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Author: Expert reviewer:

February 3, 2023

mbg Sustainability + Health Director

By Emma Loewe

mbg Sustainability + Health Director

Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of “Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us.”

Expert review by

Lauren Torrisi-Gorra, M.S., RD

Registered Dietitian

Lauren Torrisi-Gorra is a Registered Dietitian with a Grand Diplôme in Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute and a bachelor’s in Communication and Media Studies from Fordham University. After a decade working in the culinary and media worlds, Lauren pursued her ultimate passion and received her master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics at New York University.

Image by Cameron Whitman / Stocksy

February 3, 2023

Staying on top of protein needs is essential, no matter your sex. However, women could have more difficulty doing so, especially during certain life stages. We reached out to experts doing cutting-edge protein requirement research to learn about the subtle nuances between the sexes and how much protein women really need for optimal health.

The amino acids in protein are essential building blocks for many parts of the female body—from our muscle tissues down to our cells. Protein is consistently being turned over in the body, and it’s up to us to replenish it through foods or supplements.

“There’s this continual demand for protein, and if that demand isn’t met, the body has to go seek it,” Chad Kerksick, Ph.D., director of the Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory at Lindenwood University, tells mindbodygreen.

Skeletal muscle is the main reservoir of protein, Kerksick explains, so when we’re not getting enough protein, we start to lose muscle tissue. This is something we want to avoid since having low muscle mass is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline1, insulin resistance2, high inflammatory markers3, and more.

As for what constitutes “enough” protein, it depends on your body size and composition. The Recommended Dietary Allowance of protein is 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight4 per day. This is the minimum amount of protein a sedentary person needs to meet their nutritional requirements, so it’s conservative.

The experts interviewed for this article agree that the average moderately active adult will need to consume significantly more protein—somewhere in the range of 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight, or 0.54 to .90 gram per pound. (More on what this actually looks like in food terms below.)

It’s a pretty wide range, and where you fall on it hinges on a number of factors—including, early research finds, your sex. There are a few periods of a woman’s life when they’ll need to adjust their protein intake to keep up with their body’s needs, including:

• The menstrual cycle: “There are initial thoughts that our needs change across the menstrual cycle,” Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of Exercise Physiology & Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tells mindbodygreen. “During the luteal phase, there seems to be greater protein turnover5, which would require greater protein intake.” This is an emerging area of research that Smith-Ryan’s lab is actively involved in. Though it’s difficult to study fluctuations across the menstrual cycle (especially when you factor in hormonal birth control), their early investigations6 have found that women do seem to metabolize more protein amino acids during the luteal phase and would benefit from higher protein intake during these days of their cycle.
• Pregnancy: Protein needs also increase during pregnancy as you grow more tissue and muscle, explains Minghua Tang, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado. Breastfeeding women will also need to consume more protein to balance out what they lose in milk (which is high in protein, fat, and lactose).
• Perimenopause and menopause: As we get older, our muscles become less sensitive to the stimulatory effects of amino acids (a process called anabolic resistance7). Increasing your intake of protein8 once you hit 65 or so—as well as staying active and doing resistance training—can help prevent age-related muscle loss. “We know that male and female protein needs increase as we get older, but what we’re identifying is that it likely happens earlier for women,” says Smith-Ryan. Perimenopause9—the transition into menopause that starts as early as age 35 in some women—alters our hormones and body composition in a way that may increase our protein requirements10.
• Training periods: Physical activity levels also affect protein needs. After a bout of heavy exercise (especially resistance training), we need more protein to rebuild the muscles that we just worked. “A lot of people recognize the need to eat after exercise,” says Smith-Ryan, “but what a couple of our studies11 have shown is that pre-exercise timing might be more important for women.” In one study out of her lab11, eating protein in the hours leading up to a high-intensity resistance training workout helped enhance fat loss and increase training volume in a group of adult women.

Summary

Most active women will want to consume 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Your protein needs increase during periods of intense exercise, during pregnancy, and after you turn 65. Early studies are also finding that women may need to eat more protein during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycles, and once they hit perimenopause, but we need more research to be sure.

To fall within the 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram range, a 160-pound woman will want to eat between 87 and 144 grams of protein per day.

If you’d rather not count down to every last gram, leading protein and amino acid requirements researcher Don Layman, Ph.D., previously told mindbodygreen that getting around 100 grams a day is a solid goal for most women. “We find from a metabolic standpoint, working predominantly with women, that if they get below 100 grams per day, they lose most of the benefits of protein: fatty acid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, weight loss, satiety,” Layman said on the mindbodygreen podcast.

Breaking up your protein intake throughout the day will give your body a steady supply of those amino-acid building blocks. Consuming around 25 to 30 grams of protein during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and eating a protein-rich snack or two, will fulfill your daily requirements. “We should strive to get some type of protein feeding every three to four hours or so,” says Kerksick. 

Keep in mind that you might want to eat slightly more protein during periods of heavy activity, during your luteal phase, or once you reach perimenopause.

As for what to eat to meet this target, aim to get as much protein from whole foods (like those listed below) as possible. Getting protein from a variety of sources throughout the day is also smart—especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan. This is because plant proteins, though packed with fiber and phytonutrients, usually don’t have adequate amounts of all the amino acids your body needs (particularly leucine). Animal proteins do, and they can be utilized in the body more efficiently.

Protein powders and supplements can be helpful if you’re in a pinch and don’t have the time or appetite to eat a complete meal. Be sure to look for one that has at least 20 to 25 grams of protein per serving and isn’t packed with sugars or unnecessary additives.

Here are a few foods that can help you meet your protein needs. (Find a more complete list of protein-rich foods here.) If you’re new to building a protein-rich plate, keeping a food journal to start may be helpful and make the process more intuitive.

Summary

While it depends on body weight and activity level, most women will want to aim to eat at least 100 grams of protein a day—split across at least three meals (with 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal). Eating protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken, and some plant proteins like beans and nuts can help you meet this range.

Summary

Eating a higher-protein diet can assist with weight loss, specifically fat loss, as long as you maintain a net calorie deficit, get plenty of resistance-based exercise, and prioritize sleep.

When you eat too much protein (far above that 2.0 gram per kilogram threshold for long periods of time), the excess amino acids are not used as efficiently, and it could cause side effects23 like abdominal discomfort, dehydration, and nausea.

Getting most of your protein from highly processed sources isn’t so healthy either. Consume minimally processed and nutrient-rich plant and animal protein sources (ideally ones that are organic/regeneratively grown) to protect your cardiovascular and metabolic health.

“For chronic kidney disease patients unable to regulate protein metabolism and fluid balance in the body, too much protein can be harmful,” functional medicine physician Gabrielle Lyon, D.O., previously told mindbodygreen. Those with kidney health issues will want to talk to their doctor about their specific protein requirements.