Who needs the new protein goal of up to twice the RDA

Key takeaways

• The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines set a protein goal of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, while the RDA for healthy adults remains 0.8 grams¹⁴.
• In 2021–2023, U.S. men averaged about 89 grams of protein a day and women about 66 grams, and sandwiches were the top single source²³.
• A European expert group advises at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram after age 65, and a review of 49 trials found muscle gains from extra protein leveled off near 1.6 grams for people who lift⁶⁷.
• In a review of 32 long-term studies, people who ate the most plant protein had 8% lower death rates, while total animal protein showed no link either way¹⁰.
• In an October 2025 report, Consumer Reports found that more than two-thirds of 23 protein powders and shakes had more lead per serving than its experts’ daily limit, so food is the safer default¹⁴.

The biggest single source of protein in the American diet isn’t chicken, beef or beans. It’s the sandwich.

That finding comes from a CDC report published in October 2026². Sandwiches, a category that includes burgers, supplied 15.6% of the protein adults ate in 2021–2023. Poultry came second at 9.4%².

The same report found that protein’s share of adult calories slipped from 16.1% in 2013–2014 to 15.5%². In grams, though, the average adult still eats a fair amount. Men averaged about 89 grams a day and women about 66 grams, according to USDA survey data³.

Then, in January 2026, the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans told people to put protein foods at every meal. They set a goal of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight¹. That’s 1.5 to 2 times the long-standing Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA⁴.

So do you need more? It depends on your age, your muscles and what’s already on your plate. We walk through how to find your number and fill it with real food.

Two official numbers answer two different questions

The RDA for healthy adults is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)⁴. It’s set to cover nearly all healthy people, about 98% of them⁵.

The RDA, set by the Institute of Medicine, rests mostly on nitrogen balance studies. These compare the nitrogen people take in as protein with the nitrogen they lose⁵. McMaster University protein researcher Stuart Phillips has called the method flawed, noting that the studies behind the RDA lasted only 10 to 15 days on average, too short to show changes in muscle or bone⁵.

The Food and Nutrition Board never set an upper limit for protein. It did urge caution with very high intakes, because data on harms were limited⁴. ODS adds that newer research, published after the RDA was set, suggests athletes need 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram⁴.

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines aim higher for everyone. Their goal is 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram, adjusted to your calorie needs, and the document doesn’t mention the RDA¹.

This is what each benchmark means for one 154-pound (70-kilogram) adult. To find your own weight in kilograms, divide pounds by 2.2.

Benchmark	Grams per kg	Grams a day at 70 kg	Meant for
RDA4	0.8	56	Nearly all healthy adults
PROT-AGE expert group6	1.0–1.2	70–84	Healthy adults over 65
2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines1	1.2–1.6	84–112	The general public
Sports nutrition range, per ODS4	1.2–2.0	84–140	People in hard training

For many people, the gap is smaller than it looks. A 154-pound man eating the U.S. male average of 89 grams is already above the guidelines’ lower end³.

Weight changes the math, though. At 200 pounds (about 91 kilograms), the lower end rises to about 109 grams.

After 65, the case for eating more gets stronger

Older muscle responds less to the protein in a meal, and illness speeds up protein breakdown. That was the reasoning of PROT-AGE, a panel appointed by the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, in its 2013 position paper⁶.

The group advised healthy adults over 65 to average at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram a day⁶. It suggested 1.2 grams or more for older adults who exercise, and 1.2 to 1.5 grams for those with an acute or chronic illness⁶. There’s one key exception: people with severe kidney disease who aren’t on dialysis may need to limit protein⁶.

USDA’s survey numbers suggest many older women fall short of that range. Women 60 to 69 averaged about 61 grams a day, and women 70 and older ate about the same³. For a 154-pound woman, the PROT-AGE range works out to 70 to 84 grams.

Protein alone won’t hold on to muscle, though. PROT-AGE paired its advice with endurance and resistance exercise at whatever level is safe for the person⁶. A later article in this series covers keeping muscle as you age.

For lifters, extra protein helps a little, and the gains flatten near 1.6

In 2018, a team that included McMaster University’s Stuart Phillips pooled 49 randomized trials with 1,863 adults doing resistance training, such as lifting weights⁷. A randomized trial assigns people by chance to one group or another.

Protein supplements added an average of about 0.3 kilograms of lean body mass, roughly two-thirds of a pound, plus a small gain in strength⁷. The benefit leveled off at a total protein intake of about 1.6 grams per kilogram a day⁷. The statistical range around that point was wide, though, running from about 1.0 to 2.2 grams⁷.

The authors’ main point is easy to miss. Lifting itself drove muscle and strength gains far more than protein did⁷. Extra protein also helped less as age rose, and helped more in people who were already trained⁷.

Bring the same skepticism you’d bring to a drug study. The senior author reported grants and fees from the U.S. National Dairy Council, which had also supported some of the trials in the analysis⁷. That doesn’t make the findings wrong, but it’s worth knowing.

