Everyone wants to lose weight. My last 6 nutrition clients were all on a high protein, low carb diet. hmmm... a common thread.

You've probably heard the claims by now: Here's a diet that's delicious, easy to stick with, and guaranteed to help you lose weight effortlessly. Or, perhaps it's supposed to build muscle, protect your joints or prevent Alzheimer's. Whatever the diet and whatever the claim, there's a good chance that it is, indeed, too good to be true.

How much is too much

High protein diets are among the most popular, whether the protein is consumed as a supplement (protein shakes for body builders!) or simply a larger than usual portion of a balanced diet (such as The Zone, Atkins or Paleo Diets).

Perhaps you're curious about one of these diets or have already tried them— did you ever wonder whether too much protein might be a problem?

Protein is essential for life – it's a building block of every human cell and is involved in the vital biochemical functions of the human body. It's particularly important in growth, development, and tissue repair. Protein is one of the three major "macronutrients" (along with carbohydrates and fat).

So, consuming enough protein is required to stave off malnutrition; it is also important to preserve muscle mass and strength as we age. And, in recent years, some have advocated a higher protein diet to rev up metabolism to make it easier to lose excess weight, though success in this regard is highly variable.

My last 6 nutrition clients were all on a high protein low carb diet as soon as we did a nutrition reset, we started to get the results they had been looking for in some of the more crazier high protein diets. Short term success is not what we are looking for. 

The recommended amount of protein you should consume each day is a bit uncertain. Commonly quoted recommendations are 56 grams/day for men, 46 grams/day for women. You could get 46 grams/day of protein in 1 serving of low-fat Greek yogurt, a 4 oz. serving of lean chicken breast and a bowl of cereal with skim milk.

A weight-based recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 140-pound person, that comes to 51 grams of protein each day. (You can convert your body weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2; so, 140 pounds is 64 kg; multiplying this by 0.8 equals 51). Active people, especially those who are trying to build muscle mass should increase these number slightly.

Can too much protein be harmful?

The short answer is yes. As with most things in life, there can be too much of a good thing and if you eat too much protein, there may be a price to pay. For example, people that eat very high protein diets have a higher risk of kidney stones. A high protein diet that contains lots of red meat and higher amounts of saturated fat might lead to a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer, while another high protein diet rich in plant-based proteins may not carry similar risks.

So, when it comes to protein, how much is too much?

It's hard to provide a specific answer since so much is still uncertain and the experts themselves don't agree. However, for the average person (who is not an elite athlete or heavily involved in body building) it's probably best to aim for no more than 2 gm/kg; that would be about 125 grams/day for a 140-pound person. New information could change our thinking about the maximum safe amount, but until we know more about the safety, risks and benefits of high protein diets, this seems like a reasonable recommendation.

 

The Take-Away.

Think about this. Lean people are NEVER on a diet. They have learned how to eat, have mastered their macros and understand when and what to consume. Education is the key to success. FOOD IS EVERYTHING.