Are You Eating Too Much Protein?

When it comes to high protein diets, it is relatively easy to get your daily requirements in due to the plentiful protein supplements available in the forms of whey, soy, beef and vegan blend protein powders. There are so many options. The question is though, is it possible to consume too much protein? The answer is yes but it is also due to a number of other factors too so let’s find out why.

It all depends on if you exercise or not
It takes the body roughly 3 hours to digest 30g of protein and longer to digest any larger servings. As long as you consume 1-1.5g/lbs of body-weight per day, you should maintain your muscle or grow more if this is your goal. A person who rarely exercises needs about half that amount because too much protein can impair kidney function and any unused protein can be stored as fat.

Potential weight gain
If you are consuming a high-protein diet you need to ensure that your food plan is balanced and the protein you are consuming is from lean, healthy sources or you run the risk of gaining weight from the extra fats you are eating. Also you need to ensure the amount of protein you are consuming is relative to the exercise you are doing or any excess will be stored by the body as fat.

You might miss out on other nutrients
Having a high protein diet can often mean that you may be missing other vital nutrients from your diet. With such a stringent focus on getting enough protein you may end up being in a nutritional deficit. It’s not just about the protein it’s also about the healthy fats, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables too so don’t forget them.

Bloating and stomachache
If you are new to consuming excess amounts of protein or a balanced high protein diet, then you can potentially suffer from bloating and stomachache. Your body can sometimes find large amounts of protein a little difficult to digest so make sure you are eating slowly and drinking plenty of water as both of these things will help with digestion. Moreover, are you getting enough fiber? If not, then you can add more to your meals.

Make sure you are consuming the right amount for your lifestyle
It’s very easy to consume too much or not enough protein if you haven’t got a professionally tailored diet plan based around your needs. As with any diet plan and regime it is important to consume the correct amount of protein to help you reach your goals but how much protein do you need? This depends on your lifestyle and energy expenditure and it’s a good idea to use this calculator to input your individual details and find out.

Some of the above reasons may come as a surprise but the main thing to remember is ensure you are consuming enough protein in regards to your lifestyle.

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