Protein: how much, when, and the easy ways to get it

Ask most people what changes about food after 50 and they will say “you have to eat less”. The guidelines say something closer to the opposite about protein: you probably need more of it, and you need it at times of day you are not used to eating it.

This is general information, not dietary advice. If you have kidney disease or another condition where protein intake matters, check with your GP (family doctor) or a registered dietitian first.

Why protein matters more, not less

The US guidance for older adults puts it simply: “nearly half of all protein in the body is found in muscle, and muscle mass decreases with age.” That loss has a name, sarcopenia, and the same document warns it “may lead to frailty, disability, loss of independence, and death.”

That sounds dramatic for a page about eggs. But muscle is what gets you out of a chair and back on your feet after a stumble. Two things maintain it: using it (see our Move guides) and feeding it. Protein is the feeding part.

The 2020–2025 US Dietary Guidelines add a second problem: “Older adults, on average, do not consume the recommended intake of – and often lack variety in – the protein food subgroups they consume.” Less protein, from fewer sources, at exactly the age it matters most.

How much?

The honest answer is that the official minimums and the more recent thinking differ.

• The UK reference nutrient intake, as quoted by the British Nutrition Foundation, is 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day — which works out at 53.3g a day for men over 50 and 46.5g for women.
• The US recommended allowance is 0.8g/kg, but the US older-adults guidance notes that “emerging research” suggests 1–1.2g/kg.
• The 2025–2030 US Dietary Guidelines recommend 1.2–1.6g/kg for adults, “adjusting as needed based on your individual caloric requirements”.

Suppose you weigh 70kg (about 11 stone, or 154lb). The UK minimum is about 53g a day; the 1–1.2g/kg range gives 70–84g; the new US range gives 84–112g. Most people eating a “normal” British or American diet are nearer the bottom of that spread than the top — especially on days that start with toast.

You do not need to hit a precise number. You need to move in the right direction, and the easiest way is timing.

Spread it through the day

The US older-adults guidance is explicit: protein “should be spread out throughout the day with good protein sources at each meal”, and “breakfast is a good opportunity for protein through eggs and Greek yogurt.”

The common pattern — a carb-heavy breakfast, a light lunch, and most of the day’s protein at dinner — leaves the body a long stretch with little to work with. A proper portion at each of three meals is a far more useful goal than a daily total you will never add up.

Everyday protein foods

These figures come from two sources: the US older-adults protein guidance (per serving) and the British Nutrition Foundation (per 100g). A US “cup” is roughly 240ml; 3oz is about 85g.

Food	Portion	Protein
Beef	3oz (85g)	24g
Greek yoghurt, low fat	1 cup (240ml)	24g
Salmon	3oz (85g)	22g
Chicken	3oz (85g)	20g
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	17g
Almonds	⅓ cup	10g
Milk, low fat	1 cup (240ml)	8g
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	8g
Chickpeas	½ cup	7g
Egg	1 large	6g
Porridge oats, cooked	1 cup	5g
Cheddar cheese	per 100g	25.4g
Tofu, steamed	per 100g	8.1g
Red lentils, boiled	per 100g	7.6g

A few things jump out. Greek yoghurt is a serious protein food, not a dessert. A single egg is useful but not a meal’s worth — two or three, or an egg plus something, gets you there. And a bowl of lentils holds its own against meat.

Plant sources

You do not need meat at every meal, or every day. The BDA suggests replacing some meat with pulses if you eat more than 70g a day.

The reliable plant proteins are beans, lentils and chickpeas (tinned is fine), tofu and other soya foods, nuts and seeds, and wholegrains such as quinoa and oats. Dairy — milk, yoghurt, cheese — is the easiest protein to add to almost anything. If you eat mostly plants, rotate between pulses, soya, nuts and grains rather than living on one; the US guidelines’ concern about lack of variety applies here too.

Breakfast fixes

Breakfast is where most people over 50 have the biggest gap and the easiest win. None of these takes more than five minutes.

• Porridge with a protein topping. Stir in a spoon of Greek yoghurt, a handful of nuts or a scoop of milk powder.
• Eggs, any way. Two scrambled on wholemeal toast. Boil six on Sunday and keep them in the fridge.
• Greek yoghurt and fruit. A full cup, not a small pot.
• Beans on toast. Baked beans are pulses in a tin. Add grated cheese.
• Leftovers. Last night’s chicken or lentil stew at 8am is breakfast in much of the world.
• A glass of milk with whatever you already have.

Bringing it together

Protein at every meal, a mix of animal and plant sources, and a rough daily range from your body weight. That is the whole strategy. If you would like it planned out — a protein-anchored breakfast, lunch and dinner for four weeks, with shopping lists — our Eat Strong kitchen planner does that.

For the bigger picture start with Eating well after 50: the complete, no-fad guide; for the kitchen side see Cooking for one (or two) without the waste or the boredom.

This week

• Change one breakfast. Just one, tomorrow.
• Work out your rough daily range from your weight in kilograms.
• Put one new plant protein in the shopping basket.