Plant protein tracks with a longer life, and processed meat is its own story

Studies that follow large groups of people for years can’t prove cause and effect, but they can reveal patterns. A 2020 review in the BMJ pooled 32 of these studies, covering 715,128 people¹⁰.

People who ate the most plant protein had 8% lower death rates from any cause than those who ate the least. Their death rates from heart disease were 12% lower¹⁰. Each extra 3% of calories from plant protein tracked with about 5% lower death rates¹⁰. Total animal protein showed no link to death rates, up or down¹⁰.

The authors noted that animal protein comes from very different foods, such as poultry, eggs and dairy, and that unmeasured habits could explain part of the pattern¹⁰.

Processed meat is a separate question. In 2015, 22 experts from 10 countries, convened by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), reviewed more than 800 studies¹¹. They put processed meat, such as hot dogs, ham and sausage, in Group 1, carcinogenic to humans, because studies in people gave sufficient evidence that it causes colorectal cancer¹¹.

Red meat landed in Group 2A, probably carcinogenic. The human evidence was limited, but evidence on how it could cause cancer was strong¹¹. The panel estimated that each 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily raises colorectal cancer risk by 18%¹¹.

Those groups describe how sure scientists are that something can cause cancer, not how large the risk is, WHO explains¹². IARC’s Kurt Straif said the risk to one person “remains small” but grows with the amount eaten¹¹. WHO’s question-and-answer page, updated in September 2026, says meat can be part of a healthy diet. WHO is also developing a guideline on animal-source foods that will say how much red and processed meat to eat¹².

The new Dietary Guidelines list red meat among recommended protein foods. They don’t name processed meat, but they say to avoid highly processed foods that are high in sodium and to choose meat with no or limited added sugars, refined starches or chemical additives¹.

Protein quality is real, but combining at every meal isn’t required

Nine of the amino acids in protein are essential, meaning food must supply them⁴. Scientists score foods on how well they deliver those nine.

The older score, PDCAAS, uses one digestibility number measured in stool and caps every food at 100%⁸. In 2013, a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expert report recommended a newer score, DIAAS, to replace it⁸. DIAAS measures how well each amino acid is absorbed by the end of the small intestine, and it has no cap⁸.

In general, the older score overrates plant foods and underrates animal foods⁸. Unprocessed soy scores 92% on PDCAAS but 86% on DIAAS, and almonds score only 38% to 45% on DIAAS⁸. Under DIAAS, lentils would no longer qualify as a “good source” of protein, according to one study the review cites⁸.

That sounds like bad news for plants, but these scores rate one food eaten alone. Real meals mix foods, and their proteins fill each other’s gaps⁸.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics no longer advises combining “complementary” proteins at each meal. Eating a variety of plant foods across the day covers your needs⁹. Rice and beans don’t have to share a plate.

Protein from real food: a table and a sample day

These amounts come from USDA’s SR Legacy database, one of the data sets in USDA FoodData Central¹⁵. Labels and recipes vary, so treat them as close estimates.

Food	Serving	Protein, about
Turkey breast, roasted	3 oz	26 g
Salmon (coho), cooked	3 oz	23 g
Pork loin, broiled	3 oz	23 g
White tuna, canned in oil, drained	3 oz	23 g
Ground beef, 90% lean, broiled	3 oz	22 g
Edamame (green soybeans), boiled	1 cup	22 g
Tofu, firm, calcium-set	1/2 cup	22 g
Black beans, boiled	1 cup	15 g
Cottage cheese, 1%	4 oz	14 g
Lima beans, boiled	1 cup	12 g
Pumpkin seed kernels, roasted	1/4 cup	9 g
Plain low-fat yogurt	6 oz	9 g
Almonds, dry roasted	1/4 cup	7 g
Egg, whole	1 large	6 g

A sample day at 1.2 grams per kilogram for a 154-pound adult (target: about 84 grams):

• Breakfast: 2 eggs and 4 ounces of cottage cheese, about 27 grams.
• Lunch: a bowl with 1 cup of black beans topped with 1/4 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds, about 24 grams.
• Snack: 6 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt, about 9 grams.
• Dinner: 3 ounces of salmon, about 23 grams.

That adds up to about 83 grams before counting the smaller amounts in bread, grains and vegetables¹⁵.

A plant-based version: 1/2 cup of firm tofu, 1 cup of edamame, 1 cup each of black beans and lima beans, and 1/4 cup each of pumpkin seeds and almonds come to about 87 grams¹⁵. A later article covers vegan diets, including vitamin B12.

Powders, kidneys and other cautions

If you have kidney disease, talk to your care team first. Damaged kidneys struggle to clear the waste left when protein breaks down, so some people need a moderate amount¹³. Too little protein causes its own harm, malnutrition, and people on dialysis may need more¹³. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) advises working with a dietitian on both amount and sources¹³. Our article on wellness goals to check with a clinician covers kidney screening.

For healthy kidneys, the evidence is reassuring so far. Diets with two to three times the RDA didn’t appear to harm kidney function over several months, ODS reports⁴.

