Protein: Daily requirements and Food Source

Protein is a highly complex substance that is present in all living organisms. Proteins are of great nutritional value and are directly involved in the chemical processes essential for life. The importance of proteins was recognized by chemists in the early 19th century, including Swedish chemist, Jons Jacob Berzelius who in 1838 coined the term protein, a word derived from the Greek prōteios, meaning “holding first place.” Proteins are species-specific; that is, the proteins of one species differ from those of another species. They are also organ-specific; for instance, within a single organism, muscle proteins differ from those of the brain and liver.

Experts have encouraged that consuming about 150gm of protein per day is a great and a good amount for anyone who is looking to build muscles and lose body fat. Also the amount of protein varies from person to person since everyone has a different height, weight, goals, body type, etc.

Here are some food items you can add in your diet to get 150gm of protein,

Eggs: One whole egg will give you 6gm of protein, whereas one egg white will give you about 3.5gm of protein, hence you can safely consume about 1–2 whole eggs and egg whites daily to reach your protein requirement.

Kidney Beans: Also known as Rajma, a good combination of rajma (about 100gm) with a good amount of rice will give you a complete 12–15gm of protein in your meal. Since rajma are not a complete source of protein, hence integrate it with some rice or grains to complete the amino acid profile.

Chickpeas: Just like kidney beans chickpeas also come from the legumes family and are a great source of protein, apart from protein chickpeas also have a good amount of iron, magnesium, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Thus 100gm of chickpeas will give you a good 9–10gm of protein and you can increase the protein content by integrating some whole grains and rice with it.

Whey Protein: When it comes to meeting your daily protein requirement, whey protein has to be on the top of the list, as eating a food item, let’s say eating 8 egg whites will give you the same amount of protein, as eating 100gm of chicken breast which is around 22–23gm of protein, which again you have to get the food, cook it and eat it, now to make all this process easier, whey proteins are introduced which are made up form milk only, just taking one scoop of a good quality whey protein will give you about 24gm of complete protein, which is generally beneficial and easier to meet your daily protein requirement.

Also, whey protein is the fastest absorbable protein, which our body digests really fast, which is usually needed when after a  workouts, thus the perfect source of protein that you can have post-workout is whey protein.

Soya chunks: When it comes to a cheap source of protein, soya chunks have to be on the top of the list. 100gm of soya chunks will give you a good 52gm of protein. Soya chunks as a food item is kind of debatable among a lot of people as some people say it tends to produce a lot of estrogen in their bodies which leads to hormonal imbalance, while some say it doesn’t affect them at all.

Hence the best thing that each and every person can do to get the best benefits from the soya chunks is to eat it in moderation, which is to have soya chunks around 50–80gm a day can never cause any problem from them. As soya chunks are one of the best sources of protein, which is high in protein and affordable as well.

Lentils (Green Moong): Green Moong is a great source of protein for everyone and for vegetarians alike. 100gm of green soaked Moong will give you a good amount of 22gm of protein. Also, it is not a complete source of protein but for beginners or even for the intermediate one, it is a great food to be incorporated in your diet daily.

Whole Grains: Whole grains like oats, rice, whole wheat, millets are a great source of complex carbohydrates that you can add in your diet daily to complete the missing amino acids from some protein sources. Along with protein, carbs they also provide a lot of essential vitamins and minerals and thus should be part of your diet.

Dry Fruits: Dry fruits are generally a good source of healthy fats but along with healthy fats they do provide a decent amount of protein as well, hence dry fruits like almonds, walnuts, and seeds like chia, pumpkin, etc will give you a decent of protein for about 6–8gm per serving.
So, dry fruits and seeds should be part of your diet as they provide a decent of protein along with a good amount of healthy fats which is really important for your production of hormones.

Paneer: 100gm of paneer will give you a good 15gm of protein along with 18gm of fats as well, thus you can add paneer in your diet but make sure you don’t overdo it as it also high in fats as well. Thus strike the balance and eat it in moderation.

Tofu: Tofu is soya paneer which is derived from soya milk, which is rich in protein, as 100gm of tofu will give you a good 10gm of protein.

Chicken/Fish: Coming to the most used source of protein which you can add in your diet 3–4 times a week, as 100gm of chicken breast will give you a good 23gm of protein, and 100gm of fish will also provide you a good 22gm of protein which are complete sources of protein

So there you have it, some of the best available options that you can easily add to your diet in order to consume 150gm of protein, which you can vary from your food intake and your preferred goals.