How Much Meat Does a Person Really Need?

I grew up in a time when it was assumed that a typical serving of meat would weigh about 4 ounces. It was also assumed that one would eat a full serving of meat at each of two meals per day. That would be a half-pound of meat per person. You've seen my grocery lists. You know that my family doesn't eat nearly that quantity of meat, daily. Our family eats far less meat, making up the needed protein in beans, eggs, grains and dairy. I was curious, though, just how much protein does a human body require daily? This is what I found out.

For every 2.2 pounds of body weight, an adult needs .8 grams of protein. So, for an adult woman weighing 125 pounds, that would be about 45 grams of protein. It doesn't need to all come from meat (or any of it, really), and ideally should be spread out over the course of the day.

Just some "for instances"

• A 3-ounce portion of beef averages 21 to 24 grams of protein. 
• 3.5 ounces of cooked, lean chicken breast (no skin) has about 30 grams of protein. 
• A chicken drumstick has 11 grams. 
• Cooked fish has about 6 grams of protein per ounce. 
• A 6-ounce can of tuna has 40 grams. 
• A single large egg has 6 grams, and a cup of milk has 8 grams. 
• I don't drink milk, but I do eat cheese. 1 ounce of cheddar has 7 or 8 grams of protein. 
• A half-cup of cooked beans has between 7 and 10 grams of protein.
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter have 8 grams of protein

An average chicken breast half (meaning, one lobe) weighs about 5.25 ounces today (up from 4 ounces in the 1980s, yes, chickens have gotten bigger!). If I cook two breast halves for our family of five, that's 10.50 ounces of lean chicken, or about 90 grams of protein, which results in about 18 grams of protein per person.

If I figure that I need roughly 45 grams per day, I could meet that requirement with what appears to be very little meat: 1 ounce of cheddar with a breakfast of one slice of whole wheat bread and some fruit; a lunch which has 1 egg, plus whole grains, fruit/veggies and a mug of tea latte made with soy milk; a snack of some almonds in the afternoon; and then I would only need 19 grams of protein with my dinner. If my dinner had beef in it, I would only need 2.5 ounces of beef to meet that 19 grams. However, I would likely be eating whole grains and veggies which contain some protein at dinner, thus reducing my meat-protein requirement to about 2 ounces, or 15 grams of protein. The meat could also be chicken legs, in which case one and a half chicken legs would be plenty of protein for my meal. If it were lean chicken breast that I was using for my animal protein, I would only need 1.75 ounces, or 1/3 of a breast half.

I just thought all of this was really enlightening. I know that my family has eaten on the low end of the meat spectrum, but I never fully realized that we were actually eating the healthy amount. We know that meat can be one of the more expensive items in the shopping cart; eating less meat will not only save money, but it will still be a healthy option for many of us.

A further way to save money -- a typical restaurant beef steak weighs 6 ounces. I would reach my daily intake of protein in a single steak dinner. This is all the more reason to split meals when dining out.

The adult requirements listed above assume a healthy, adult body, free from medical considerations, pregnancy, or heavy physical activity. When I was pregnant with twins (and growing two human beings inside of me), I was advised to consume 90-110 grams of protein per day, double what I would eat normally. This post is not to advise anyone to change their eating habits; however, if you have been eating less meat than you believe is customary, this post is meant to illuminate what some medical professionals recommend. For me, personally, this information allows me to rest assured that my family and I are getting enough protein on a daily basis. There have been meals when I looked at our plates and wondered if there was enough protein food.

sources used:

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-meat-need-day-nutritionally-3643.html

https://www.verywell.com/high-protein-foods-and-the-amount-of-protein-in-each-2242514

https://www.reference.com/food/much-boneless-chicken-breast-weigh-6a5142aeda509c4b