Protein is having a moment. Okay, that’s underselling it — protein is having an entire era. It’s in coffee, popcorn, pancakes, and somewhere out there, probably in water.
We’re all paying attention to protein. It’s genuinely important stuff. But between the post-gym meal and the marketing, the actual question got a little lost: how much do you really need? Not to win some invisible contest online. Just enough to feel full, stay strong, and get through the day without face-planting into a bag of chips.
What protein is actually doing in your body
Before the numbers, one thing worth holding onto: protein isn’t just gym fuel. Your body uses it to repair and build tissue — muscle, sure, but also skin and hair, the enzymes that run digestion, the antibodies your immune system leans on when you’re fighting something off. It’s also the most filling of the three macronutrients, which is the real reason a protein-forward meal carries you to dinner while a big bowl of plain pasta has you snacking by three.
So, how much?
According to HealthLink BC, a service of the BC Ministry of Health, healthy adults generally need about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. For someone around 70 kg (about 154 lb), that works out to roughly 56 grams. Here’s how protein adds up throughout the day — picture a couple of eggs at breakfast, a high-protein burrito during lunch, and a protein-packed salad or bowl for dinner, and you can easily meet or exceed your daily protein needs.
For context, the average Canadian adult already eats about 80 grams of protein a day, or roughly 17% of daily calories. Most of us clear the floor without trying.
Here’s the catch the headlines love, though: 0.8 grams per kilogram is the baseline, not the goal. It’s the bare minimum to keep a healthy adult from coming up short. Sports nutrition research leans higher — somewhere around 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram — especially if you’re active, holding onto muscle, or just getting older (we lose a little muscle as the years go by, and protein helps put the brakes on that). Where you actually land is personal: your size, how much you move, your age, what you’re training for, if anything.
How protein adds up in a meal
Protein doesn’t have to come from one big serving. Build a meal around a strong protein source, then let the other ingredients contribute too. Chicken, beef, tofu and eggs can provide the foundation, while ingredients like black beans, chickpeas, cheese, quinoa, nuts and seeds help add more along the way.
Plant-based protein or animal protein? You don’t have to pick a side
Somewhere along the line, people got the idea you need meat to hit your numbers. You don’t, and we’ve never been shy about saying so. If you want the full tour of building protein from plants — tofu, beans, nuts, and lentils are all great sources of protein.
For today’s question, the useful bit is simpler: you don’t have to choose. Animal sources hand you their protein in one tidy package. Plant sources are every bit as capable; they just like a bit of variety across the day to round things out, which happens on its own the moment you’re eating a mix of them. So don’t lose sleep over the plant-versus-animal debate. For most of us it’s plant and animal, in whatever split suits your body and the things you care about.
How to hit it without turning lunch into a spreadsheet
You could weigh everything and log every macro. Or you could just munch on a healthy bowl. Our deeply un-scientific method:
- Pick a protein and mean it. Chicken, beef, tofu, or soft-boiled eggs. Make it the center of the plate, not a garnish.
- Add a quiet helper. A scoop of beans or chickpeas, some feta or Cotija cheese, or a handful of nuts and seeds can all help boost the protein while adding extra fibre along the way.
- Let the grains pull their weight. Brown rice, quinoa and farro carry more protein than people expect, and they keep you full for longer.
- Don’t hoard it for dinner. A little at each meal beats a mountain at night.
The short version
Protein matters. It doesn’t need a spreadsheet, and it definitely isn’t a competitive sport. Work out a ballpark daily number, aim for high protein meals, eat a mix of plant-based and animal protein, and let a good healthy meal do most of the lifting.
And on the days when you want lunch or dinner to do a little more of the work, Mad Radish’s new High Protein menu makes it easy. Five customer favourites to choose from, each made with a double portion of roasted chicken and delivering 56–67 g of protein — without sacrificing the bold flavours you know and love.