How much protein do women need?
- Mar 1
- 8 min read
Protein is a fundamental macronutrient required for the structure and function of every cell in the body. It provides the amino acids needed for tissue repair, muscle maintenance, hormone and enzyme production, immune function, neurotransmitter synthesis, and metabolic regulation. Adequate protein intake also supports blood glucose stability, satiety, and healthy body composition.
Below I give you biochemistry breakdowns for each lifestage. This can be further calculated using your body type and your goals. For example, if you are actively trying to lose fat, you are an athlete, you are pregnant, or you suspect insulin resistance due a history of PCOS. Use my calculator below to estimate your specific needs.
This intake is most effectively utilised when protein is distributed evenly across meals throughout the day rather than in one meal only in order to support protein muscle synthesis (aka the body’s growth and repair cycle).
How Much Protein Do Women Need?
Most women benefit from consuming 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with higher requirements during pregnancy, breastfeeding, resistance training and ageing. Protein supports muscle repair, hormone production, immune function and metabolic health across the female lifespan.
Protein requirements across the Lifespan
Standard: Live well
Current research suggests that many active adults benefit from higher daily protein than in the current Australian Nutrition Guidelines. Particularly when supporting metabolic health, muscle preservation, hormonal balance, and recovery.
Target range: 1.6g/kg/day.
Pregnancy: Building Humans
Lily Nichols’ work on prenatal nutrition highlights how dramatically protein needs rise during pregnancy. By the third trimester, women may require nearly double the RDI to support foetal and placental growth, breast tissue growth, blood volume expansion, uterine and connective tissue expansion. Protein is also critical for balancing blood sugar, managing nausea, and reducing the risk of gestational diabetes. It is never recommended to "diet" during pregnancy. Target range: 1.6-1.8g/kg/day.
Postpartum: Repair, Repletion and Breastmilk
Postnatal depletion is a state of nutrient and tissue deficit following pregnancy and breastfeeding. Protein (along with iron, zinc, and B vitamins) is central to rebuilding connective tissue, restoring neurotransmitters, and replenishing the immune system and nutrient stores. Adequate intake supports wound healing, milk production, and the slow rebuilding of muscle changes that happened over pregnancy and the tender stages of early postpartum. *Active fat loss is not recommended during breastfeeding as endogenous toxins such as those stored in adipose tissue are fat soluble and will end up in breastmilk. Target range: 1.6-2.0g/kg/day.
Perimenopause and Post-menopause: Preserving Muscle and Metabolism
During perimenopause, oestrogen and progesterone fluctuations make it harder to maintain lean mass and regulate glucose. Combining progressive strength training with higher protein and an even distribution across meals helps offset these hormonal changes. Protein needs to include leucine-rich sources (e.g. eggs, fish, meat, dairy, or quality plant proteins) to activate the mTOR pathway that drives muscle protein synthesis. Target range: 1.6-2.0g/kg/day.
Golden Years: Why Protein Gets Harder to Digest
The older we get the weaker the pH of our stomach acid (HCl) gets. Healthy stomach acid sits around pH 1-2, creating the optimal environment to activate pepsin, the enzyme that breaks protein into smaller peptides. When HCl levels weaken and stomach pH rises (becomes less acidic) with aging, pepsin activation is impaired, meaning protein isn’t denatured or digested as efficiently. This can lead to symptoms like heaviness after meals, bloating, or undigested food in stools, and more importantly, reduced amino-acid absorption, affecting muscle maintenance, neurotransmitter production, and overall metabolic health. I certainly remember my nan putting herself on the classic "tea and toast" diet as she entered her late 80s. Supporting stomach acid through mindful eating, adequate zinc, B-vitamins, and herbal bitters can help restore protein digestion efficiency. Aim for 1.2-1.6g/kg/day.
Protein Requirements for Athletes
Individuals undertaking regular resistance training, endurance exercise, or high training volumes have increased protein requirements to support muscle repair, recovery, and adaptation to training. Current sports nutrition research suggests athletes generally benefit from an intake of 1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, depending on training intensity, goals, and energy expenditure.
At the higher end of this range, protein supports muscle protein synthesis, recovery between training sessions, preservation of lean mass during periods of calorie restriction, and improved adaptation to strength or endurance training. As with general protein recommendations, distributing protein evenly across meals throughout the day improves utilisation and supports repeated stimulation of muscle protein synthesis.
Protein Needs Across the Female Lifespan
Life Stage | Suggested protein intake |
Children | 1.55g/kg |
Reproductive Years | 1.6g/kg |
Athletes | 1.6-2.2g/kg |
Pregnancy | 1.6-1.8g/kg |
Postpartum / Breastfeeding | 1.6-2.0g/kg |
Perimenopause & Menopause | 1.6-2.0g/kg |
Golden Years | 1.2-1.6g/kg |
When and How to Eat Protein (and what even is 'Protein Muscle Synthesis')
Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is the physiological process through which the body repairs, maintains, and builds muscle tissue. This process occurs in cycles throughout the day (every 3 hours-ish) and is stimulated primarily by adequate dietary protein intake. The amino acid leucine plays a key regulatory role in activating this process. To effectively trigger this process and help your body take care of itself, each meal generally needs to provide approximately 2.5 grams of leucine (called the “leucine threshold” in science). In practical terms, this threshold is typically achieved by consuming around 30 to 40 grams of high-quality protein at every meal.
Distributing protein evenly across the day supports repeated stimulation of muscle protein synthesis and more effective tissue repair. For people over 40 or those with higher metabolic or training demands (see life stages below) may require slightly higher per-meal protein amounts to achieve the same anabolic response. Use the calculator above to determine your personalised daily target and divide this evenly across meals.
