[00:00:00] What is up? Welcome back. Today I'm going to be really breaking down and explaining two really common questions I get about protein, and I probably get them at least I would say every couple of months from my nutrition clients. So every other week I do a live nutrition coaching call in my private client group.
So when you sign up with me as a client, you get access to this private Facebook group, and we. I build a really great community in it and I do a live every other week. And I get these two questions probably every couple of months and I realized, you know what, I just need to record an entire podcast episode about this.
So today we're going to be talking about how much protein is too much protein at one meal and then your protein intake and how it affects your kidneys.
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So first, let's talk about how much protein is too much protein at one meal. As I mentioned, this is a really common question I get. I often will have a client write me and say, I've read that your body can't absorb or digest more than 30 grams of protein at a meal. And someone else will write me and say, 40 grams.
40 grams of protein at a meal. And someone else will write me and say, maybe it was [00:05:00] 50 grams of protein at a meal. And this is kind of a consistent question I get. So let's explain this. How much protein can you actually have at one meal? I do want to say I have linked a ton of research papers in the show notes that pertain to the topic today. So if you want to look at those research papers, I found them fascinating. In fact, I went down a black hole on research papers on this. So they are linked.
Anything I talk about today is linked. But first, we need to understand what absorption means when it comes to nutrients. This is basically describing the amount of protein converted from the food that you eat into your circulatory system following digestion. So, let's talk about how our bodies Use protein and what it actually does to see if it is true that we can have too much at one meal When we eat protein, it goes into the gastrointestinal tract. It's split into peptide bonds, making free form amino acids and smaller peptide fragments. These are then absorbed into the intestines and [00:06:00] sent into systematic circulation, or used directly in Splanchnic tissue. Now, splanchnic tissue refers to organs in the abdominals, basically organs in your stomach. So it's the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, and the gut. The gut is highly metabolically active, and it literally uses 40 50 percent of that protein. And it excretes about 40 to 50 percent of that available amino acids from the protein you ate. Protein also goes into a bunch of different metabolic processes ranging from energy production to urea synthesis, hormones, and even very minor extent to neurotransmitter production. So it's got a lot of functions. It does a lot of things for our body. Then it goes into peripheral tissue. That's basically any tissue that's not a primary function, which is where we build skeletal muscle. This is all where we build the muscle.
So in order to build that muscle, those [00:07:00] amino acids have to reach that peripheral tissue so that it can use it for synthesis to build muscle proteins. So basically I'm saying that first the amino acids go through the stomach, the gut takes a ton of it, it's the first way that uses some of those amino acids, it does other functions, and then it makes its way to building muscle.
Which is also known as muscle protein synthesis. This isn't a bad process, this isn't wrong, there's no mistake about this, this is just how the body works. It has main functions, it kind of works through those main functions, and then it kind of moves through and we're able to build muscle with it.
So with this said, it's really important to realize that there is no capacity at one meal that your body is able to only absorb. You can have any amount and your body can use it for different functions. But just because your body can absorb high quantities of protein, it doesn't mean it is all being used for muscle synthesis.
One study showed that after all of those processes, only about 10 percent goes to the skeletal muscle [00:08:00] protein synthesis. That's after everything has happened.
And while that's one study showing 10%, we also know that there are a lot of variables to say how your body is going to digest protein and what is going to be used for muscle synthesis, including how much muscle you already have on your body, your weight, your age, your Workouts and even your daily activities, your body's going to use a different amount of protein.
If you have a desk job compared to if you are a school teacher or an ER nurse, it's a very different situation.
So there is no strict amount. There is nothing that says after you eat 30 grams of protein or 40 grams of protein at a meal that that protein is just going to sit unabsorbed and it's not going to help you. There are so many processes in your body that protein does before it even gets absorbed. To helping you build muscle, it is going to be used,
but where the confusion comes in is it is true that your body only uses so much protein for protein synthesis. And [00:09:00] that's where the myth comes in, where people think there is a limit. There's not a limit on the protein that your body is able to absorb.
There is technically a limit on how much it uses to build muscle, but that is normal. On the other hand, you might want to think about the fact that if you aren't eating enough protein, then the protein you are digesting is doing a lot of things. It has a lot of processes that are very primary functions for your body. So if you are not eating enough protein, it's probably not going to make it to the point where there is enough to build muscle.
So you want to make sure that you're having enough.
So instead of hyper focusing on, Oh no, I might've had too much protein at this meal. We know your body can digest it. It's not going to be a problem. It is more beneficial for you to focus on not just one meal, but making sure you're getting the right amount of protein for the entire day. One of my favorite studies that I linked in the show notes is on the role of dietary protein for the promotion of muscle hypertrophy, which is obviously muscle building, and [00:10:00] resistance training. And it basically said in the study that they concluded it is not likely that there is any protein practical limit to the maximum amount of protein that you can break down in a single meal and that it was more efficient to focus on the maximum amount of protein total for the day.
It said it was more efficient to make sure you're getting protein in your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and not just hyper focus on one meal. And if it was too much protein or too little protein.
They said for protein synthesis that over the 24 hour period, it was just more effective. So there you have it. You do not need to get stuck on making sure that you are not eating too much protein at one meal. It doesn't really matter. Your body will use the protein for other things. It's not going to be a problem.
