Protein is a part of every cell, organ and tissue inside your body; it is constantly being broken down and replaced with new proteins, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Protein in food can help increase your muscle mass with the help of a resistance training regimen. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program or making drastic changes to your diet.
The Facts
Everyone needs protein in their diet, either from meat or plant-based foods. When you eat protein, your body digests it into amino acids that your body later uses to replace broken-down proteins in your bodily tissues, the CDC explains.
Recommended Daily Allowance
The recommended daily allowance for protein consumption varies by age and gender. The average adult woman needs 46 grams of protein per day, according to the CDC, while adult men need 56 g. The RDA for teenagers is between 46 and 52 g --- with girls at the lower end of the scale and boys at the upper end. Children aged 9 to 13 should eat about 34 g of protein per day; 4- to 8-year-olds need 19 g daily; those aged 1 to 3 need 13g.
Bodybuilders, meanwhile, may consume as much as 1 to 2 g of protein per pound of body weight to increase or maintain their physique, according to the Bodybuilding website.
Food
There are high-powered protein foods available for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Rich, lean sources of protein for meat-eaters include chicken, turkey, eggs and fish. Vegetarians can get the majority of their protein intake by eating nuts, seeds, legumes and soy products. Soybeans are one of the richest sources of protein for vegetarians, according to the Fat Free Kitchen website, containing more than 22 g of protein per cup. A 3-ounce piece of meat, such as a lean ground beef burger, offers about 21 g of protein, the CDC calculates.
Types
There are three main types of protein sources, the CDC explains: complete, incomplete and complementary. Complete proteins provide all of the essential amino acids your body needs, so these are referred to as high-quality proteins. Sources include chicken, fish, milk and eggs. Incomplete proteins lack certain of the essential amino acids; corn, rice and dry beans are examples. For complementary proteins, combine two different foods to get all the essential amino acids; rice and dry beans is one such combination.
Warning
Eating too much protein can be harmful to your health. Most people get an adequate amount of protein in their current diet, the CDC reports, cautioning that excess protein can raise the levels of LDL cholesterol --- the bad cholesterol --- in your blood stream, which increases your risk of coronary heart disease. The CDC also points out that people with kidney disease may benefit from a lower-protein diet plan. Consult your doctor on the matter just to be safe.
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