Since I eat a primarily vegetarian diet but I still work out a lot, I often get people who ask me if my training suffers due to a lack of protein.  They ask me if I use a protein supplement and if so, which one would I recommend.  Now I know that my diet includes enough protein, but I wanted to show all of you something interesting.

How many of you know how many grams of protein are in a single serving of chicken or a glass of milk?  How about an egg?  How many of you know how many grams of protein the human body needs?  My guess would be very few, which is not an accusation by the way, I didn’t know myself until I started 60 in 3.  Which is why I think a lot of these protein supplements companies are making money when they really shouldn’t.

The Advertising

We’ve all heard the advertising.  It’s unavoidable on TV or at the gym.  Buy the supplement and like magic, your muscles will tone up.  You’ll be ripped and toned within a week, all thanks to this wonderful protein shake or powder or bar or whatever.  Yah, right, if only it was that easy.

First, How Much Do We Need?

The human body needs about .8 to 1.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight.  I would like to emphasize that this is per KILOGRAM, not per pound.  For those of you more comfortable with the English system, a kg is 2.2lbs.  So your protein requirements could also be expressed as .37g to .82g of protein per lb of body weight.

That’s a range because some of us need more and some need less.  The more you use your muscles, the more you need because protein is used to repair all the damage you do to your muscles when you move.  So if you’re a serious body builder, you need .82 grams of protein per lb of body weight.  If you’re a serious couch potato, you need .37 grams of protein per lb of body weight.  If you’re somewhere in between, you’re going to need to judge for yourself.  As for me, I work out 5 days a week and I’m active on the weekends, so I’m going to assume .7 grams of protein per lb of body weight.  All of these numbers are per day by the way, so since I weigh 220lbs, I need 154 grams (220lbs * .7 gram per lb) per day.

Second, Are We Getting Enough?

That glass of milk I drank this morning?  8.4 grams of protein.  The 2 egg omelette I had with it?  14 grams of protein.  So it’s 8am and I’ve just had 22.4 grams of protein.  4 ounces of cottage cheese with my salad for lunch?  14 grams of protein.  2 slices of cheese for an afternoon snack?  another 14 grams.  A cup of tofu with some stir fried veggies for dinner?  20 grams of protein.  By the way, these are small servings.  At the end of the day, I’m at about 100 to 120 grams of protein.  Which leaves me around 30 to 50 grams short of my daily goal.  So yes, I drink a protein supplement with a bit more milk.

However, what about you?  Are you vegetarian?  If not, you may be surprised at the amount of protein you’re getting.  One burger patty?  22 grams of protein.  1 cup of chicken breast pieces scattered over a salad?  43 grams of protein.  That’s FORTY THREE!  Think about that for a second.  If I take my vegetarian diet with its small portions of dairy, tofu and eggs and add just a little bit of chicken on my lunch salad, I’d be getting my 153 grams of protein.  For you serious meat eaters, a 9 ounce sirloin steak has EIGHTY ONE grams of protein.

What am I trying to say?  Well, unless you’re a serious vegetarian or vegan, you do NOT need a protein supplement.  Yes, that’s true even if you work out a lot.  You’re getting more than enough protein if you just eat a healthy, balanced diet with a small amount of lean meat.

One Last Thing

For all of you who see these commercials, I want you to remember one more thing.  protein doesn’t build muscles.  Protein is the raw material that your body uses to build muscles IF you give it the incentive to.  If you eat a lot protein without working out, all you’ll get is fat. There is no magic in that protein supplement that will get you toned and ripped without exercise.  Protein will only help if you’re willing to do the work.

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Save your money and your calories.  Avoid the protein supplements and focus on working out and exercise.