How Much Protein Do You Need and Why Water is Important When Consuming Protein
We often hear that Americans are consuming too much protein but we have no idea what this means or what is too much.
How much protein you need depends on your lifestyle. If you are working out or are pregnant, you will need more. But as a general rule, the RDA minimum, which targets 97.5% of the general population, recommends the following daily dosage:
80% OF YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT IN KILOGRAMS
1 pound = .4535 kilogram
ie. A 200 lb. individual will need:
200 x .4535 x .8 = 72.56 g or 73 g of protein per day
THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER
Protein synthesis is a VERY, VERY complicated process. Excess protein can turn into carbs, and excess carbs can turn into protein. That’s one formation but there are others. While we need protein for growth and repair, ie. hair, nails, and muscles, too much protein is not ideal either. Whenever you consume excess protein, you have accumulated excess nitrogen in the body. The human body, unfortunately, is not designed to store toxicity, so we need to excrete the excess in the form of urea (urine). In order to dispose nitrogen properly, nitrogen needs to break down into smaller amino acids, which will then involve ammonia, another toxic chemical. Therefore, we REALLY need to make sure we have adequate water. As a general rule, you should consume 3.5 times for every gram of protein you consume.
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I really didn’t know all that so thank you for doing the research and sharing ! Kimmi
Again, Thank you so much. You really hit a sore spot on the protein. I am diabetic and 71 and I wasn’t happy about my last BUN. I will hold my Dr by the arm until I get some answers. Marge
CLARIFICATION: As a general rule, for every CALORIE of protein you consume, you need 3.5 g of water.