Protein Power: A Beginner’s Guide to Daily Intake

Let’s be real, we Indians love our carbs! But somewhere between the parathas and biryansi, our protein intake often takes a backseat. Feeling sluggish? Hair looking a little lackluster? You might just need a protein boost! This isn’t about ditching the deliciousness of Indian cuisine; it’s about understanding the power of protein and how to easily weave it into your daily diet.

Dietary Protein performs all three functions of nutrients. It is needed for growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue; it regulates key processes within the body and any excess protein is used as a source of energy. However, if you are wondering, ‘how much protein do I need to consume every day’? You have stumbled upon the right blog. In this blog, we will discuss how much protein you need per day, the importance of protein in your diet, the health concerns caused by protein deficiency, and some high-protein Indian foods that you can include in your daily diet.

How Much Protein is Needed Per Day?

Most adults need around 0.8-1 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.  The protein requirement might vary from person to person depending on age, sex, weight, and activity level. However, it is important to consult a nutritionist/healthcare professional in case you have a specific health goal or have certain medical conditions or symptoms.

If you want to understand about your protein intake then Aashirvaad’s protein intake calculator can help you calculate approximately how much protein you should ideally consume in a day.

The protein calculator is easy to use. You simply have to feed in some basic details like your age, gender and you are good to go!

Importance of Protein in Diet

Want to know why having enough protein is critical? Protein is essential for many functions in the body, including:

• Growth & Maintenance of Tissues: New growth, building of muscles, cell division, framework of bones & teeth (collagen), distribution of chromosomes containing genes in 2 new cells formed, degradation & resynthesizing protein (protein turnover) etc.
• Formation of Essential Body Compounds: Enzymes, Hormones, Clotting of blood, sense of vision, etc.
• Transport of Nutrients: from intestine to intestinal wall to blood and then tissues of the body.
• Regulation of Water Balance & Maintenance of appropriate pH in the blood
• Production of antibodies to fight infections
• Source of Energy

Daily Protein Requirement Chart for All Ages

Wondering how to calculate your protein requirement? The following chart shows the recommended daily intake of protein for people of all ages:

Quality of Protein & High Protein Indian Foods to Include in Your Daily Diet

Quality of Protein:

The quality of protein is determined by its amino-acid composition, digestibility and bioavailability, which affect its ability to provide essential nutrients for performing its functions. High quality protein contains all essential amino acids like those present in Egg, Soy, Milk, etc.

To improve the quality of protein, you can add the following combinations of dishes in your diet:

• Cereals + Legumes– Idli, Dosa, Khichidi, Roti & Chana
• Cereals + Milk & Milk products– Curd-rice, Payasam, Paneer pulao
• Legumes + Nuts & Oilseeds– Sesame/Groundnut/Coconut chutney with Bengal Gram dal.

Other than the ones mentioned above, there are many high-protein Indian foods that you can include in your daily diet. Here are a few examples:

• Lentils: Lentils are a great source of both protein and fibre. They can be used in a variety of dishes, such as dal, soups, and stews.
• Soybeans & Soya Chunks: Soybeans and soya chunks are a good source of protein and fibre. They can be used in a variety of dishes, such as Soya Bhurji, Soya Chilli, Soya Frankie, etc. (vegan & vegetarians)
• Chickpeas: Chickpeas are another good source of protein and fibre. They can be used in a variety of dishes, such as hummus, falafel, and curries.
• Beans: Beans are a good source of protein and fibre. They can be used in a variety of dishes, such as chilli, soups, and stews.
• Paneer: Paneer is an Indian fresh cheese which is known to be a good source of protein. It can be used in a variety of dishes, such as curries, kebabs, and sandwiches.
• Eggs: Eggs are a good source of protein and essential nutrients. A variety of egg dishes include the lip-smacking Egg Curry, Egg Bhurji, Egg Biryani and more.
• Yoghurt: Yoghurt is a good source of protein and calcium. It can be eaten on its own or used in a variety of dishes such as smoothies, dips, buttermilk, etc
• Milk: Milk is a good source of protein and calcium. It can be consumed as is or as milkshakes, fruit custard, smoothies, kheer and more.

Tips To Amp Up Your Protein Quotient

• Avoid consuming your daily protein in just one meal. Instead, spread out your protein consumption across your meals such as breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner.
• If you are a vegetarian, add protein-rich foods such as nuts & seeds, lentils, milk, paneer into your daily diet. If you are a non-vegetarian, then you can add foods such as lean meats and fish.
• If as a vegetarian you want to improve your protein quality, then you can either combine or pair good quality sources like Soya, Cereals & Pulses or Milk and Nuts together.

Conclusion

Protein is an essential nutrient that is important for many functions in the body. It is important to eat a variety of high-protein foods to meet your daily needs. We recommend you to consume high-protein foods in every meal including snacks and plan your meals ahead of time to ensure that you are getting enough protein which is paced throughout the day.

Note- While Protein is Essential, many adults or even adolescents (especially athletes or body builders) self-prescribe protein supplements and overlook the risks of using them, mainly due to misguided beliefs in their performance-enhancing abilities. However, extra protein is not used efficiently by the body and may impose a metabolic burden on the bones & kidneys.

So, what are you waiting for? Now that you know how to calculate your requirement of protein intake, you can get started on your nutritious journey today!