Protein
Protein is fundamental for growth and for repairing and replacing your body’s cells.
In a healthy, balanced diet, about 15% of the calories you eat each day should come from protein.
For men, that means about 44 to 55g per day, for women about 36 to 45g per day.
Because children are still growing into their late teens, they have an even higher protein requirement in relation to their age, size and weight:
- Aged 4 to 6, they need about 15 to 20g protein each day.
- Aged 7 to 10 they need about 23 to 28g protein each day.
Which foods contain protein?
Here’s a quick guide to some of the most common protein rich foods and the proportion of protein they give per serving:
- 100g of steak = 25g
- 100g tuna = 28g
- 100g milk = 8g
- 100g yoghurt = 8g
- One egg = 7g
- Half a cup of dried beans, lentils, peas = 7g
Why is it so important?
Protein is made from building blocks called amino acids. Your body can make some amino acids, but those that it can’t must come from your diet. These are known as ‘essential’ amino acids.
The proteins in animal foods and soya beans are also referred to as ‘complete’ proteins because they provide all the amino acids you need. So if you make sure you include any soya products, dairy foods, poultry, fish, meat, eggs – in fact, any animal based food in your diet - you will get the essential amino acids you need.
However, you don’t have to eat any animal products at all for your daily requirement of protein if you don’t want to; vegetarians and vegans can get all the essential amino acids they need from tofu, soya milk or any other soya product.
A variety of breakfast cereals, beans, lentils, nuts, sunflower seeds, grains and other plant foods can also provide an entirely animal free complement of amino acids in your daily diet.