Protein remains important after 40. A general range around 1.4–2.0 grams per kilogram per day is commonly used for healthy exercising adults, divided across several meals. Individual medical needs, total energy intake, and the training stimulus determine how that guidance should be applied.
Include protein in three or four meals or snacks
Include a good source of protein at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an optional snack. Spreading protein across the day can be easier than trying to make up for a low-protein day with one very large evening meal.
Dairy, eggs, fish, meat, soy, beans, lentils, and mixed plant meals are all options; the best pattern is one you tolerate and repeat.
Pair protein with enough total food
Protein cannot fully support muscle gain when overall intake is chronically inadequate. Include carbohydrate to support training and dietary fat, produce, and fluids for a complete pattern.
Supplements can be convenient or useful when appetite is low, but they should solve a specific gap rather than become the foundation of every meal.
Connect nutrition to progressive training
Protein can support the gains from resistance training, but it cannot reshape one body part on its own. Track both meal consistency and exercise progression.
If strength, recovery, and weight are stable for months despite a gain goal, review total food intake and program quality with qualified professionals.
Common questions
Research and references
These references support the advice above. A general article still cannot account for your health, history, or individual response.
- International Society of Sports Nutrition (2017): protein and exercise position stand
A position stand covering daily protein intake, meal distribution, protein quality, and supplementation for healthy exercising people.
- Nunes et al. (2022): protein intake, lean mass, and strength
A systematic review and meta-analysis finding small additional lean-mass and lower-body strength benefits from higher protein intake in healthy adults.
- Liao et al. (2017): protein plus resistance training in older adults
A meta-analysis assessing whether protein supplementation adds benefit to resistance training for muscle and physical function in older adults.