Question

Erin is a 28-year-old professional woman who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and vigilantly maintains her weight at 118 pounds by following a lacto-ovo (non-fat milk and egg whites only) vegetarian diet that supplies approximately 1200 calories a day. With her understanding that protein should provide between 10 and 35 percent of her daily calories, she reasons that her daily intake of 40 grams of protein from milk, eggs, legumes, and nuts is adequate for her needs. She is concerned, however, that she has been sick more than usual and has experienced two stress fractures in her leg over the past three years while exercising.

Required:
a. What is the protein RDA per kilogram of healthy body weight for Erin?
b. Assuming a healthy weight for Erin is 141 pounds, what is her recommended daily protein requirement? Be sure to show all your work.

Answer 1

1. 0.8 grams

2. 51 grams

Step-by-step explanation:

a. The recommended daily allowance of protein for every individual per kilogram of healthy body weight is 0.8grams. The same standard applies to Erin.

b. The recommended daily protein requirement is obtained by multiplying the body weight (in kilograms) to the Protein RDA.

For Erin, this will mean converting her weight in pounds to kilograms.

141 pounds = 63.9565kg

Recommended daily protein requirement equals

63.9565 kg * 0.8 grams

= 51.16grams approximately,

51 grams.