Protein after 50 without dairy
Protein after 50 without dairy takes more planning than just adding a scoop, because older muscles need more protein, and especially more leucine, at each meal to keep building. Dairy makes that easy, so without it you need to know which foods get you to the 2.5 to 3 grams of leucine per meal that research points to for older adults. Below is a guide on how to hit that target.
The leucine catch
Without dairy, a 27 g meal usually gives you only 1.7–2.5 g of leucine. Getting to 3 g takes more protein, and how much depends on the food:
| Food | Protein needed for 3 g leucine |
|---|---|
| Egg whites | 32 g |
| Whole eggs | 35 g |
| Fish or firm tofu | 37 g |
| Chicken breast | 40 g |
| Pea protein | 42 g |
| Cantein hemp | 46–47 g |
These are USDA values that aren’t adjusted for digestibility, so if anything the plant numbers are a little generous. Without dairy, leucine ends up deciding how big each meal needs to be.
Why it changes after 50
Your muscles respond to protein one meal at a time, and with age they respond less to the same amount. In one study, older men needed about 0.4 g of protein per kg of body weight in a meal to get the full response, while younger men needed 0.24 g/kg (Moore et al., 2015). Older muscle also needs a bigger share of leucine to respond (Katsanos et al., 2006). So spread your protein across meals instead of saving most of it for dinner.
Your numbers
- 65 and over: at least 1.2 g/kg a day, with about 0.4 g/kg and 3 g of leucine per meal.
- 50 to 64: 1.2–1.6 g/kg a day depending on how active you are, with about 2.5 g of leucine per meal.
For a 150 lb person over 65, that’s about 82 g a day and 27 g per meal. Our amino acid calculator works it out for your weight.
Six dairy-free breakfasts that clear 3 g
Breakfast is usually the lightest meal of the day, so start there.
| Breakfast | Protein | Leucine | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup liquid egg whites, 1 egg, spinach | 33.6 g | 3.08 g | 205 |
| 1 can sardines, 2 eggs, 1 slice whole-grain toast | 38.7 g | 3.07 g | 403 |
| 4 oz firm tofu, 2 eggs, ½ cup black beans | 39.8 g | 3.27 g | 420 |
| 7 oz firm tofu, ½ cup black beans, corn tortilla (vegan) | 43.3 g | 3.54 g | 452 |
| 1 scoop Cantein Unflavored, 2 eggs, 1 slice toast | 44.0 g | 3.03 g | 322 |
| 1 scoop Cantein Unflavored, 1½ cups soy milk, 1 oz pumpkin seeds (vegan) | 48.5 g | 3.16 g | 465 |
You’ll notice hemp only gets there when it’s paired with eggs, or with soy milk and seeds.
What a full day looks like
For that 150 lb person: an egg-white omelette with toast for breakfast (37 g protein, 3.2 g leucine), a tuna and chickpea salad for lunch (33.5 g, 2.5 g), and 4 oz of salmon with quinoa and asparagus for dinner (33.5 g, 2.5 g). That’s 104 g for the day. Breakfast clears 3 g, and the other two land in PROT-AGE’s 2.5–2.8 g range. If you can only fix one or two meals, fix breakfast and the meal after you exercise.
If your appetite is small
Protein per calorie matters more when you can’t eat much. Per 100 calories, egg whites give you about 21 g, canned tuna 22 g and Cantein Unflavored 25.5 g (can add to soup), compared with 7.8 g for lentils. Drinks are easier than plates, and a small afternoon snack helps close the daily gap. If you’re losing weight without trying, tell your doctor.
Where hemp fits
I make hemp protein, so here’s the honest version. One scoop of Unflavored is 28 g of protein for 110 calories, from one ingredient, and it’s dairy-free. But it has 1.8 g of leucine (1.44 g in Vanilla and Chocolate), so it won’t get you to 3 g by itself. Pair it with eggs, or use it as a top-up. Hemp is also low in lysine, so make sure your other meals include eggs, fish, tofu or lentils.
Before you change anything
Protein supports muscle, but it doesn’t build it on its own. Strength training at least twice a week matters just as much, and bands and body weight count. If you have kidney disease, or take a medication where protein timing matters, like levodopa, talk to your doctor before you change how much protein you eat.
The short version
Spread your protein across three meals. Without dairy, aim for about 32–37 g per meal from eggs, fish or tofu to reach 3 g of leucine. Fix breakfast first, and use a scoop to fill the gaps.
Choosing a powder? Our buying guide for protein powder after 50 scores whey isolate, pea, egg, soy, and hemp on protein and leucine per scoop.
Shop Cantein hemp protein · Amino acid calculator · Recipes · Lab tests
I run Cantein, a hemp protein company. Food values come from USDA FoodData Central. This is general information, not medical advice.
- Bauer J et al. PROT-AGE recommendations. JAMDA, 2013. doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2013.05.021
- Deutz NEP et al. ESPEN recommendations. Clinical Nutrition, 2014. doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2014.04.007
- Moore DR et al. J Gerontol A, 2015. doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu103
- Katsanos CS et al. AJP Endocrinol Metab, 2006. doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00488.2005
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