How Much Protein Do You Actually Need? The No-Nonsense Guide (That Won't Cost a Fortune)

Protein has never been more fashionable. It's in cereal, crisps, iced coffee and, somehow, sparkling water. That raises two fair questions: how much do you really need, and do you need to pay a premium to get it?

The number: 1.6 g per kilo (if you train)

For general health, the standard reference intake for adults is about 0.75 to 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day. That covers basic needs. If you're trying to build or keep muscle, though, the most useful number comes from a 2018 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Morton and colleagues). It pooled 49 trials of protein supplementation with resistance training. Extra protein increased gains in strength and muscle size, but the benefit plateaued at around 1.6 g/kg/day, and the authors noted that going a bit higher, up to about 2.2 g/kg, may suit some people.

For a 70 kg person, that's roughly 110 g a day. For an 85 kg person, about 135 g.

The HN24 take protein without resistance training mostly gets burned for energy. The training is the signal. The protein is the building material.

For him

Stop hoarding it at dinner

Many men eat a token breakfast, a sandwich lunch and then a braai-sized dinner. Research on how to spread protein suggests that 3 or 4 meals of around 0.4 g/kg each (about 25 to 40 g for most people) is a sensible way to support muscle across the day. A review by Stokes and colleagues (2018) in Nutrients summarises this "distribution" research.

In practice, that means bringing breakfast and lunch up to the standard of dinner.

For her

You're probably not getting enough

Women are the group most often under-eating protein relative to their goals, often because of years of "light" eating. That matters more from perimenopause onwards, when muscle becomes harder to hold onto. If you've started lifting (and see our strength guide for why you should), your protein intake needs to rise to match.

Hitting about 1.6 g/kg doesn't mean steak three times a day. It means building every meal around a protein anchor.

Protein on a rand budget

You don't need branded shakes to hit your number. Some of the cheapest protein in a South African supermarket is also the most traditional. Compare cost per gram of protein, not per pack.

• Eggs: about 6 g protein each. Boiled, scrambled or in a quick shakshuka.
• Pilchards and tinned tuna: cheap, shelf-stable and high in protein. Pilchards bring omega-3s too.
• Chicken (thighs, or a whole bird): usually far cheaper per kilo than breasts.
• Beans, lentils and chickpeas: lower in protein per serving than meat but very cheap, plus fibre. Combine them with grains across the day.
• Plain yoghurt, maas and cottage cheese: great for breakfast and snacks.
• Milk: about 3 to 3.5 g per 100 ml. A glass after training is a perfectly good recovery drink.
• Soya mince and peanut butter: budget staples. Peanut butter is calorie-dense, so measure it.

Whey protein is still useful. It's convenient, digests fast and is high in leucine, the amino acid that switches on muscle-building. Think of it as a time-saver, not a requirement. If you buy one, choose an independently tested product and check the label for sweeteners and added "blends".

A 130 g day, built from basics

• Breakfast: 3 eggs on wholewheat toast plus a glass of milk
• Lunch: a pilchard or tuna wrap with salad, plus a tub of plain yoghurt
• Snack: cottage cheese with fruit, or a whey shake
• Dinner: chicken thigh and lentil curry with brown rice and veg

Exact totals depend on brands and portions, so check labels. But a day like this lands comfortably in the 110 to 140 g range without a single novelty "protein" product.

Does high protein hurt your kidneys?

In healthy people, intakes in the ranges above have not been shown to damage the kidneys. If you have chronic kidney disease, though, protein needs are different and must be set by your doctor or dietitian. The same applies if you're pregnant or managing diabetes.

Don't forget the rest of the plate

The protein-maxxing trend can crowd out fibre and plants. Keep half your plate for veg and legumes (see our 30 g fibre guide) and choose mainly lean or plant proteins over processed meats. The goal is a healthy body, not just a protein total.

Leucine: the switch that tells muscle to grow

Not all protein is equal for muscle. Leucine, an amino acid, acts as a key trigger for muscle protein synthesis. Animal proteins (dairy, eggs, meat, fish) and soya are naturally rich in it. Most other plant proteins contain less, so if you're vegetarian or vegan:

• Make portions slightly larger.
• Combine sources across the day, such as beans with grains, or lentils with rice.
• Use soya (tofu, soya mince or soya milk) or a pea-and-rice protein blend if you want a powder.

The best protein source is the one you'll actually eat, every day, without blowing the grocery budget.

Before bed: does a slow protein help?

Studies have tested a casein-rich snack before sleep, such as cottage cheese, plain yoghurt or milk, to support overnight muscle repair. Evidence suggests it can help, especially when total daily protein is on the low side. It's a nice-to-have, not a must. Hit your daily total first.

Five protein mistakes to stop making

1. A carb-only breakfast. Toast and coffee leaves you playing catch-up all day.
2. Relying on "protein" snacks. Many protein bars carry only modest protein for a lot of sugar and sweetener. Read the label.
3. Skipping protein when cutting. That's exactly when you need it most, to protect muscle.
4. Forgetting older relatives. People over 65 often need more protein per meal to get the same muscle response.
5. Not reading labels. Compare grams of protein per serving and price per 30 g of protein, not price per tub.