How much protein does a 100 pound woman need

It makes sense to pay special attention to your diet if you’re active and athletic so that you can avoid fatigue, give your body the fuel it needs and perform at your peak. You may need slightly more protein than an average adult woman if you’re very active, but always check with your doctor or a registered dietitian before you make any major dietary changes.

Guidelines

Rice University reports that sedentary adult women need about 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight, active women need between 0.4 and 0.6 grams per pound and athletic women who are trying to build muscle need 0.6 to 0.9 grams per pound. If you weigh about 130 pounds, those guidelines mean you should aim to eat between 52 and 117 grams of protein per day, erring toward the high end of the range if you’re extremely active and have a goal of developing more muscle mass.

What to Eat

Because some protein-rich foods are high in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol, it’s important to include those in your diet sparingly. The USDA recommends eating only meats that are lean or low fat, eating seafood at least twice a week, snacking on nuts or seeds and regularly using beans, legumes or soy products as meat substitutes. In addition to being lower in fat than processed meats and red meats, lean sources of protein have a greater variety of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber to fuel all of your daily activities.

Supplements

High-protein supplements such as shakes, bars and powders are often marketed toward active women and athletes as an aid to stay lean or become more muscular. They can be useful if your normal daily protein intake falls short of the standard recommendations above, but it’s generally better to consume whole foods instead. Nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky of the Mayo Clinic writes that protein shakes and supplements lack the benefits of real foods, namely because they have less fiber and no protective substances such as antioxidants.

Considerations

If you’ve recently begun a new exercise or diet plan, it’s worthwhile to re-evaluate your protein needs. For example, if you’re recovering from a sports injury or bouncing back from surgery, you may need extra protein. For moderate daily activity, however, stick with protein recommendations for healthy adults and eat lean proteins along with nutritious fats and carbohydrates at every meal.

The recommended protein intake for adults is based on their weight. The average person should eat 0.36 grams of protein for every pound they weigh (or 0.8 grams per kilogram). Based on that recommendation, a 120-pound woman should eat 43 grams of protein each day (120 x 0.36) and a 170-pound man should eat 61 grams of protein each day (160 x 0.36). 

Protein needs can also be determined based on percent of overall calories consumed per day. The range recommended is from 10%-35% of total caloric intake. For the standard 2000 calorie diet, this equals 50-175 grams of protein per day.

Vegetarians and Vegans

For vegetarians, vegans, or those who eat mainly plant based proteins, protein needs may be slightly higher than the standard recommendations (1-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight or .45-.54 grams per pound of bodyweight). This means that a 120-pound woman eating plant-based proteins may benefit from eating 54-65 grams of protein per day (120 x.45 and 120 x .54). If she happens to follow a 2000 calorie diet, that would mean 11- 13% of her calories come from protein, which is still in the recommended range.

During a Flare

In active Crohn's disease, protein needs are increased up to 25% more grams per day than normal. For example, a 120-pound woman with 10% of her total calories from protein would normally need 50 grams per day. With Crohn's disease, she will need an extra 13g (50 x .25) or 63g in total.

The problem is that eating during a flare is hard to do, so it's often best to keep your intake of protein up for a good while (at least several weeks) afterwards, so you can rebuild your muscles and tissues. If you are trying to build muscle or recover from a flare, you will need 20-40% more.

Kids with Crohn's Disease

Kids with Crohn's disease need even enough protein so they can continue grow. The amount they need is also based on their size and development (they need more as teenagers and as preteens going into puberty). So it's estimated that they need to have protein providing 10 – 30% of their diet based on their age and development. And they too need 25% more during a flare.

This article, as well as all others, was reviewed and edited by a member of our Medical Advisory Board.

On a biological level, proteins are sort of like Legos for our bodies. They’re the building blocks that make up our organs, tendons, hormones and, of course, muscles. But it’s that last thing on the list that gets so much attention when it comes to protein intake and exercise. All over your local gym, you’ve probably seen your fair share of protein shakes. It’s synonymous with muscle gain and weight loss, but can you overdo it? Let’s take a look and find out.

How much protein should I be consuming?

According to the Dietary Reference Intake report for macronutrients, a sedentary adult should consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. That means that the average sedentary man should eat about 56 grams of protein per day, and the average woman should eat about 46 grams.

Can I eat an all-protein diet?

Yes, technically you could. But it wouldn’t be good for you. (We’ll explore that more in a moment.) But basically, you should aim for anywhere between 10%-35% of your calories coming from protein. So if your body requires 2,000 calories per day, 200-700 calories should come from protein.

How do exercise and dieting affect protein intake?

The short answer is the more you exercise and burn calories, the more protein you can healthily eat. In fact, protein is great for weight loss because protein-rich foods leave you feeling much more full than fat and carbs. But all things in moderation — you can still gain weight when overeating protein, just like any other food. Remember to focus on calories in versus calories out — your body will only process or convert a certain percent of what you eat into energy.

Can eating too much protein cause health problems?

Maybe you’ve heard some scary things about how too much protein can damage your kidneys and liver. But before you toss out all your chicken legs and protein powder, we’re here to tell you not to worry! The biggest concern about overconsumption of protein applies to people who are predisposed to kidney disease.

The real health issue you should keep in mind about protein is that our bodies can’t store protein. So once its quota is reached, our bodies will convert extra protein into either energy or fat. That’s why it makes more sense to simply get your recommended amount of protein and then focus on carbohydrates and fats for the remainder of your daily calories.

OK, so where should I get my daily protein from?

The healthiest options for protein are generally from plant sources, but the right types of meat are also perfectly healthy when eaten in moderation. Here are a few good places to start sourcing your protein:

• Soy
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Beans and lentils
• Skinless, white-meat chicken or turkey
• Lean cuts of beef or pork
• Fish
• Egg whites
• Low-fat dairy
• Whey protein

Now that you’re a protein pro, you can go out and tell all your friends not to be afraid of this wonderful macronutrient! But be sure that, like all things, you find a balance. In other words, take your protein with a healthy side of moderation.

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