What's the Deal with Protein? How Much is Enough?
Protein: How Much Do We Really Need, and Where Should It Come From?
Today, I want to talk about one of the most confusing topics in nutrition: protein.
Diets like keto and carnivore often promote eating large amounts of animal products in the name of better health. At the same time, everyone from your gym friend to a social media influencer is telling you to eat more meat to get enough protein.
But here’s the real question: how much protein do we actually need for good health, and is meat the same thing as protein?
Let’s start at the beginning.
What is Protein:
Protein is one of 3 macronutrients: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat.
All of our food is made up of these 3 macronutrients in different ratios. (Micronutrients, on the other hands, are things like vitamins and minerals that we talked about in the last email.)
Protein is essential to optimal health. You need protein to support your muscles and to make blood, connective tissue, antibodies, enzymes, and more.
The other two macronutrients, fat and carbohydrates, are essential to your health as well. Each is required to maintain great health.
How Much Protein Do You Need, Especially As You Age?
Protein needs are not one size fits all.
The USDA minimum recommendations suggest about 10 percent of calories coming from protein, with an upper range closer to 35 percent. Most adults today average around 15 to 16 percent of calories from protein, which on paper can look adequate.
But this is where age really matters.
As we get older, muscle mass naturally declines, and hormonal changes make it harder to maintain strength and metabolism. Research shows that slightly higher protein intake, spread more evenly throughout the day, can help preserve muscle, support metabolism, and promote healthier aging.
This does not mean eating huge portions of meat. It means being more intentional about protein at meals, especially breakfast, and choosing higher-quality sources consistently.
Does Protein = Meat?
This is one of the biggest misconceptions we see.
Protein and meat are not the same thing.
Meat is one source of protein, but it is not the only one. Protein is found in many foods, including plants.
While animal products can absolutely fit into a healthy diet, regularly eating large amounts of red and processed meat has been linked to higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers.
Major health organizations like the American Heart Association have warned for years about diets that rely too heavily on certain kinds of meat.
How Should we Get Protein?
The goal is not to eliminate meat entirely.
For most people, a good goal would be to diversify protein sources. This is keeping in line with Mediterranean Diet principles, which encourage some meat consumption (primarily seafood and lean meats) as well as lots of plant-based foods.
Whole plant foods can be excellent sources of protein, and they also provide fiber, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Some plant foods, like soybeans and quinoa, are complete proteins and contain all nine essential amino acids. Others can be easily combined throughout the day to meet protein needs.
Some plant-based proteins that we recommend include:
- Quinoa
- Beans
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Chia seeds
- Nuts
- Protein-rich vegetables like broccoli and mushrooms
Healthy Tip: A Simple and Sustainable Protein Shift
If you want to improve your health without tracking or overthinking, start here.
Build meals around beans, legumes, vegetables, and whole grains. Go meat-free a few times per week. Let meat support the meal instead of being the main focus.
Here are some easy ideas to try:
- Add beans, legumes, nuts, and protein-rich vegetables to your diet.
- Have mushrooms on your egg scramble instead of processed meats.
- Make three-bean chili instead of three-meat chili.
- Try veggie burgers made from beans, lentils, or quinoa.
- Snack on Greek yogurt rather than processed meat snacks.
These small changes add up. They lower disease risk and often improve digestion and energy.
Reduce, not Eliminate?
Keep in mind that we say reduce your meat consumption. For many of us, we do not need to eliminate meat entirely.
Many plant proteins are not complete on their own, while most animal proteins are. A balanced diet can include fish, poultry, eggs, and occasional red meat, especially when paired with plenty of plant foods.
Balance matters more than perfection.
What does the Mediterranean Diet say?
These recommendations are exactly in line with what the Mediterranean Diet recommends. As a reminder, this diet was named the “Best Overall Diet” by a panel of experts for FIVE years in a row!
So, it’s a great blueprint to follow.
The Mediterranean Diet is primarily a plant-based diet, meaning that the base of the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid is composed of whole plant foods, like veggies, fruits, beans, nuts, and legumes.
Fish and seafood are eaten regularly. Poultry, eggs, and dairy are included in moderation. Red and processed meats are limited.
The Mediterranean Diet is realistic, flexible, and supportive of heart health, metabolic health, and healthy aging.
Helpful Next Step
Protein-Rich Breakfasts
Breakfast is one of the most important and most overlooked opportunities to improve protein intake.
Many of us start the day with coffee and something quick, or a breakfast that’s heavy in carbs and light on protein. While that might feel fine in the moment, it often leads to low energy, cravings, and unstable blood sugar later in the morning.
Starting your day with enough protein helps set the tone for the rest of the day.
Protein at breakfast supports muscle preservation, which becomes increasingly important as we get older and naturally lose muscle mass. It also helps keep blood sugar more stable, supports sustained energy, and can make it easier to meet your overall protein needs without feeling like you’re constantly playing catch-up later.
The good news is that a protein-rich breakfast does not need to be complicated or time-consuming.
We’ve put together a Protein-Rich Breakfast Recipe Book filled with easy, real-food ideas to help you build better breakfasts that support muscle, energy, and blood sugar balance without relying on highly processed options.
If breakfast has always felt like a struggle for you, this is a great place to start. Small changes in the morning can have a big impact on how you feel all day long.
