How Much Protein Do You Need: What Does a Higher Protein Day Actually Look Like?

You may have seen many videos and content over social media telling you to “Eat more protein” and “Hit your protein targets.” They aren’t wrong, but this can be very vague. Protein is a very important macronutrient, and deserves its attention, but translating figures to your actual plate can be that little bit more confusing.

How Much Protein You Really Need

What is protein? The Basics

Protein is important for the growth and maintenance of muscle mass, but it has many benefits beyond this such as contributing to the maintenance of normal bones. Read more on the benefits of protein here.

Daily Protein Recommendations

Daily Protein Recommendations vary by age, gender and lifestyle so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Protein recommendations are based on how much we need per kilogram (kg) of our bodyweight, for adults this is 0.75g per kg of bodyweight.

Does source matter?

Think of protein like a brick wall. The wall is made up of lots of bricks, which are called amino acids. The human body uses 20 amino acids to build proteins, but there are 9 essential ones. These essential amino acids cannot be created by the body which means they must be obtained by your diet. These 9 essential amino acids include:

• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Valine

A protein is considered “complete” if it contains all 9 of these essential amino acids. Many animal-based proteins are complete such as fish, eggs, and dairy products. There are also plant-based proteins that are complete such as soy (tofu, tempeh), quinoa, buckwheat. It is important to note that this doesn’t make other protein sources inferior- eating a range of incomplete sources across the day covers your bases. Some great complementary combinations of plant-based sources to cover all 9 essential amino acids include: rice and beans, grains and legumes, hummus and pitta.

It's great to get protein from a range of different sources: legumes, nuts, seeds and grains for variation. There are also a number of factors which may affect the protein quality from food including the amino acid profile of the protein, digestibility, preparation and processing.

You can read more about protein quality, digestion and absorption in our handy guide here.

Here are some great plant-based protein sources and their respective protein contents:

• Edamame beans (~14g per 100g)
• Quinoa (~4g per 100g)
• Tempeh (~20g per 100g)
• Tofu (Steamed ~8g per 100g)
• Red Lentils (Boiled ~7g per 100g)
• Chickpeas (Canned ~7g per 100g)
• Black beans (~6g per 100g)
• Rice (~ 11g per 100g)
• Almonds (~20g per 100g)

Protein in Huel

The protein in Huel Products is provided principally by pea protein, brown rice, and faba bean protein. Additional protein comes from flaxseed and oats depending on the product. The combination of different plant-based protein sources ensures that all 9 essential amino acids are covered.

If you’re looking for an easy way to get more protein into your diet, why not try Huel Complete Protein Powder which contains 20g protein per serve, or for an on-the-go meal shake why not try Huel Black Edition Ready-to-drink which contains 35g protein per meal.

So What Does a Higher Protein Day Really Look Like?

The amount of protein required in the diet varies on body weight, activity and goals- so the amount of protein to eat per day isn’t a universal number, and the “right” amount varies. Knowing how much protein is right for you personally, and knowing what that number really looks like on your plate is a much harder task to visualise.

Here is a meal plan suggestion adding up to roughly 100g of protein:

Breakfast

Overnight oats made with soy milk. Top with seeds, fruit, and nut butter. Stir in Huel Complete Protein Powder for added protein and a variation in flavour.

Or grab a Huel Black Edition, our 40g protein powder meal.

Lunch

Tempeh/ Tofu stir-fry with edamame beans and brown rice. Season to your taste.

Or try a Huel Black Edition Ramen for 40g protein in minutes.

Snack

Grab a Huel Complete Nutrition Bar and pair with a piece of fruit.

Dinner

Lentil Dahl with quinoa and a side salad. Double up on portions and take some for lunch for the next day.

Tracking your intake for a few days may be useful if you are trying to understand your daily protein intake. This may help to reveal patterns, for example, breakfast is often where people fall short. Building protein awareness into habits is a great way to make eating the right amount of protein for you, a more sustainable task.