20/06/2025
How much protein do we need?
With so many high protein products and supplements out there, you might think we're not eating enough.
Our protein recommendations are based on how much we need per kilogram (kg) of our bodyweight, for adults this is 0.75g per kg of bodyweight.
Protein recommendations are 56g/day for men and 45g/day for women (based on bodyweights of 75kg for men and 60kg for women).
On average in the UK, we eat more - men are eating about 85g and women about 67g of protein a day - so most of us are getting more than enough protein.
Some people, for example athletes and older adults may have higher protein requirements.
For our health and the planet it's good to have a variety of protein sources and to include more plant-proteins
Ideas for eating more plant protein:
🥜 have nuts or seeds as a snack and try nuts in savoury dishes like stews, stir fries and salads
🥣 choose soups based on beans or lentils
🍞 have nut butter or seed butter (e.g. tahini) on toast or crackers
🥙 have pulse-based dips like hummus or black bean dip
🍔try plant-based versions of burgers, sausages or mince
🍝 add beans, chickpeas or lentils to pasta sauces, curries and stews
🍛 try plant proteins like tofu, tempeh, mycoprotein
