Proteins together with carbohydrates and fats present a part that is never left out in a balanced diet. They are one of three basic groups of macronutrients that are necessary for the organism to function normally, i.e. they are necessary for different metabolic processes. They can be found everywhere in the human body- in the muscles, bones, skin, hair, and literally in every cell in the organism. There are 10000 different types of proteins that make you what you are – a whole human organism. Proteins are made from amino acids. The organism can create some of these amino acids by itself and they are called nonessential amino acids, while it must take others through food and this group of amino acids is called essential amino acids.
How many grams of protein should I intake?
Depending on the basic metabolic needs, the minimal amount of protein intake is somewhere around 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight per day. I.e., if a person weighs 70 kilograms then 50 grams of protein are needed daily. However, the need for protein intake varies depending on the physical activity and the fitness goals that you have. If you want to build muscle mass then you would need to have a higher protein intake. Another piece of important data is what percentage of the total caloric intake should come from proteins. The recommended percentage is 10-35%. What does that mean? For a person who has a daily intake of 2000 calories, 200-700 of them should be from proteins, which equals to 50-175 grams per protein per day.
How much protein does food contain?
We often ask ourselves which foods contain a high level of proteins or rather how should we take them. This depends on personal preference and way of nutrition. The biggest amount of protein is found in foods of animal origin like meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy. On the other hand, plant-based proteins can be found in beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu cheese, nuts and soy. The people who practice vegetarianism or have a vegan diet get their protein from plant products. Different types of foods contain a different amount of protein per 100 grams. As an example, we will show you some of the most commonly used foods.
Examples of foods with the amount of protein they contain
| Protein from animal products | Amount of proteins(g) per 100g | |
| Meat | Chicken Pork Beef |
32.0 31.6 31.0 |
| Fish | Canned tuna Salmon |
24.9 24.6 |
| Eggs | Chicken eggs (boiled) | 14.1 |
| Dairy products | Milk Cottage cheese Greek yogurt |
3.4 9.4 5.7 |
| Plant-based protein | Amount of protein (g) per 100g | |
| Lentil | Red lentils (boiled) Chickpeas (in a can) |
7.6 7.2 |
| Legumes | Tofu Beans (in a can) |
8.1 6.9 |
| Cereals | Rice Bread (Whole-grain) Bread (white) |
10.9 7.9 7.9 4.8 |
| Nuts | Almonds Walnuts Hazelnuts |
21.1 14.7 14.1 |
Ile Kuzmnoski, MD
