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There are a lot of great reasons to up your protein intake. From intake recommendations to plant-based sources, we demystify the latest nutrition advice.
Protein Pop-Tarts. Protein Doritos. Protein-boosted coffee at Starbucks and Dunkin. In the last 10 years, food companies have quadrupled their high-protein offerings around the world, leading internet meme-makers to wryly wonder, “How many grams of protein are in a beautiful evening spent laughing with friends?” and “How many grams of protein will it take to restore the light in my eyes?”
Since protein has Trojan horsed its way into our morning coffee and pastries, you could be forgiven for thinking we’re all abysmally deficient, but according to the CDC, American adults already consume 20% more protein per day than recommended. All these splashy protein products? They’re designed to pump profits — not necessarily your muscles.
Nevertheless, in January, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. turned the food pyramid of yore upside-down and put protein sources like red meat at the top, encouraging Americans to eat more of them. “Protein and healthy fats are essential,” Kennedy said, “and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines.”
The new guidance has earned ire from nutrition experts like Christopher Gardner of Stanford University, who told NPR, “I’m very disappointed in the new pyramid that features red meat and saturated fat sources at the very top, as if that’s something to prioritize. It does go against decades and decades of evidence and research.”
That’s not to say protein isn’t important, but many experts agree that we’re already getting plenty. They also say the sources matter. Gardner, for example, recommends plant-based sources like beans rather than red meat. But as protein storms grocery store aisles and the food pyramid, the signal can get lost in the noise. In 2025, kinesiologist and protein researcher Stuart Phillips declared, dietary protein “crossed the line from evidence-based nutrition into performance theater.”
So, let’s demystify the nutrition buzzword du jour. The protein choices you make can have a major effect on your health and the health of the planet.
First of All, What Is Protein?
Protein is one of three vital macronutrients, along with carbohydrates and fats. Found in every cell in the body, proteins are chains of amino acids that are fundamental for building muscles, bones, blood, and skin. They help deliver signals between cells, aid digestion, make your muscles move, and more. Proteins are, after water, the most abundant substance in the body. They do the lion’s share of work in the cells, and, needless to say, we couldn’t exist without them.
The body uses about 20 amino acids, some of which it can produce itself. The nine it can’t produce are known as essential amino acids, and we must consume them through food. Complete proteins, like soy, eggs, and meat, contain all nine, while incomplete proteins, like beans and grains, lack one or a few of the essential amino acids. Rice and beans is the classic example of complementary proteins, which combine to deliver all nine essential amino acids.
Your total protein intake per day is the most important factor, but it may be easier and more beneficial to distribute your intake throughout the day — 30 grams per meal, say, instead of guzzling a few protein shakes one after the other.
Beware of protein-flation: As food and supplement companies seek to cash in on protein mania, they can lean on incomplete proteins to juice their products’ protein content — without contributing any meaningful nutritional value. Collagen, for example, is cheap and composed of amino acids, which means it’s counted as protein in the nutrition facts, but collagen is not even close to being a complete protein. Essentially, you would have to eat another complete protein to “complete” collagen, making the collagen irrelevant as a source of protein. But that doesn’t stop companies from stuffing collagen into their products and advertising a misleadingly high protein content.
How Much Protein Do I Really Need?
The U.S. government’s Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight daily, but most experts say that’s too low — a baseline more than a meaningful target. For moderately active adults, organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Dietitians of Canada, and the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommend 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which equates to 0.54 to 0.9 grams per pound of body weight. So, a 150-pound person would aim to consume between 81 and 135 grams of protein daily.
The lower end of the range would suffice to maintain lean body mass in an adult who doesn’t work out, while about 0.7 gram per pound is a good target for active adults. Competitive athletes and those aiming not just to maintain but to substantially build muscle should aim, conveniently, for 1 gram per pound. So, you’re 150 pounds? Shoot for 150 grams of protein.
