Most research has found that the average person needs about 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight. To figure out your daily needs, follow this simple formula:

• Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 – this is your weight in kilograms.

Example: if you weigh 150 pounds,

150 / 2.2 = 68.2

• Multiply this number by 0.8 – this is the number of grams of protein you need each day.

Example: 68.2 * 0.8g = 54.6;

You would need about 55 grams of protein per day.

Your protein needs will also depend on your activity level. If you are sedentary, you will likely need only 0.4 grams of protein per kg of body weight, whereas recreational exercisers will need 0.5 – 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight. If you are very active and work out at a moderate to intense level for 30-60 minutes more than 4 days per week, you may need up to 1.0 gram of protein per kg of body weight. In the above example, this means that this person would need somewhere between 55 and 68 grams of protein per day based on the activity level (assuming this person is at least moderately active).

Research on body builders has shown that they may require up to 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight. However, it is important to realize that body builders have very unique nutritional needs based on the strain they are placing on their bodies and muscle tissue. There tends to be a faulty assumption in our society that because protein’s function in the body is to build and repair muscles and that body builders consume larger quantities of protein, then eating like they do will produce in greater muscle gain. This link is faulty; body builders build the muscle mass that they do because of their genetics and their workouts and not just because they consume extra protein. If you regularly consume more protein than your body needs and are not getting enough carbohydrates and other critical nutrients, there can be detrimental effects on your health.