How Often Should You Eat Protein?

Nutrition

May 15

Most everyone can make amazing progress just by nailing the basics of energy balance (calories in VS calories out), focusing on drinking enough water, eating whole foods, getting enough sleep, and focusing on the right macronutrient breakdown.

However, there is a time and a place for “getting into the weeds”. Let’s talk today about optimal protein timing.

We have male clients who eat fairly high protein diets upwards of 200g/day. That takes some planning to do, and if not planned you might find yourself staring at a 24oz steak or a plate full of chicken breasts at the end of the night just to reach your goals for the day.

While there doesn’t seem to be a limit to how much protein can be absorbed in a single meal, there is a better way.

When you eat protein, and eat enough of it, you cause an anabolic response in your body.

In other words, you tell your body to heal and grow new tissue. This is called muscle protein synthesis (MPS). This only happens when you reach a certain threshold of protein that contains the right amino acids.

All of the 9 essential amino acids must be present, but the branch chain amino acid leucine must be present in a quantity of 2.5-3g to cause MPS.

This translates into about 25g of protein from a high-quality source.

Benefits have been seen in quantities up to 40g of protein per serving. Eating 100g of protein at a meal doesn’t cause extra MPS even though the calories are absorbed.

So what does this mean?

If you are eating 200g of protein per day and can spread that out across 4 or 5 meals, you’ve now caused that anabolic muscle-building response in your body 4 or 5 times in one day by hitting that amino acid/protein trigger multiple times.

Pretty cool huh?