How much protein do you need a day?
Protein is important for growth and repair of bones and other tissue at all stages of life. Fifteen percent of your energy requirements should come from protein. For a woman, that’s 300 calories a day, which you can get from 100g turkey breast, 50g of Camembert cheese or 100g of almonds. The requirement increases slightly for pregnant and breastfeeding women, babies, children and teenagers. The elderly may not need so much.
But too much protein can damage kidneys. Proteins need to be broken down by the body into amino acids, and waste products are filtered out of the bloodstream and then excreted. Eating too much protein is believed to put a strain on the body’s ability to deal with waste products, particularly in people who have a kidney problem.
