Why is Protein Important?

Protein is a form of energy in our body. It helps to build strong muscle, forms an important building blocks for our body (cells, blood, skin, hair etc.), and it is essential for body immune system and creating enzymes. Protein is composed of Amino Acids, most of which body can produce by iteself, but 10 essential amino acids cannot be made by our body, and must be consumed in the form of food.

Another benefit of protein is it helps to lose weight. For every extra KG of muscle, it helps to burn an extra 100 calories a day approximately. This is essential for those people who want to lose weight in a healthy way. By gaining extra muscle will help to reduce the excess body fat and shape up.

Good sources of protein include poultry, fish, whey protein, beans etc. Better choice of protein is plant protein like whey protein and soy protein. To compute specific daily protein intake, you will need the ideal body weight.

Woman's ideal body weight:
US measure: 100 pounds for 60 inches in height+ 5 pounds for each additional inch over 60 inches.
Metric: 45 kilograms for 150 centimeters in height+ 0.85 kilograms for each additional centimeter in height

Men's ideal body weight:
US measure: 106 pounds for 60 inches in height+ 6 pounds for each additional inch over 60 inches.
Metric: 48 kilograms for 150 centimeters in height+ 1 kilogram for each additional centimeter in height.

Men and women protein intake range based on ideal body weight:
Minimum Daily Protein Requirement: W.H.O. recommends 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day.
Maximum Daily Protein Requirement: US RDA recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day. The UK Department of Health and Social Security is approximately the same.

Reference source: http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Requirement.html