How Much Protein Should You Eat per day?
Protein is especially important during pregnancy and as we age since our body’s ability to process protein declines with age. That said, as important as protein is, especially with awareness of how detrimental “empty carbs,” are for people it is important to know that consuming excessive protein can be quite detrimental. It can cause weight gain, extra body fat, stress on your kidneys, dehydration, and leaching of important bone minerals. On average, Americans consume anywhere from three to five times more protein than they need for optimal health, along with far too many carbohydrates and not enough healthy fats.
Some studies show high-quality proteins from pasture raised animals are more easily used by your body than those from plants, (source 2) but there are studies that show many negative effects of animal proteins and it is also important to also at the least combine high-quality protein from plant sources as well.
Excess Protein Can cause Weight Gain, Yeast Overgrowth, and Cancer
To start if you eat more protein than your body requires, most of those calories will convert to sugar then fat. This increased blood sugar levels can also feed pathogenic bacteria and yeast, such as Candida and cancer cell growth.
It can also cause chronic dehydration because excess protein causes more nitrogen waste products from your blood, which need to be filtered, causing stress on your kidneys. (as per this study. (3)
Lowering Your Protein Intake May Extend Your Lifespan
Some studies have shown that reduced intake of the amino acid methionine, which happens to be high in meats can prolong life. Yet, other new research suggests it may be the balance of amino acids that is the key, especially with other amino acids like glycine that may actually help lower methionine levels. This can also be done by what is known as intermittent fasting where you don’t eat for 12 to 16 hours from post dinner to noon the next day. Bone broth may also be particularly useful as it is especially high in glycine.
How much is too much and how do we know what our body needs?
Once you know your lean body mass it is simple to know how much protein you need. You likely need about one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.
For most people, this amounts to 40 to 70 grams of protein a day. That’s it! Rarely does a person need more protein than this—the exception would be those who are aggressively exercising (or competing) and pregnant women, who should have about 25 percent more.
Forty to 70 grams a day is in the general range of the CDC’s protein recommendations for adults (46 grams a day for women, and 56 grams a day for men). But the formula has the major advantage of taking into account your weight and body composition, which is more relevant than age and gender. This comes down to a protein serving that is about the size of a deck of cards.
Determining your lean body mass:
Subtract your percent body fat from 100. For example, if you have 20 percent body fat, then you have 80 percent lean body mass. Just multiply that percentage (in this case, 0.8) by your current weight to get your lean body mass in pounds or kilos. So, in the above example, if you weighed 160 pounds, 0.8 multiplied by 160 equals 128 pounds of lean body mass. Using the “one-half gram of protein” rule, you would need about 64 grams of protein per day.
In this video Paul Check further explains the dangers of eating too much meat:
Translating Ideal Protein Requirements Into Foods
Substantial amounts of protein can be found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Some vegetables also contain generous amounts of protein—for example, broccoli. Forty grams of protein is not a large amount of food—it’s the equivalent of just two small hamburger patties, or one six-ounce chicken breast. After determining your necessary intake from above, keep a journal of what you’re eating.
Regarding grams of protein, you can use the examples below or simply Google the food you want to know and you will quickly find the grams of protein in that food.
Red meat, pork, poultry, and seafood average 6-9 grams of protein per ounce.
- An ideal amount for most people would be:
– a 3-ounce serving of meat or seafood (not 9- or 12-ounce steaks!), which will provide about 18-27 grams of protein
– Eggs contain about 6-8 grams of protein per egg. So an omelet made from two eggs would give you about 12-16 grams of protein
– If you add cheese, you need to calculate that protein in as well (check the label of your cheese)
– Seeds and nuts contain on average 4-8 grams of protein per quarter cup
– Cooked beans average about 7-8 grams per half cup
– Cooked grains average 5-7 grams per cup
– Most vegetables contain about 1-2 grams of protein per ounce
Eating ONLY Plant-Based Foods May Lead to Deficits
In order to gain the greatest nutritional benefit from the proteins you eat, I recommend consuming a wide variety of high-quality proteins from both animal and plant whole food sources. Research consistently shows that nutritional deficits are extremely hard to avoid if you limit yourself to a strictly plant-based diet. From the standpoint of ancestral nutrition, the hunting and foraging of our predecessors resulted in their consuming a much wider selection of foods than we do today, which means they received a much broader complement of nutrients, including proteins.
Research published in the journal Nutrition shows that people who eat a strictly plant-based diet may suffer from subclinical protein malnutrition. This puts one at risk for not getting enough dietary sulfur. Sulfur is derived almost exclusively from dietary protein, such as fish and high-quality (organic and/or grass-fed/pastured) beef and poultry. Meat and fish are considered “complete” as they contain all the sulfur-containing amino acids you need to produce new protein.
