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How Much Protein Do You Need?

How Much Protein Do You Need? (1:36)

Lean protein is an important to help build muscle and prevent overeating. In this Health Smarts video, Vonda Wright, MD, explains how to calculate how much protein you need each day and shares the best protein sources.

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Hi, I'm Dr. Vonda Wright. Protein is a very important part of a healthy diet high quality lean protein helps build muscle, it also keeps you satisfied which prevents overeating, it's great for your waistline, but how much protein do you need? Here is a simple way to know, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.4. So if you're 140 pound woman aim for about 56 grams of protein a day, 165 pound man would need about 66 grams of protein a day.

More isn't better, a lead athlete may need somewhat more protein than the rest of us, but most Americans get plenty of protein, for most of us extra protein is just turned into fat MP and choose the best protein sources for your body. That means getting most of your protein from plants like kidney beans, nuts and a mummet, these have an impressive 16-18 grams of proteins per cup. With vegetarian protein you get other benefits too, like fiber, protective plant vital chemicals, pure calories and no saturated fat. For more ways to nourish your health watch all our smart tips right here.