Should Women Take Protein Powders?

Let me explain this with the help of a simple example to understand whether females should take protein powder or not. 

Let’s say you are pursuing B.Com (Hons) at Miranda House, weigh 60 kg, and have a sedentary lifestyle. So, how much protein do you need – 60 grams per day. Right? 

Remember, protein must be consumed as per body weight and activity level. So, if you are sedentary, you need around 1 gram, and if you are active, you need 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.

This means at 60 kilos, you would need 60g protein if you’re sedentary and between 72 and 120 g per day if you’re active – such as playing a sport, working out regularly, etc.

Now, about your meals, a plate of poha and tea for breakfast, a fruit for mid-morning, vegetables, 2 rotis, and yogurt for lunch, tea and makhana in the evening, and a serving of lentils and 1 roti for dinner. If we calculate the protein content in all these foods, it only adds up to 38 grams. 

A calculation of this would look something like this.

• Poha – 40g – 3.2g protein
• Milk – 250 ml – 9g protein
• Banana – 100g – 1.5g protein
• Veggies – 150g – 2.5g protein
• Atta – 90g – 11g protein
• Makhana – 20g – 2.5g protein
• Dal – 40g – 8g protein

Total – 38 g protein

Looking to achieve your fitness goals?

We offer personalized nutrition & training plans tailored for fat loss, muscle gain, or any other health goal. Click below, fill out the form, and reach your fitness goals much faster than most people.

Furthermore, most of these foods are low-quality protein sources. Even if you were to ignore this fact, this 38g protein would fulfill only 62 percent of your protein requirement (38/60 = 62%). 

Where will you get the remaining 38 percent? 

There are two ways around it – 

1. Either be prepared for muscle loss – this happens to most people as they age leading to an involuntary loss of muscle because of inactivity and sub-optimal protein intake.
2. Incorporate these high-quality protein foods into your diet to complete your remaining protein intake. 

Veg sources

• Soya chunks – 52g protein per 100g 
• Paneer – 18g protein per 100g
• Tempeh – 18-20g protein per 100g
• Tofu – 14g protein per 100g
• Curd & Milk – 3g protein per 100g

Non-veg sources

• Chicken – 25g protein per 100g
• Fish – 20-22g protein per 100g
• Egg – 6g protein per egg

or simply buy a quality protein powder with atleast 75% protein content from a reputed brand. 

Now, this was just an example to explain a simple point but the bottomline is, first of all, find your daily protein requirement as per your activity and weight. Then, find how much protein you currently consume. If you’re able to meet your protein requirement from all protein foods, you really don’t need a protein powder.

But If you fail to meet your protein requirement, it’s best to look for a quality whey or any plant-based protein powder of choice and complete your protein intake.