Wondering how much protein you need daily? Here’s a visual guide

Proteins are crucial to the proper functioning of our bodies. They help regulate hormones, transport molecules, act as an enzyme for chemical reactions and more. A good benchmark for the average person to eat each day is about 100 grams of protein.

However, this number changes based on how active you are, among other factors. To help you reach your daily needs, this visual guide shows what 100 grams of protein looks like, regardless of whether you follow a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous diet.

The grams were calculated by taking the nutrition facts label information on packaged items and weighing them as needed. The grams listed in this guide are specific to the products used for this experiment, so your numbers may vary if you’re looking at a different brand of bread or yogurt.

This is what 100 grams of protein looks like for omnivores

If you don’t have any dietary restrictions, eating 100 grams of protein per day should be pretty easy. Here’s one way to do it:

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

Everything pictured above comes to 103 grams. That puts you slightly over the 100 gram target.

100 grams of animal proteins

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

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

This works out to a perfect 100 grams of protein. If you ate all of this in one day, plus bread and other non-animal products, you would easily exceed 100 grams of protein per day.

100 grams of protein 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)
  
• A portion of Greek yogurt (15 grams)
• One tablespoon of hemp seeds (4 grams)
• Two tablespoons of peanut butter (7 grams)
• One scoop of vegetable protein powder (20 grams)

This amounts to 99 grams of protein, which is pretty close and still a good amount to get in a day.

What does 100 grams of protein look like for vegans?

What you see isn’t quite what you get with the amount of protein here:

• 1 ounce of nuts (5 grams)
• ½ cup oatmeal (5 grams)
• A protein granola bar (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 vegetable protein powder (20 grams)

This comes to 79 grams of protein. If we double the mixed nuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds, we get 93 grams of protein. You can add an extra tablespoon of peanut butter or eat a whole cup of oatmeal instead of half a cup to get closer to 100 grams. This plate does not include high-protein vegan meat replacements, such as tofu, tempeh, or plant-based meats like the Impossible BurgerThese food sources can make it easier for someone who eats a lot to get 100 grams of protein. vegan diet.