Your total protein intake per day is the most important factor, but it may be easier and more beneficial to distribute your intake throughout the day — 30 grams per meal, say, instead of guzzling a few protein shakes one after the other. It’s also ideal to keep your intake consistent from day to day, but don’t get caught up in anxiety if you get 60 grams one day and 120 the next. Check labels: The front of the package may boast a high protein content, but scan the nutrition facts. A good rule of thumb is to look for foods that contain at least 1 gram of protein per 10 calories. Seitan, for example, has 20 grams of protein per 100 calories, and tofu, another heavy hitter, has 10.5 grams per 100 calories. Spinach, perhaps surprisingly, has 12.6 grams for that same number of calories — but good luck eating 100 calories’ worth of raw spinach.
Is It Possible To Eat Too Much Protein?
Despite some media hand-wringing about protein overdose, it would be tough to eat an unhealthy quantity. Protein, for one thing, is the priciest macro, which naturally cuts down on consumption. And even if you were eating a dozen scoops of protein powder or more than a whole chicken every day, the health effects would be minimal. A study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found no negative health effects in active men who ate more than 1.27 grams per pound daily — more than 190 grams for a 150-pound person.
What Are the Most Sustainable Sources of Protein?
Food production is a major contributor of greenhouse-gas emissions, and beef has made headlines repeatedly for contributing to methane emissions and deforestation, and generally being a climate disaster. (Lamb and mutton have the second-highest greenhouse-gas footprint. And the third highest? Cheese.) Animal products like eggs, dairy, and meat are protein poster children but not the most environmentally friendly options.
Lower-carbon alternatives include animal-based options such as locally sourced meat, shellfish, yogurt, and eggs, as well as many plant-based sources, including beans, grains, textured vegetable protein, seitan, and soy products like tempeh and tofu. If you don’t want to cut out meat altogether, eating small animals — rabbit, duck, chicken — is better for the planet, but opting for a vegan or vegetarian diet is the most effective way to make your diet more environmentally friendly.
A 2023 University of Oxford study found that if everyone went vegan, food-related greenhouse-gas emissions would drop by 70%. Plus, a whole-foods, plant-based diet is frequently cited as among the best for health and longevity. That said, it doesn’t need to be all or nothing, so consider being a reducetarian and get inspired by One Man’s Long Journey (Too Long) to Eating Less Meat.
So, After All, How Many Grams of Protein Are in a Beautiful Evening Spent Laughing With Friends?
That depends, but much like protein, nights like that have more benefits than you think — and it’s practically impossible to get too much.
How Do Plant-Based Protein Sources Stack Up?
Nuts and seeds, per 1-ounce serving
- Walnuts: 4.3 grams
- Almonds: 6 grams
- Cashews: 5 grams
- Chia seeds: 4.7 grams
- Flax seeds: 5 grams
- Hemp seeds: 10 grams
- Sunflower seeds: 5.3 grams
- Pumpkin seeds: 8.5 grams
Legumes, per ½ cup, canned
- Black beans: 8.5 grams
- Pinto beans: 8 grams
- Chickpeas: 9 grams
- Kidney beans: 10 grams
- Lentils: 10.5 grams
- Peas: 8 grams
Meat alternatives
- Tofu (3 ounces): 7 grams
- Tempeh (3/4 cup): 20 grams
- Seitan (3 ounces): 18 grams
- Beyond Meat meatballs (5): 19 grams
- Impossible Burger (1 patty): 19 grams
- Soy milk: 7 grams
Grains, per ½ cup, cooked
- Quinoa: 4 grams
- Brown rice: 2 grams
- Amaranth: 4.7 grams
- Millet: 3 grams
- Oats: 3 grams
- Spelt: 5 grams
- Teff: 4.9 grams
Fruits and vegetables
- Broccoli (1 raw cup): 2.5 grams
- Sweet potato (medium): 2 grams
- Artichoke (small): 3 grams
- Spinach (3 cups raw): 2 grams
- Banana: 1 gram
- Blackberries (1 cup): 2 grams
- Guava (1 cup): 4 grams
Source: Healthline
Protein Stacking Tip:
Kristina Todini, RDN, suggests “stacking” protein sources. Choose 1–2 primary proteins, and then add secondary proteins to power up your meals. Try her Plant-Powered Protein Bowl.
