by It seems some people don’t get enough protein. In shakes, in bars, in smoothies – or as big chunks of steak – it is a micronutrient that I love a lot, especially in the presence of nutrition and exercise.
But experts disagree on the ideal amount of protein we should eat, whether we should be focusing on maximizing protein in our diet, and whether we could be in danger of eating too much protein instead.
News Week they contacted 10 different nutrition experts – all with different opinions – to ask them how much protein they ate each day.
Many cited the recommended daily allowance (RDA): the US national dietary guidelines recommend consuming at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (g/kg) of body weight.
For someone who weighs 180lbs, or 82kg, that means eating 65g or 2.3oz of protein a day: slightly more than a single 10oz steak.
For nutrition expert Mike Murphy – who said people should aim to eat around 1g/kg per day – eating enough protein “is one of the most important dietary goals a person can have focus on it.”
He said: “Protein balances blood sugar, promotes satiety, and it is very difficult to overeat protein. Plus, we need protein to repair tissues and build things in the body, such as enzymes, hormones, and muscle.
“I am on muscle as the most important longevity organ and we can not keep it without getting enough protein in the diet.”
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He said he got about 100g of protein a day, which could look like: two eggs, a slice of sourdough toast and peanut butter for breakfast; chicken broccoli, a cup of broccoli and a cup of quinoa at lunch; a handful of almonds for a snack; and a salmon fillet and half a cup of lentils at dinner.
Murphy said protein was “very difficult to overeat” and did not warn against overeating – but others made it clear that there was no need to worry about eating too much.
“There really is no such thing as too much protein,” said Fredrick Hahn, a personal trainer with studios in New York and New Jersey. “Eating protein, which is so nutrient dense, increases satiety and you can’t keep eating it. Think about it: how many eggs can you really eat in one sitting?”
Canadian sports nutritionist Melissa Boufounous spoke on similar lines, saying there was “a lot of fear and misunderstanding” about high-protein diets.
“Many studies have shown that it is safe for healthy people to consume much more protein than the RDA,” she said, adding that the RDA was only “the minimum amount of protein needed to prevent malnutrition.” She stated that serious bodybuilders, who need more protein for muscle building and tissue repair, could safely consume as much as 4.4g/kg of protein: five times the RDA.
“I personally don’t see the need to eat more than 2g/kg of protein per day, but I wouldn’t worry about my health if I ate more than this on a regular basis,” said Boufounous.
Other experts were more restrictive than this. Nutritional therapist Milena Mastroianni, for example, echoed Murphy in saying, “it’s very difficult to eat too much protein especially from animal foods,” but added that some athletes may be safe eating up to 3.5g / kg.
And she warned that focusing too much on protein sources, such as fibre-rich vegetables, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, could crowd out other beneficial foods.
Dietitian, nutritionist and fitness coach Nichole Maholy also expressed balanced views, saying that she personally wouldn’t eat more than 2.5g/kg of protein—”because it’s unnecessary”—but that she wouldn’t worry about eating much more than that.
“There are no randomized controlled trials to show that more protein is harmful to our health, but there is some evidence to show that eating more than the recommended amount can have side effects such as digestive discomfort, dehydration or electrolyte imbalance . on the kidneys,” said Maholy.
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But most of the nutrition experts News Week They said they would worry about eating too much protein, for a variety of reasons.
Nutritional therapist Petronella Ravenshear said that excess protein was stored in the body as fat and most people did not need more than 1g/kg of protein per day.
“The received wisdom is that high amounts of dietary protein help us lose weight by boosting our metabolic rate, and our muscle protein synthesis, but the science doesn’t support this,” she said.
Nutritionist Nichola Ludlam-Raine said that while there was “no definite limit” to protein, there was only so much protein the body could use.
“Excessive protein intake over a long period of time can put unnecessary strain on the kidneys, especially with pre-existing kidney conditions, although healthy people are less likely to have problems,” she said.
Her limit was 2.2g/kg of protein per day. Moreover, “the benefits tend to plateau,” she said, “and it is important to focus on a well-balanced diet.”
Dietitian Dana Hunnes, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, seemed the most passionate person against too much protein.
“We need a lot less protein than media influencers would have you believe,” she said. “We really don’t need more than 1g/kg of protein per day. More than that can put extra work on the kidneys.
“You want to eat the right amount of protein, not too much and not too little. But, in the US, it’s very difficult to eat too little protein, mainly because there’s so much emphasis on it. “
She said she stuck with plant-based protein, because it was gentler on the kidneys, and filled with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, as well as being “conscious.”
But other nutrition experts, such as Ravenshear and Maholy, said News Week that they preferred to get their protein from animal foods, because they contained all the amino acids – the building blocks of protein – that the body needed, and it made it easier to meet their protein goals.
On the other side of the same coin was Thompson Maesaka: owner of a neurological rehabilitation clinic who used to train professional sports teams, and was an amateur bodybuilder, who ate 190g of protein a day. Even he had his limits.
“Yes, it can be too much protein,” Maesaka said. “I think it’s hard to tell exactly how much is too much from person to person, and the easiest way to tell is to use intestinal discomfort and overall energy as a guide.
“If I don’t have a balance between my protein sources, I’m going to be really lethargic and have a lot of stomach problems, which is my red flag to have a more balanced macronutrient ratio.”
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