Animal vs Plant Sources of Protein
Not all protein is absorbed or utilised equally. Animal-derived proteins such as meat, eggs, dairy, and fish are highly bioavailable and contain all essential amino acids in proportions that closely match human requirements. Importantly, they also provide key nutrients that are difficult, limited, or naturally absent in plant-only diets. Vitamin B12 is found naturally only in animal foods and is essential for neurological function and methylation pathways. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA are most readily obtained from fish and seafood, and while small amounts of choline are present in plant foods, eggs and animal products remain the most concentrated and reliable sources. In addition, animal proteins provide highly bioavailable zinc, heme iron, iodine, selenium, creatine, and taurine. For these reasons, animal proteins tend to stimulate muscle protein synthesis more efficiently and require smaller portions to meet leucine thresholds.
Plant proteins can adequately meet protein requirements when intentionally structured. Compared to animal proteins, plant sources contain different amino acid profiles and are accompanied by fibre and naturally occurring compounds such as phytates, which can modestly reduce digestibility and amino acid availability. This is overcome by having larger portion sizes and combining complementary sources such as legumes with grains, or soy products with nuts and seeds. This improves the overall amino acid balance and protein quality. Plant-based protein also confers important gastrointestinal and metabolic benefits. Legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds provide fermentable fibre and resistant starch that promote microbial diversity and the production of short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate. Butyrate serves as a primary fuel source for colonocytes, supports gut barrier integrity, and contributes to local immune regulation. In addition, plant foods provide antioxidants and diverse phytonutrients associated with metabolic health and long-term disease risk reduction.
Debunking the Myths
Women often worry that “too much protein” will harm their kidneys or “make them bulky". The evidence shows that in healthy individuals, higher protein intake does not damage the kidneys and is critical for bone, metabolic, and cognitive health.
When combined with strength training and wholefoods, higher protein is likely to reduce disease risk by improving body composition, insulin sensitivity, brain health, and mitochondrial efficiency. Protein also stimulates IGF and mTOR pathways vital for satiety repair, cognition, and mitochondrial function.
Practical Takeaways for Protein intake:
Start with the lower end of your target range and work up:
Standard: 1.4-1.6g/kg/day
Athlete: up to 2.2g/kg/day
Pregnant: 1.6-1.8g/kg/day
Postpartum: 1.6-2.0g/kg/day
Perimenopause: 1.6-2.0g/kg/day
Golden Years: 1.4-1.6g/kg/day
Give yourself grace while making subtle changes to your diet, you don't need to be perfect, you need to be consistent.
Active fat loss is never recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Lift heavy weights at least twice a week (see other pregnancy-specific guidelines if necessary, or work with your trainer for athletic goals, or specialist for injury recovery)
Walk 6000-10000 steps a day, determine your needs in this blog.
Have protein with every meal and snack.
You won't get bulky unless you want to (and it takes years of strict training, a specific body building coach, months of excruciating deficits (think the type of starvation that loses you your period) and bulks (that literally blow out your guts), and dangerous dehydration on photo days - unless this sounds like you, then seriously DO NOT WORRY about being "bulky". Body Building is a high-risk competitive sport; it is not the same as lifting heavy weights).
Whey vs Collagen Supplements
Whey protein: Whey is a complete protein and can be used as the main protein source in a smoothie, for example as a breakfast meal. Because whey is derived from directly from milk, it does have a creamy, milky taste and texture meaning it mixes best into smoothies, oats, chia pudding, yoghurt or anything creamy. It also goes well in baking however is dry so you will need to increase the liquid portion with extra eggs, milk, water, or yoghurt. It is generally very well absorbed. Be mindful of the ingredients, there are many options available but you want to look for the one with the least ingredients.
Collagen: Collagen is not a complete protein source (it is missing some amino acids), so I recommend using it as a way to top up protein intake alongside food rather than as a standalone protein source or meal replacement. It is flavourless and dissolves completely, so use it for things that you don't want to be thick or milky such as your hot drinks, herbal tea, soups, dressings. It is also great in baking. Collagen is extracted from bones and connective tissue like bone broth or slow cooked meat and dissolves similarly to gelatin.
FAQs
How much protein do women need per day?
Most women benefit from around 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with higher requirements during pregnancy, breastfeeding, resistance training and ageing.
Do women need protein after exercise?
Yes. Protein after exercise supports muscle repair and muscle adaptation, particularly after resistance training.
Is it possible to eat too little protein?
Yes. Inadequate protein intake can contribute to fatigue, muscle loss, poor recovery from exercise and reduced metabolic health.
What are the best protein foods for women?
Eggs, yoghurt, fish, meat, legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds are nutrient-dense protein sources that support muscle, hormones and metabolic health.
Looking for more?
This practical, evidence-informed guide shows you exactly how to build meals that deliver enough protein without complicated tracking, restrictive dieting, or expensive specialty products. Inside you’ll find practical strategies for increasing protein without dramatically changing your diet. This guide focuses on normal foods you can find at any supermarket. It includes:
-High-protein meal plans
-Easy family recipes designed to reach meaningful protein targets (the exact things -I make for my fussy eaters each week)
-Simple ways to boost protein in meals using foods like yoghurt, eggs, collagen, whey, seeds and nuts
-Plant-based options and nutrition
-High-protein lunchbox ideas for children
-Notes for athletes and appropriately fueling your workouts no matter who you are.