A new Japanese study shows that adequate intake of animal protein may lower your risk of age-related functional decline. Men who consumed higher levels of meat and fish had a 39% lower risk of mental and physical decline compared to those who ate the least animal protein. (8)
On the flip side, plant-based proteins may be helpful in reducing your blood pressure. A recent meta-analysis found that removing meat from the diet led to blood pressure reductions similar to losing five kilos of body weight. So… which is better—plant or animal? I believe the answer is neither—meaning, clinically speaking, most would be best served by consuming a variety of high-quality proteins in order to reap the benefits of both plant- and animal-based protein sources, as each offers its own particular health benefits.
*Choose Organic Pastured, grass-fed beef & chicken or at least free-range or nothing at all.
The quality of the meat you eat is as important as the quantity. As a general rule, the only meat I recommend eating is grass-fed, pastured, ideally organically raised meats (and of course, the same goes for dairy and eggs.) Meat from pastured or grass-fed animals is FAR superior to that from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
CAFO (or conventional- non organic) beef and poultry is likely to be contaminated with herbicides, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs, as well as GMOs from the genetically engineered (GE) grains these animals typically consume.
Researchers are even suggesting that CAFO beef may be spreading slow-acting prion infection causing Alzheimer’s disease. The damage is identical to that seen in Mad Cow disease, except for the rate of speed with which the infection destroys your brain and causes death. In 2009, a joint research project between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Clemson University determined a total of 10 key areas where grass-fed is better for human health than grain-fed beef.
In a side-by-side comparison, they determined that grass-fed beef was superior in the following ways: (10)
– Higher in total omega-3s
– A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
– Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
– Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
– Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
– Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
– Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
– Higher in beta-carotene
Whey Protein
An excellent source of convenient quick to prepare high-quality protein is whey protein. Whey protein is an excellent “fitness food” because it contains not only high-quality protein, but also extremely high amounts of leucine, which is particularly important for muscle growth and repair. One of the reasons whey protein is so effective for exercise recovery is that it assimilates very quickly—it gets into your muscles within 10-15 minutes of swallowing it, just when they need it most. Whey is also excellent for your immune system, as it is rich in immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, and other precursors for glutathione.
With regard to whey supplements, a word of caution is in order. Isolated amino acid supplements and branched-chain amino acid isolates (such as leucine and glutamine) are dangerous and potentially damaging to your health—so stay away from whey isolates. Many contain “putrid proteins,” as well as the proteins in the wrong form (isomers) so they cannot be properly used by your body. They also tend to be acid processed and contain surfactants, artificial sweeteners, heavy metal contaminants (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury (11)), and a long list of chemical additives.
Instead, look for a high-quality whole food whey supplement that is minimally processed, comes from organic, grass-fed, non-hormone treated cows, and is independently tested and verified for purity. I myself no longer take a whey protein powder supplement because I make kefir and it produces adequate amounts of whey. See my video on how to make kefir here. If you do want to use whey protein see the benefits in my blog here and I would recommend these grass fed organic brands:
Seeds, Sprouts, and Spirulina Are Other Great Protein Foods
A key factor in maximizing your nutrition is achieving the right balance of macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. By far, most Westerners consume too much protein and carbohydrate, and not enough healthy fats. For a comprehensive guide, please refer to Dr. Mercola’s Optimized Nutrition Plan, (starting with Beginner Plan: Protein, and then progressing into Intermediate Plan: Protein.)
Other great plant source proteins:
- • Hemp seeds (hemp hearts): About 33 percent protein, providing 11 grams per three tablespoons; also contain all 20 amino acids in an easily digestible form and are loaded with omega-3 fats (12)
- • Chia seeds: About 14 percent protein, providing about four grams per three tablespoons;(13) also high in omega-3 fats (but most are ALA)
- • Spirulina: Seventy percent protein by weight; six grams of protein per 10 gram serving; contains 18 of the amino acids and all of the essentials, and is easily assimilated (avoid spirulina if allergic to iodine or seafood)
- • Sprouts: The quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds, and grains improve when sprouted; sunflower sprouts provide some of the highest quality protein you can eat, along with abundant iron and chlorophyll; kamut, hemp, quinoa, and bean sprouts are also good sources.
- • Bee pollen: Forty percent protein and one of nature’s most complete foods; you wouldn’t eat a large amount of bee pollen at any one time, but it’s an excellent addition for variety
