How much protein do you actually need? A simple UK guide

The official UK numbers

The Reference Nutrient Intake is the UK's official figure, and it answers a specific question: how much protein does an adult need so that almost nobody in the population falls short? It is a floor for public health, which is why it looks low compared to the numbers thrown around in gyms.

Worth knowing: most people in the UK already exceed it comfortably. The British Nutrition Foundation reports average intakes of about 85g a day for men and 67g for women. So the honest answer for a lot of readers is that you are not protein-deficient, you are just eating less than would be ideal if you are also trying to build or keep muscle.

Why training changes the number

Resistance training damages muscle protein and then rebuilds more of it. That rebuilding needs raw material, and the amount available over the day is one of the things that limits how much of it happens. Endurance training raises the requirement too, for repair rather than growth.

There is a second reason that matters if you are losing weight. In a calorie deficit your body is looking for energy, and muscle is one of the places it can find it. Adequate protein alongside resistance training is the main thing that tips that decision in favour of keeping the muscle and losing the fat, which is the whole point of fat loss rather than weight loss.

Working out your own target

1. Take your body weight in kilograms. If you are carrying a lot of excess weight, using a weight you would reasonably be aiming for gives a more sensible number.
2. Multiply by 1.2 if you are training a couple of times a week and mainly want to hold on to what you have.
3. Multiply by 1.6 if you are training three or more times a week, or you are in a calorie deficit and want to protect muscle.
4. Do not bother going past 2.0. The evidence for benefit beyond that range is thin, and the extra grams displace other food you also need.
5. Spread it across the day. Three or four meals with a decent amount of protein in each is easier and more effective than one enormous evening portion.

Round the answer. Precision to the gram is a waste of attention; being roughly right every day beats being exactly right on Mondays.

What that looks like on a plate

These are ordinary UK supermarket foods and rough portion values. The point is not the exact grams, it is that hitting a sensible target is easy once you know which foods carry the load.

• A chicken breast, a salmon fillet, or a tin of tuna: substantial, around 25g to 30g.
• Two eggs: around 12g. A useful addition rather than a main source.
• A tin of baked beans, a portion of lentils or chickpeas: around 10g to 15g, plus fibre.
• A pot of Greek yoghurt or a portion of cottage cheese: around 15g to 20g.
• A block of tofu or tempeh, or a soya-based mince: comparable to meat portions.
• Milk, cheese, nuts and seeds: smaller amounts that add up across the day.

A practical rule that removes most of the arithmetic: put a proper protein source in every meal. Do that three times a day and most people land in the right range without tracking anything.

If you eat plant-based, you will want a bit more variety across the day rather than relying on one source, and slightly larger portions, because plant proteins differ in their amino acid profiles. Beans, lentils, tofu, soya, nuts, seeds and wholegrains between them cover it comfortably.

Protein when you are trying to lose weight

Protein does two useful things in a calorie deficit, and they are the reason it gets more attention than the other nutrients when weight loss is the goal.

• It is filling. Gram for gram, protein tends to keep people fuller for longer than carbohydrate or fat, which makes the same calorie target noticeably easier to live with.
• It protects muscle. In a deficit your body will take energy from wherever it can, including muscle. Adequate protein plus resistance training is what steers that towards fat instead.

That second point is why the sensible move when cutting calories is to keep protein roughly where it is and take the reduction out of everything else. If your target is 1,600 calories, spending around a third of them on protein is a reasonable shape for the day. Whatever your target, do not create room for protein by dropping below the minimum daily intakes covered in our guide to how many calories to eat to lose weight.

Do you need a shake?

No. Protein powder is food that is convenient, not food that is special. If you struggle to eat enough because of time, appetite or a long commute, a shake solves a logistics problem neatly. If you already hit your target from meals, it adds cost and nothing else.

We do not sell supplements and have no reason to talk you into any. If you do buy one, the only thing worth checking is the protein per serving against the price per kilogram.

Can you overdo it?

The ranges above are well-trodden territory for healthy adults, and going a little over the top of them is not the concern people imagine. The practical downside is displacement: protein is filling, so a very high intake tends to crowd out vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and the fibre that comes with them.

Does timing matter?

Far less than the total does. The old idea of a narrow window after training that you must hit or waste the session has not held up. Getting your total for the day, spread reasonably evenly, is the part that matters.

If you want a simple structure: protein at breakfast, at lunch, and at dinner, with a fourth serving somewhere if your target is at the higher end. That is the whole strategy.

Sources

• British Nutrition Foundation - protein
• NHS - the Eatwell Guide