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How Much Protein Do You Need? Generally speaking, children under the age of 4 need 13 grams of protein per day, while children ages 4 through 8 should eat 19 grams of protein per day. Children ages 9 through 13 should eat about 34 grams of protein per day. Women and girls age 14 and over should eat 46 grams of protein per day, boys ages 14 through 18 should eat 52 grams of protein per day, and men ages 19 and over should eat 56 grams of protein per day. The exact amount of protein each person needs per day can vary, depending on factors other than age and gender. Weight is one factor, as health experts state that the average person should eat about .8 grams of protein per kilo (about 2.2 pounds) of body weight per day. Lifestyle is yet another factor, as athletes and those who get a lot of vigorous exercise every day should eat between 1.1 and 1.5 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. Those who are starting to lose muscle mass due to aging will need to eat between 1 and 1.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. When it comes to eating protein, you can get too much of a good thing. Eating more protein than your body needs can cause you to become overweight, because the body stores the extra protein you don’t need as fat. It also can cause health problems if your excess protein consumption causes you to not eat enough foods with other important nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.

The Difference between Lean and Fatty Proteins

Protein is good for your body, no matter what type of food it is found in. Unfortunately, many foods that are rich in protein also have a lot of fat, which is one nutrient that most people need to cut back on. A whopping 1.9 billion adults the world over are

Chapter 1: Getting to Know Proteins and Protein-Rich Foods

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