Minute Tip · Nutrition and protein
How much protein?
Identify the main protein source in your next meal.
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The tip
Protein matters as we get older, and most of us have never checked how much we eat. Here is a one-meal check.
Look at your next meal. Find the main protein food: eggs, fish, chicken, yogurt, beans, or tofu. Is there one? Is it a real portion, or a small part of the plate? You are not counting grams. You are noticing.
An international expert group suggests healthy adults over 65 average at least one to one point two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day. That is a minimum-style guide, not a limit.
Some people, such as those with kidney disease, need different advice. Try the calculator, and ask a clinician or dietitian if you have a health condition.
The claim behind this tip
Moderate evidence An international expert group recommends that healthy adults over 65 average at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day.
Supportive guidance exists, with more limits or less consistency than a strong rating. Source-checked on . This rating is proposed, pending confirmation by a person. No clinician has reviewed this page.
Limits: It is an expert position paper, not a controlled trial. It addresses people over 65, so it does not directly cover ages 50 to 64. It is a minimum-style recommendation, not a limit, and individual needs vary.
- Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group, PROT-AGE Study Group (European Union Geriatric Medicine Society and partner organizations); Bauer et al., Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (2013)
Limits: An expert position paper for people over 65, not a controlled trial. It does not directly cover ages 50 to 64. Individual advice takes precedence. General education, not medical advice.
Try it today
Name the protein in one meal. Choose one meal today and identify a protein food you already enjoy and can include. About 3 minutes.
Go deeper
- Protein After 50: How Much, and How to Fit It In
- More Minute Tips
- Personalize this for me One small step chosen each day from your goals, interests, and limits.