps you full, and preserves lean mass when you eat in a deficit.
The number
For most adults training regularly, 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day covers everything the research supports. Going higher does not appear to hurt, but it also does not help — the returns flatten out.
How to hit it
Anchor each meal around a palm-sized portion of a protein-rich food. Chicken, fish, lean beef, tofu, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, or a protein shake all count. Three meals with 35–45 grams each gets most people to their target without thinking about it.
What about timing?
Total daily intake matters far more than any timing window. If you distribute protein across the day, that's better than back-loading it — but the difference is small compared to hitting the total.