How Much Protein Do I Need Each Day?

Recently one of my clients asked me how much protein he needs to eat each day.

Ever since the high protein diets became really popular, people have been consuming lots and lots of protein. Even though protein is really good for building muscles, tissues and helping with regeneration of all our cells, too much of anything is not always good. And protein is no different.

Protein is acidic to our bodies. Our bodies have a pH balance, which tends to be slightly acidic to begin with. This helps with digesting our foods and protecting us from foreign invaders. When our bodies get to be too acidic then problems can occur. If we don’t get enough alkalinizing foods, to balance out the pH, then our body will leach calcium from our bones – which can lead to osteoporosis. Also, the kidneys and the liver have to cleanse out the acid from the body and that can cause problems for those organs. Gout is also a common problem with too much uric acid – a by product of protein.

As for how much to take, it is actually recommended that the average person gets about .8 (that is point 8) grams per kilogram of body weight. There are 2.2 pounds per kilogram. Now, that is for the average person, and being that we are all individuals, you may need a little more or a little less. It depends on what your personal goals are for your body and your workout programs. For the more athletic person you can go up to 1.8 gram per kilogram.

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

And, not to be pushing any particular product, but my client also asked about whey powder. There is a particular brand that I recommend to my clients and I thought I’d just share it with you. The company is called Isagenix. We got involved with this company because the quality of their products are amazing! They have a whey protein powder called IsaPro. This protein comes from New Zealand cows. These cows are grass fed, not grain fed and the protein is organic. There are no pesticides, colorings, etc. in the products. They are the cleanest products on the market.