What is protein?

Protein is found throughout the body—in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. It makes up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions and the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. At least 10,000 different proteins make you what you are and keep you that way.

Protein is made from twenty-plus basic building blocks called amino acids. Because we don’t store amino acids, our bodies make them in two different ways: either from scratch, or by modifying others. Nine amino acids—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine—known as the essential amino acids, must come from food. (Harvard School of Public Health)

How much protein do I need?

This all depends on the person and their goals, hence the importance of a macro calculator! Once you begin tracking macros, the most common observation is you have not been eating enough protein. Increasing your protein intake can  make huge changes over time with muscle development and fat loss.