Visual Guide: How Much Protein You Need Every Day

Protein is essential for our bodies to function. It helps regulate hormones and transport molecules, but it also acts as an enzyme in chemical reactions and more. For the average person, the general goal is to eat about 100 grams of protein per day.

However, the amount of protein you should consume each day varies depending on how active you are, among other things. To help you reach your daily requirements, this visual guide shows you what 100 grams of protein looks like, whether you follow a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous diet.

Grams were calculated by taking information from the nutrition labels on packaged foods and weighing them when necessary. The gram amounts listed in this guide are specific to the products used in this experiment, so your numbers may vary if you look at a different brand for the following products.

What 100 Grams of Protein Looks Like for Omnivores

Getting 100 grams of protein a day should be fairly easy if you don’t have any dietary restrictions. Here’s one way to do it:

• Two eggs (12 grams)
• Snack cheese (5 grams)
• Greek yogurt (15 grams)
• Beef sausage (14 grams)
• One can of tuna (27 grams)
• ½ cup oatmeal (5 grams)
• 2 ounces deli ham (10 grams)
• 1 ounce mixed nuts (5 grams)
• Two slices of rye bread (10 grams)

All products shown above weigh 103 grams, which is slightly more than the intended weight of 100 grams.

What does 100 grams of animal protein look like?

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to get 100 grams of protein from animal products:

• Four eggs (24 grams)
• One can of tuna (27 grams)
• Three beef meatballs (15 grams)
• 2 ounces turkey bacon (10 grams)
• 3 ounces turkey breast (24 grams)

That’s a perfect 100 grams of protein. If you ate all of that in a day, plus bread and other non-animal products, you’d easily exceed 100 grams of protein in a day.

What 100 Grams of Protein Looks Like for Vegetarians

For vegetarians, 100 grams of protein might look like this:

• Four eggs (24 grams)
• ½ cup oatmeal (5 grams)
• Two snack cheeses (10 grams)
• ¼ cup protein granola (10 grams)
• Single serving of Greek yogurt (15 grams)
• One tablespoon of hemp seeds (4 grams)
• Two tablespoons of peanut butter (7 grams)
• One scoop of plant protein powder (20 grams)

This actually works out to 99 grams of protein, which is pretty close and still a great amount to achieve in a day.

What 100 grams of protein looks like for vegans

What you see is not necessarily representative of the amount of protein you are getting:

• 1 ounce of nuts (5 grams)
• ½ cup oatmeal (5 grams)
• Protein bar with granola (8 grams)
• Two slices of rye bread (10 grams)
• ¼ cup protein granola (10 grams)
• One tablespoon of hemp seeds (4 grams)
• Two tablespoons of chia seeds (10 grams)
• Two tablespoons of peanut butter (7 grams)
• One scoop of plant-based protein powder (20 grams)

That’s 79 grams of protein. If we double the mix of nuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds, that’s 93 grams of protein. You can add an extra tablespoon of peanut butter or eat a full cup of oats instead of half a cup to get closer to 100 grams.

There are also no high-protein vegan meat substitutes on this plate, such as tofu, tempeh, or plant-based meats like Impossible burger. These food sources can make it easier for someone who eats to get 100 grams of protein. vegan diet.