Can You Eat Too Much Protein?

Read on to find out exactly how much protein you should down if you want to reap the benefits.

Can Eating Large Amounts Of Protein Be Harmful?

Its not that more protein will hurt you, per se. For years, people have suggested higher protein diets will have a negative effect on your bone density (not true) or hurt your kidneys (also not true). Research has refuted both claims many times , according to a review of multiple studies published in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

The potential downside: You're left with an unbalanced diet. If you fill your plate with mostly protein all day every day, that higher intake could push out other high quality foods your body needs to properly function, like disease-fighting fruits and vegetables, heart-healthy fats, and whole grains that aid in digestion and weight loss.

So say you're not eating enough carbohydrates because you're skewed heavily towards protein. You might feel a dip in your energy levels, because carbs serve as your primary source of fuel.

Leaning heavy towards one macro can lead to deficiencies in other macros and other vital nutrients, Jim White, R.D.N., owner of Jim White Fitness Studios, explained to us recently . For example, if you consume 60 percent protein, 20 percent fat and 20 percent carbs, you could be robbing yourself of B vitamins, fiber, and extra energy that you would normally get through a moderate carbohydrate diet.

Whats more, your muscles can typically only absorb up to 35 grams of protein in one sitting . When you eat more than that, they either go to other parts of your body or you just flush it out.

How Protein Becomes Muscle:

So How Much Protein Do You Need?

The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest getting 10 to 35 percent of your calories from protein. While having that benchmark is great, thats a pretty large range, and may not help much when youre trying to make sense of how much protein your body needs.

So, lets look at protein intake another way. Arguably, the most important message about protein is not to eat more, but rather when you should eat it. There is no storage depot for protein in your body like there is for carbohydrates and fat. That means your body doesnt have it on hand when it runs low, so the breakdown of protein into amino acids the muscle-building components of the protein itself needs to be adequate throughout the day to continually fuel your body.

Despite this, the typical person eats very little protein in the morning, a bit more in the afternoon, and the majority in the evening. Thats not just out of balance, but it also doesnt give your body what it needs, when it needs it.

To confirm that evenly spreading out your protein intake is a more effective approach than slamming it down all at once, researcher Doug Paddon-Jones, Ph.D. and his team from The University of Texas Medical Branch fed people a typical dose of protein at dinner, or 90 grams, versus what he and others recommend, which is 30 grams per meal.

Their results, published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association, found both intakes of protein resulted in the same increase in protein synthesis your bodys process of building and repairing muscleafter the feeding. In other words, people who ate more protein, or 12 ounces of beef in this case, didnt experience any greater benefits than those who ate 4 ounces of beef, or roughly a palm-sized portion of protein.

The general consensus seems to be aiming for about 30 grams of protein per meal, incorporating snacks containing 10 to 20 grams of protein in between. If you hate counting grams, about 1/4 of your plate should be filled with protein, 1/4 with grains, and the remaining half with vegetables and some fruit.

Whats the Best Way to Get Your Protein Fix?

Ideally, your protein should come from a variety of foods like beef, fish, poultry, dairy (cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese), whole eggs, and the like . Here are a few ways to sneak more of it into your day, so you can easily hit that 30 g per meal sweet spot. (For more delicious muscle-building meal ideas, check out the Metashred Diet from Men's Health.)

For Breakfast: 1 cup high-protein milk and high-protein cereal or granola with a handful of nuts

For Lunch: 2 to 3 whole eggs paired with 3 oz smoked salmon over a bed of greens

For Dinner : A palm-sized portion of beef, poultry, fish, or pork

For Snacks:

Handful of nuts and a glass of milk
iPhone-sized portion of beef jerky or salmon jerky
1 cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
2 Mini Babybel Cheese wheels with a piece of fruit

Chris Mohr Ph.D, R.D., is the owner of Mohr Results . He has Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in nutrition from The Pennsylvania State University and University of Massachusetts, respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Pittsburgh and was formerly the consulting sports nutritionist for the Cincinnati Bengals and University of Massachusetts Athletic Program.