How much protein should I be eating in midlife?
- Emma Bliss
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Unpacking conflicting advice.
“How much protein should I be eating?”
This is a question that I have been asked frequently over the last few weeks. People are confused. The internet is full of micro content saying “eat more protein” and “eat less protein”. How are you supposed to know who to believe?
As there isn’t a quick, one size fits all answer, I was inspired to write a more detailed response here, so you can make an informed decision as to how much is right for you.
Let’s look at the science.
Official Guidelines on the Dietician Australia website recommend 0.75g/kg/day for women and 0.84g/kg/day for men. It also states that over the age of 70 both men and women should aim for 1g/kg/day.
However, peer-reviewed studies suggest that these levels are simply minimums to prevent deficiency – and a definite underestimate of what is optimal for older adults who want to preserve muscle, maintain function, and support healthy aging.
Of course, there are also studies that focus on how much is too much. A high protein diet (defined as 1.8g/kg/day or higher) has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
This is why you’ll find some passionate influencers on social media saying you need to eat more protein, and other, equally passionate people saying you need to eat less.
Reality is they could both be advocating for the same thing – more than 1g/kg/day and less than 1.8g/kg/day.
Current science all seems to be leading to a recommendation that women over 50 should aim for between 1.0 and 1.6g/kg, and the variations within that range depending on your current age, health and activity levels.
So now we just have to work out, within that range of how much protein you need in midlife, how much is right for you? As a woman in mid life and beyond, there are a few things to consider.
The relationship between estrogen and muscle
Estrogen isn’t just a reproductive hormone. It plays a key role in how a woman’s body maintains muscle, strength, and metabolic health. As estrogen levels decline through perimenopause and menopause, our ability to build and maintain muscle decreases.
Estrogen helps:
Stimulate muscle protein synthesis (your body’s ability to build and repair muscle)
Reduce muscle breakdown (preventing muscle loss)
Improve insulin sensitivity (helping control blood sugar and preventing diabetes)
Support mitochondrial function (energy production and stamina)
When estrogen drops, muscle tissue becomes more vulnerable to loss — even if calories, macronutrient ratios and exercise stay the same.
This indicates that the further you are into your menopause journey and the lower your estrogen levels, the more protein you need.
Muscle Loss Accelerates After Menopause
From around menopause onward, women can lose 1–2% of muscle mass per year if no action is taken. This process, known as sarcopenia, is often goes unnoticed at first, but its effects compound over time.
Loss of muscle doesn’t just affect strength or appearance. Muscle is what moves your body around. It is metabolically active tissue.
As it declines, we see:
A slower metabolism
Reduced blood sugar control (muscle cells have lots of insulin receptors and muscles use glucose)
Increased fat storage, particularly around the abdomen
Higher risk of frailty, falls, and loss of independence later in life
In other words, muscle is one of our greatest longevity assets. Once it’s lost, it gets harder and harder to regain – so look after what you have. Your quality of life in old age matters.
As I say to women on my Vitality Shift course, if you want to be able to take yourself to the toilet and pull up your own knickers when you’re old, you need to look after your muscle.
Future you is depending on present you to take action NOW.
Midlife Bodies Need More Protein
As we age, and particularly as estrogen declines, the body becomes less responsive to protein. This is called anabolic resistance.
Put simply:
Younger bodies can stimulate muscle growth with smaller protein intakes
Midlife and older bodies require larger protein doses to trigger the same muscle-building response
This is why the long-standing protein guideline of 0.75g/kg is now considered insufficient for women over 50.
Protein as a Metabolic Ally in Menopause
Adequate protein intake during and after menopause helps to:
Preserve lean muscle mass
Support bone density (muscle and bone health are deeply interconnected)
Improve satiety and appetite regulation
Stabilise blood sugar
Support recovery from exercise and daily stress
When combined with resistance training, protein becomes one of the most powerful tools available to counter the metabolic shifts of menopause.
How metabolically healthy are you?
Just when it was all sounding like a simple equation, there is something else to consider here. If you are metabolically unhealthy – someone who mostly burns glucose for fuel, has difficulty burning fat, and who may be holding onto fat, especially around the belly – then increasing your protein too much too soon can backfire.