It's more about what you have over the 24 hour period.
I know I've talked about this before in episodes. In fact, I think I even mentioned it last week, but typically I do suggest 0.
8 grams to 1. 2 grams per pound of body weight for your protein [00:11:00] intake. Now, 1. 2 grams is very high. Like that is typically for someone who is extremely active. It's really really active. Maybe they're a marathon runner, maybe they're a Olympic lifter. They're just really really active. The average person, one gram of protein per pound of body weight is really really great and it can fill that window of meeting your primary needs and then also helping you build muscle.
Now, the second question that often comes up is, well, how much protein is too much protein? And can it be bad for my kidneys? Can too much protein be bad for my kidneys?
Because we know now at one meal, your body can digest it. It's more about what you do over the day, but over the day, can you have too much? If you have kidney disease or a condition of your kidneys, of course you need to consult your doctor on your protein intake. Because the kidneys aren't functioning properly, it can cause problems with excreting protein into your urine. Healthy kidneys are actually better. Powerhouses, healthy kidneys, filter waste products from your blood [00:12:00] while keeping what it actually needs.
And that includes protein. But if your kidneys have a disease or any type of condition that's causing issues, then it allows the protein to pass through the filters in the kidneys, causing protein to come out in the urine.
Now you may be thinking, oh my gosh, then can I have too much protein in one day? Is that gonna cause me to have issues? If your kidneys are healthy, you're probably, literally, very, very rarely going to have an issue. Both Dr. Peta Atiyah and also Lane Norton have said that you need about 3. 7 grams per kilogram of body weight to put even just a strain on your kidneys.
So let's break that down and give an example. Let's say someone has no other variables, because we know age, weight, height, activity, all of that affects it. Let's say it's a normal person, they don't have a ton of muscle mass, they're not nursing or pregnant or anything else. Just a normal person, they're 150 pounds.
If you're having 150 grams of protein, that's 1 gram per pound of body weight. That's fine. We've said that that's probably [00:13:00] really great. And both of the doctors have also said that they find that people rarely overeat protein and people are much more under consuming protein for their muscle. But if you have that 3.
7 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and let's say you do weigh that 150 pounds, that would mean you would be eating too much. 252 grams of protein, and that would create a strain on your kidney. Now that doesn't even mean it would create kidney damage or instantly damage your kidneys. It means it can create strain.
And obviously over time, having that much could cause a problem, but that is a full hundred grams over what is typically recommended on the higher end, because even if you're in maintenance and you're not trying to build muscle, you can even eat less protein, that one gram per pound Body weight is typically suggested when you're trying to build muscle.
So that is a hundred grams more. It is really not common and it is actually very rare for your protein intake to cause your [00:14:00] kidneys problems as long as they're healthy. And the other thing to be aware of is as long as you're staying hydrated and you're aware of your salt intake, that also makes a massive difference for your kidneys to function and their ability to remove waste.
properly. So I'm definitely not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying it's actually not very common.
I have probably worked with thousands of women, literally thousands of women doing nutrition coaching. And I have never had a client come to me and looked at her food intake and said, Oh my gosh, you're eating way too much protein. We've got to cut your protein down. But I can tell you, 95 percent of women who come to me, I'm like, your protein intake is rough.
It is way too low. It's probably not 95. It's probably more like 85, but majority of people, it's actually very low. So that's very uncommon.
So again, obviously, if you have any kidney issues, I would suggest to speak with your doctor, but typically even with kidney issues, two out of three of the cases of kidney issues are caused by diabetes [00:15:00] and high blood pressure.
Which are both signs of metabolic dysfunction and if you have enough muscle on your body So you're having the right amount of protein you're able to put muscle on your body muscle has been shown to help metabolic Function so in some ways like it could even prevent kidney disease if you have a strong metabolic function I'm not saying it's a hundred that's it's gonna do that hundred percent, but muscles gonna help you So for the average person with normal, healthy kidneys, no, it's not going to be a problem and you'd have to eat a ton more protein than what I've suggested, than what I've ever seen suggested on the internet to actually get to a point where you could strain them, so it's actually pretty rare.
Alright, so case closed. There's no limit at each meal. We're going to focus on protein over the entire day, especially because there's a lot of variables involved, like the age, weight, height, activity level, and we know there's a lot of processes in the body that are using the protein differently before it even gets to protein synthesis, which is building muscle.
And number two, [00:16:00] it's really unlikely that you're going to eat too much protein, that it's going to cause your kidneys issues.
For the example I gave, you'd have to eat a hundred more grams on top of that to even get to the point of where you would possibly strain them. So if you have healthy kidneys, you're good to go. And if you're not, obviously just check with a doctor, but it's actually very uncommon. So that's it. Case closed.
If you eat 40 grams of protein at your lunch, you're not doomed. It's going to be used and you don't need to worry about it. It's totally a myth. Let's just focus on the day and let's focus on the right amount for our needs and you're good to go. All right, that's it for today. As always, you're doing so much better than you think you are.
Don't ever, ever forget that. And I hope you hear my words all week long because you really are. We'll chat next week.