One question I get asked alot is – how much protein should I be consuming every day? Or how much protein should I eat to lose weight or gain lean muscle mass? The answers actually vary depending on how active you are.

Before we answer those questions, it is important that we first answer the question: Why is protein important? Protein is a crucial part of a healthy diet. Your body needs protein to create new cells. This includes creating muscle cells, organs, repairing or creating new skin, etc. Without protein, we could not survive.

Now that we got the fundamentals out of the way, let’s answer the question: How much protein should I be eating? The amount you need depends completely on how often and intensely you are exercising or damaging muscle cells (i.e. cells that will need to be repaired). As I mentioned earlier, protein intake depends on how active you are, so use these details as a guide:

• Strength Training: 0.5 – 1 grams per pound of body weight
• Endurance Training: 0.5 – 0.6 grams per pound of body weight
  
• Ultra Endurance Training: 0.5 – 0.9 grams per pound of body weight
  
• Recreational Training: 0.5 grams per pound of body weight
  
• Sedentary Adults: 0.4 grams per pound of body weight

Everyone is different and some experts vary on the exact formula when it comes to protein intake – but you can use this as a general guide.

Good luck and happy eating!