Using glucose for fuel is a much easier and more efficient way to get energy. Your body, which is used to functioning this way, may decide it’s easier to turn the protein into glucose for fuel (by a process called gluconeogenesis), than it is to burn fat for energy and use the protein to create lean tissue. For this reason some people can actually gain weight and fat when they increase their protein.
The answer here is to start at the lower end of that 1-1.6 range and focus on improving your metabolic health. One of the best ways to do that is to fast, and intentionally retrain your body to burn fat. You can monitor your progress on this by measuring your blood glucose and ketones. This is something I can support you with through Fast Like a Girl Coaching.
The Midlife Vitality Shift
Midlife is not the time to eat less and move more.It’s the time to become metabolically healthy and build strength.
For most women 50+, this means:
Focusing on your metabolic health
Increasing daily protein intake beyond earlier life recommendations
Distributing protein evenly across meals (rather than loading it all at dinner) 25-30g per meal is recommended
Pairing protein intake with strength-building movement is also recommended – and for women this protein should be consumed within 30-60 mins of exercise for maximum effect.
Protein isn’t about restriction or bulking up. It’s about protecting vitality, metabolism, and independence for a healthy, happy life in the decades ahead.
So – after all that… How much protein do I need to eat each day?
OK – now you know why it matters, and also a bit about where you might be on the scale of 1-1.6g/kg, let’s talk numbers and answer that question you came here with the best we possibly can.
At 60 kg :
1.0 g/kg → 60 g/day
1.2 g/kg → 72 g/day
1.6 g/kg → 96 g/day
At 80 kg :
1.0 g/kg → 80 g/day
1.2 g/kg → 96 g/day
1.6 g/kg → 128 g/day
Where to begin
As always, the best place to start is by knowing where you are. The first step is to take a look at your metabolic health. Do you have any of the following?
Abdominal obesity, or difficulty losing weight. Do you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar? Do you suffer from fatigue, brain fog, energy crashes and get hangry?
If any of these sound like you, start with focusing on your metabolic health and at the lower end of the range with your protein – 1g/kg/day.
Measure your protein
Whilst I’m not an advocate for continuously tracking every morsel that you eat, I do believe that tracking your macro nutrient intake while you get to know how much protein you are eating now is extremely valuable. Keep tracking until you get to know what 25-30g of protein looks like, and aim for that each meal. Apps such as MyFitnessPal often have free trials you can make the most of.
Don’t forget fibre
One of the things that can happen when people increase their protein is that their fibre intake goes down – this leads to slow digestion, constipation and feeling toxic and bloated. We don’t want this either. Gut health is vital. So I suggest you track your fibre as you adjust too. Aim for at least 25g of fibre each day. I honestly think if you get these two things on track, the rest will fall into place.
What if I discover I’m not eating enough protein?
Most of my clients who do this find that they are a long way under the recommendations. So if this is you too, what can you do?
It is much easier to find protein foods if you eat animal products, but there are a lot of plant based proteins out there too. Nuts, seeds and legumes are well known for being higher protein foods, but there are several surprising things too, such as brussel sprouts, broccoli and avocado.
Even if you do eat animal protein I recommend increasing your plant based proteins too – one of the advantages of plant protein is that it often comes with fibre, so you can increase both your protein and your fibre with the addition of one food.
Should I use protein powder to help me reach my goal?
As someone who mostly eats plants, I supplement with high quality protein powders – Juice Plus Complete and Juice Plus Perform are my favourites and I usually purchase a Protein Plus pack with both types.
The Complete contains 13-14 g per serve and many other super foods – I use these in the place of flour in some recipes such as pancakes and high protein brownies. The Perform is higher in protein at 25g per serve, and makes a great post work out drink. Neither of these products contain GMO soy and both are third party tested for contaminants – two things I recommend you check before purchasing any brand.
Want some recipes to help you reach your protein goals?
I have recipes and meal plans to help you increase your protein without compromising fibre, catering for both plant based diets and omnivores.
References
Protein Requirements and Recommendations for Older People: A Review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4555150
Protein Needs for Adults 50+ https://lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu/protein-needs-for-adults-50/
Protein and Aging: Practicalities and Practice https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12348035
Associations between High Protein Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases by Age Groups: A Cohort Study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41260173
Disclaimer: This information is for education purposes only and should not be taken for medical advice. Always consult your own trusted physician prior to making any changes to diet and lifestyle or following any protocols you may find online. This article may contain affiliate links.
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