Today we're answering the age-old question can you have too much protein ? Tune in to the episode to find out . Welcome to the Whits and Weights podcast . I'm your host , philip Pape , and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger , optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition . We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement , metabolism , muscle and mindset , with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry , so you can look and feel your absolute best . Let's dive right in .
Philip PapeThe other day , one of my newer clients . She had been routinely going over on her protein and she was worried about it . She said is it okay that I'm doing that ? Can I have too much ? And I actually love that , because sometimes it's a struggle with newer clients to get enough protein , and it's one of the things that we work on together . But the short answer is no .
Philip PapeYou can't have too much protein from a health perspective in and of itself . In a vacuum , too much protein . The myth of kidney damage has been debunked , unless you already have an issue with your kidneys , and so that is not an issue . We also definitely want to have a certain minimum , and with my clients , I tend to focus more on adding things in . How do we get a minimum amount of protein , a minimum fat and a minimum of carbs ? Not so much trying to hit targets exactly , not worrying about going over on certain things , just trying to get those minimums and then we'll worry about the balance in context .
Philip PapeBut there is a point at which protein is quote unquote optimal and then it becomes diminishing returns . A point of diminishing returns . Optimal is going to be between 0.7 and 1.2 grams per pound when your focus is on building and preserving muscle . We're just going to go with that recommendation . It's been demonstrated in the evidence time and again . If you go above that , the question is are you now sacrificing other things to do that ? Are you sacrificing nutrients ? Because now you're crowding out other nutrient dense foods , not to say that foods containing protein don't have a lot of nutrients , because they do .
Philip PapePeople underestimate the value of lean meat in the amount of nutrients and bioavailable iron and zinc and all these other things in the food matrix from meat , which you do . You don't get in plans , for example , but a well-balanced , diverse diet is going to give you more nutrients and so focusing too much on protein that crowds out other things can be a challenge and it also will crowd out fats and carbs . The more I look at this and the more I work on this with clients , the more I appreciate the balanced approach . Let's stay around that 1 gram , 1.2 grams per pound of protein .
Philip PapeAbove that , you can go for it if that's sustainable for you , if that's the way you like to eat . So let's not diminish the value of fats for hormone , health and energy , but especially carbs . We want to keep those carbs sufficiently high to support muscle building and the anti-catabolic effects and all that . We have to think about the broader spectrum , the broader balance of our plate , of our day , of our week , and how they support our training , our physique , our overall health . No , the short answer is no . You can't have too much protein , but in context , always consider what is an appropriate level for you .