Olwen Anderson's Blog

A normal healthy person needs 0.8g of protein per kilogram of their ideal body weight. E.g for a 70kg person, that's 56g of protein every day.

If you're an athlete, you will need more protein: Check with your health professional as your requirements will vary with the intensity and type of your training.

If you're recovering from illness or surgery, you need to increase your protein intake to 1.5g per kg: That 70kg person now needs 105g of protein every day. (Note: if you have kidney disease or a history of kidney disease in your family you should always check with your health professional before altering your protein intake.)

Our requirements for protein increase as we age, to help maintain muscle mass. If you're elderly, make sure you get at least 1.1g of protein per kilogram per day. For example, if you're 70kg and over and elderly, make sure you eat 77g of protein every day.

So where can you get protein? Here are some common sources:

- 100g of chicken or red meat will supply 20-25g of protein

- 100g of seafood will supply 15-20g of protein

- 1 cup of milk or yoghourt will supply 8g of protein

- 1 egg will supply 6g of protein

- 30g of hard yellow cheese will supply 6-8g of protein

- 100g of white cheese will supply 11g of protein

- 1 cup of dried legumes will supply 8-15g of protein*

- 120g of tofu will supply 9g protein*

- 1 cup of soy milk will supply 6g of protein*

- 1 cup of whole grains will supply 5-12g of protein*

- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter will supppy 5g of protein

- 30g of sunflower seeds will supply 6g of protein*

- 1 tablespoon of tahini will supply 2g of protein*

- 30g of nuts will supply 5g of protein*

- 1 cup of fruit or vegetables will supply 2-4g of protein

*Vegetarians and vegans should combine non-animal protein sources to obtain complete proteins: Grains with dairy, legumes with grains, or nuts with grains

Not sure if you're getting enough protein? For one day, write down everything that you eat. Then at the end of the day go back and count your protein intake. Adjust your diet tomorrow depending on the results.