The Great Protein Debate Heats Up
As popular diets push heavy protein intake, experts weigh the long-term health implications
It’s tough to know precisely what Americans are eating from year to year. Collecting accurate diet data is notoriously tricky; people tend to under- or overestimate the amount of a specific food or nutrient they consume, and national nutrition figures usually lag several years behind the times.
But according to eating surveys collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, protein consumption has been rising slowly but steadily since 2000. Protein makes up 16 percent of the average American’s diet, according to the most recent CDC figures.
The recommended daily allowances (RDAs) set by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine refer to the minimum amount of a food or nutrient that the average person needs to eat each day to maintain proper health. For adults, the current RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. That works out, on average, to 56 grams per day for adult men and 46 grams for women. (According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrient database, one small chicken breast, a half a cup of Greek yogurt, and two large eggs pack about 50 grams of protein.)
