Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Percent of Calories From Protein: What It Tells You and Doesn't

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Percent of Calories From Protein: What It Tells You and Doesn't

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on Oct 28 2026
Percent of calories from protein is a real and useful metric, but it is easy to misread. Ten percent of a 290 calorie food is about 7g of protein, not 29g, and the 10 to 35% range describes a whole day, not a single food. Here is the arithmetic, a like-for-like check on everyday foods, and the limits of the number.
Bar chart of daily protein in grams per kilogram: the RDA 0.8, average U.S. women 1.1 and men 1.3 aged 40 to 60, research target after 40 at 1.4 and 1.54 for sarcopenia

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

How Much Protein Do You Need After 40?

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on Sep 22 2026
The nutrition label prints one protein number for everyone: a Daily Value of 50 grams. After 40, the research points somewhere else entirely, 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, which is 82 to 109 grams a day for a 150-pound adult. Here is why aging muscle needs a larger signal, and where the shortfall actually sits in a normal day.
Bar chart of protein per serving, marking sources that also supply collagen: chicken breast 26 g, Greek yogurt 15 g, Marmels bar 12 g, two eggs 12 g and bone broth 9 g

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Protein and Collagen on Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP1) Drugs

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on Aug 24 2026
Research from 2025 and 2026 found people taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication averaging 0.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, less than half current guidance, with 88 percent falling short. Protein and collagen both come up in this conversation, but they do different jobs and the evidence is not equally strong. Here is what the trial data shows about lean mass, where collagen honestly fits, and what to eat when appetite is capped.
Bar chart of daily protein in grams per kilogram by goal: sedentary 0.8, active 1.3, build muscle 1.6, and build muscle while losing fat 2.2

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

How Much Protein Do You Actually Need to Build Muscle?

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on Aug 04 2026
You can train hard and still stall if you are under-eating protein. For building muscle, research keeps landing on about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, roughly double the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and around 112 grams for a 155-pound adult. Here is what the number means and how to hit it across a normal day.
Bar chart of daily protein targets in grams for a 150-pound woman by goal, from 54 g to avoid deficiency to 129 g for fat loss while keeping muscle

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

How Much Protein Do Women Need? What the Research Says

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on Jun 04 2026
Most protein research was built around men, and women inherited numbers that were never really theirs. Current studies suggest most active women need 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram daily, far above the 0.8-gram minimum, with needs climbing in midlife. Here is how much you actually need, by activity and life stage, and how to close the gap.
Bar chart of protein per typical serving, from 26 g in chicken breast and 12 g in Marmels Protein Chocolate to 0.5 g in an apple, with an 8 g floor line

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Signs of Low Protein Intake: 7 Quiet Symptoms to Watch For

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on May 21 2026
Outright protein deficiency is rare in the United States. Sub-optimal protein intake is common, and the signs are quiet enough to blame on age, stress, or sleep. Here are seven symptoms to watch for, the daily target most current research supports, and the simplest way to close the gap.
Chart showing why the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is outdated compared to current research-based intakes

Protein & Nutrition Blog – Marmels

Is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Protein Outdated?

by Mo Mandegar, PhD on Apr 30 2026
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein (0.8 g/kg) was set as a deficiency floor, not an optimization target. Most active adults benefit from 1.2–1.6 g/kg or more. Here's what the latest research from the ISSN, NHANES, and recent peer-reviewed reviews actually says.