Protein powders are a processed product, and testing shows it. In a report published in October 2025, the nonprofit Consumer Reports checked 23 protein products, a mix of powders and bottled shakes, for lead, NPR reported¹⁴. More than two-thirds had more lead per serving than Consumer Reports’ experts consider safe for a whole day, a limit of 0.5 micrograms based on California’s Proposition 65¹⁴. Plant-based powders averaged nine times the lead of dairy-based ones¹⁴.

There’s context on both sides. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement trade group, said that threshold isn’t a government safety limit¹⁴. Consumer Reports’ own reporter noted that even the highest levels were far below what causes immediate harm; the worry is daily use over years¹⁴.

FDA has no lead limit for protein powders. Its interim reference levels for daily lead from food, which are targets for industry rather than legal limits, are 2.2 micrograms for children and 8.8 for women of childbearing age¹⁴.

Whole food first is the natural-health instinct, and it holds up here

The new federal guidelines boil their advice down to three words: eat real food¹. Many natural-health readers have been saying that for decades.

On protein, the instinct is sound. Beans, eggs, fish, yogurt, seeds and lean meat cover the full range of targets in the table above. Each serving also comes with the rest of the food, not just an isolated protein. A powder can be handy, but it’s a convenience, not a requirement, and testing shows it can carry contaminants¹⁴.

The open question isn’t whether to eat protein. It’s how much of it comes from plants, fish and minimally processed foods, and how much from deli meat and fast food.

What the evidence shows

Claim	Evidence rating	What it rests on
Extra protein adds a little muscle and strength for people doing resistance training	Strong evidence	49 randomized trials; about 0.3 kg more lean mass on average7
The added benefit levels off near 1.6 grams per kilogram	Promising but early	Best estimate from the same review, with a wide range of 1.0 to 2.27
Adults over 65 do better on 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram than on the RDA	Promising but early	Expert consensus; the panel called for studies that measure physical function6
Eating more plant protein is linked to longer life	Promising but early	Observational studies of 715,128 people; they can’t prove cause10
Processed meat causes colorectal cancer	Strong evidence	IARC Group 1, based on sufficient evidence in humans11
Plant proteins must be combined at the same meal	Evidence says no, or unsafe	Variety across the day is enough9
Two to three times the RDA harms healthy kidneys within a few months	Evidence says no, or unsafe	Studies lasting several months found no harm; long-term data are limited4

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

The RDA covers the basic needs of nearly every healthy adult, but it isn’t the last word. The new guidelines’ higher target fits best for older adults, people who train hard and people recovering from illness. The average American man and woman already eat well above the RDA, and a 154-pound man eating the average amount clears the new target’s lower end.

Get your protein mostly from real food, lean toward beans, fish, eggs, dairy and nuts, and keep processed meat occasional. Treat powders as a backup, and check with your care team first if your kidneys aren’t healthy.

Related reading

• Wellness advice is written for an average person who doesn’t exist
• Some healthy habits clash with your medicines, so check these goals first
• What gets into supplements that isn’t on the label
• Third-party tested says what’s in the bottle, not that it works
• Butter made the new food pyramid, but the evidence still leans toward plant oils

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030.” January 2026. cdn.realfood.gov
2. Couch CA, Ansai N, Noiman A, Ogden CL. “Protein Consumption Among Youth and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023.” NCHS Data Brief No. 573, National Center for Health Statistics, October 2026. cdc.gov
3. USDA Agricultural Research Service. “Nutrient Intakes from Food and Beverages: Mean Amounts Consumed per Individual, by Gender and Age” (Table 1). What We Eat in America, NHANES August 2021–August 2023.
4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.” ODS, accessed October 2026. ods.od.nih.gov
5. Phillips SM. “Dietary protein requirements and adaptive advantages in athletes.” British Journal of Nutrition, 2012;108:S158–S167. cambridge.org
6. Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, et al. “Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group.” Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2013;14(8):542–559. digital.library.adelaide.edu.au
7. Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. “A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018;52(6):376–384. bjsm.bmj.com
8. Moughan PJ, Lim WXJ. “Digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS): 10 years on.” Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024;11:1389719. frontiersin.org
9. Yerxa K. “How to Become a Vegetarian.” University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 2021, updated 2026. extension.umaine.edu
10. Naghshi S, Sadeghi O, Willett WC, Esmaillzadeh A. “Dietary intake of total, animal, and plant proteins and risk of all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.” BMJ, 2020;370:m2412. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
11. International Agency for Research on Cancer. “IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat.” Press Release No. 240, October 26, 2015. iarc.who.int
12. World Health Organization. “Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat” (questions and answers). WHO, updated September 2026. who.int
13. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Eating Right for Chronic Kidney Disease.” NIDDK, reviewed January 2025. niddk.nih.gov
14. Treisman R. “A study found lead in popular protein powders. Here’s why you shouldn’t panic.” NPR, October 16, 2025 (republished by KPBS). kpbs.org
15. USDA National Agricultural Library. “Protein” nutrient list, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy (2018), a FoodData Central data type. nal.usda.gov