How Much Protein Do You Really Need? (The Answer Isn’t One Number)

If I had a dollar for every time someone messaged me asking “but where do you get your protein?” I could probably retire early. It’s the question every vegan and vegetarian gets asked, usually with a slightly worried look, as if plants are somehow missing a nutritional memo the rest of the food world got.

Here’s the thing though — the “how much protein do I need” conversation is a lot messier than the wellness industry makes it look. There isn’t one magic number that applies to all of us. Your protein needs shift depending on your age, your activity level, your hormones, and whether you’re dealing with any health conditions. And when it comes to plants specifically, the real story isn’t that they’re missing amino acids. It’s a little more nuanced than that, and I think it’s worth actually unpacking.

So Where Does the “Eat More Protein” Panic Come From?

A lot of the protein anxiety out there is built on one number: the recommended daily allowance provided by The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight per day. That figure is the minimum amount needed to prevent deficiency in a mostly sedentary adult. 

 This amount was never meant to be read as the optimal target for everyone, and it definitely wasn’t built with gender, hormones,  activity, age or anyone managing a health condition in mind.

How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?

This is where “it depends” is genuinely the honest answer, not a cop-out.

A 2014 review by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) looked specifically at protein needs in older adults and found that healthy older people should be aiming for at least 1.0–1.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day — noticeably above the standard RDA. For older adults who are malnourished, recovering from illness, or managing a chronic condition, that number climbs between 1.2 and 1.5g per kg per day, sometimes higher still if the illness or injury is serious.

And it goes further than that. A 2025 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition looked at older adults specifically dealing with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and found their protein requirement was even higher again — an estimated average requirement of around 1.21g per kg per day, with a recommended intake closer to 1.54g per kg per day. In other words, age alone doesn’t set your number. Your health status within that age bracket matters just as much, if not more.

Hormones play an incredible role too. Shifts around perimenopause and menopause are linked to accelerated muscle loss, which is part of why protein needs tend to trend upward for women in this life stage, not downward. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, recovery from surgery or illness, and training load all move the number in the same direction. There genuinely isn’t a single figure that fits a 25-year-old marathon runner, a 70-year-old managing arthritis, and someone six weeks postpartum. Anyone who tells you there is one universal protein number for all humans, is wrong.

So, Do Plants Really Have Protein?

Yes! Plants contain protein, and an adequate amount of it too! Sometimes, plant sources of protein rival meat sources. Many times, people associate protein with meat. However, there are several gluten-free, plant-based foods that pack a large amount of nutrition as well as protein per 100g. 

Here are some examples: hemp seeds deliver roughly 31 grams of protein, matching or even exceeding the 31 grams found in a cooked chicken breast. Similarly, pumpkin seeds provide about 26 grams of protein, standing completely neck-and-neck with lean beef at 26 grams. Even a vibrant, whole-food staple like cooked edamame offers a potent 11.5 grams of protein per 100 grams—less than a pork chop at 27 grams, but exceptionally clean, fiber-rich, and nutrient-dense. Ultimately, these numbers prove that a plant-based diet can easily fulfill human nutritional needs, but understanding the amino acid profile is equally important.

Did You Know Plants Really Do Have All 9 Essential Amino Acids?

Now to the myth I actually want to put to bed: the idea that plant foods are “incomplete” proteins or missing certain amino acids. 

A review published in the journal Nutrients looking specifically at protein and amino acid intake in vegetarian and vegan diets found that plant-rich foods like legumes, nuts, and seeds are genuinely sufficient to reach full protein adequacy in adults eating vegetarian or vegan diets, and that the long-standing worry about amino acid deficiency on these diets isn’t well supported by the evidence.

All plant foods contain all nine essential amino acids in different quantities. For example, legumes and soy products are the absolute best plant sources for Lysine, while certain seeds, nuts, and select grains like flaxseeds, cashews and oats are low in Lysine, but high in Threonine.

Here’s the nuance I don’t want to skip over, though, because it’s the part that actually matters: having all nine amino acids isn’t the same as having them in ideal proportions. Grains tend to run a little lower in lysine. Legumes tend to run a little lower in methionine. This doesn’t mean you’re missing anything — it means variety across your day (not even necessarily the same meal) does the heavy lifting. 

Curate a mixed plate of grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy, with fresh  fruit and veggies across the week, and this will provide you with a highly nutritional assortment of protein in the best possible values .

Why This Gets More Important As You Age

This is where the “you get protein, but maybe not enough” concern really lands. A 2025 systematic review in the Journal of Nutrition looked across vegan, vegetarian, pescovegetarian and semivegetarian diets and found total protein intake generally sat within the acceptable range — but vegan diets pulled the highest proportion of their protein from plants specifically (77–98%, compared to as low as 37% in more flexible semivegetarian patterns). Grains contributed the largest single share of that plant protein.

Combine that with what we know about rising protein needs in older adulthood, especially for anyone managing sarcopenia, and the picture becomes clear: a plant-based diet absolutely can meet higher protein targets, but it takes a bit more intention as you get older — leaning harder into legumes, soy, and protein-dense grains like quinoa, rather than assuming a “normal” amount of plant food will automatically cover it.

Vegan sources of protein include:

Do check my Instagram for some vegan protein content.

Vegetarian Sources Of Protein: instagram.com/p/C8Wmr9myhuW

Soy-Free, Vegan and Gluten-Free Sources of High Protein: instagram.com/p/DVajKsTjsm1

Which tofu has the most protein?: instagram.com/reel/DJoVzWOTXvN

Which lentils have the most protein?: instagram.com/reel/DGkZun5zmg7

How to increase your protein intake without tofu?: instagram.com/reel/DKZHTuUz8-x

A Few Practical Takeaways

• Don’t anchor to the 0.8g/kg RDA if you’re active, trying to gain muscle, over 50, pregnant, breastfeeding, or managing a health condition — it’s a floor, not a target.
• As you get older, lean harder into legumes, soy, and protein-dense grains like quinoa — not because plants stop working, but because your needs are quietly climbing.
• If you’re managing a specific health condition, especially anything involving kidney function or muscle loss, this is worth a conversation with your doctor or a dietitian rather than a blanket number from the internet.

If you want a more hands-on look at building high-protein, plant-based meals, I go through this in a lot more depth in my Vegan Cooking School classes — multi-diet households, protein questions and all, are basically my specialty at this point 😉

Sources:

• Deutz NEP, Bauer JM, Barazzoni R, et al. Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging: Recommendations from the ESPEN Expert Group. Clinical Nutrition, 2014. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4555150/
• Wu W, Chen F, Ma H, et al. Dietary protein requirements of older adults with sarcopenia determined by the indicator amino acid oxidation technology. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1486482/full
• Rolands MR, Hackl LS, Bochud M, Lê KA. Protein Adequacy, Plant Protein Proportion, and Main Plant Protein Sources Consumed Across Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescovegetarian, and Semivegetarian Diets: A Systematic Review. Journal of Nutrition, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39117040/
• Christopher D Gardner, et al., Maximizing the intersection of human health and the health of the environment with regard to the amount and type of protein produced and consumed in the United States, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 77, Issue 4, April 2019, Pages 197–215, https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy073
• Kristensen NB, et al. Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets — A Review. Nutrients, 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893534/