Protein: It’s Everywhere — How Much Is Too Much?

With protein being added to everything from chips to water these days, you may be questioning whether you’re getting enough of it. In this episode, we break down how much protein your body really needs, who may benefit from more, when “extra protein” is just clever marketing and practical ways to improve your diet with often-overlooked and affordable sources.

Expert: Knubian Gatlin, Registered Dietitian

Notable topics covered:

• How much protein the average adult actually needs (and how to calculate it) 
• The difference between adequate vs. optimal protein intake
• Who truly benefits from higher-protein diets 
• What happens when you eat too much protein — from mild symptoms to more serious risks 
• Signs you may not be getting enough protein 
• Protein bars, chips, shakes and water: Helpful tools or marketing hype? 
• Affordable and often-overlooked sources of high-quality protein 
• Plant-based vs. animal protein: What really matters 
• How protein needs change across life stages 
• Practical tips for improving protein intake without overdoing it

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog. 

Transcript

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ZACH MOORE: 0:07

Welcome to On Health with Houston Methodist. I'm Zach Moore. I'm a photographer and editor here, and I'm also a longtime podcaster.

PAIGE ROMANOWSKI: 0:16

My name is Paige Romanowski, and I'm a Media Relations Specialist here at Houston Methodist and also joining on today's podcast.

ZACH: 0:23

And Paige, do you think you're getting enough protein in your diet?

PAIGE: 0:26

I would like to think I am, but I feel like we might be, kind of, in a cycle of maybe we need more... ZACH: Mm-hmm. based on social media and what the fitness industry has been trending towards. ZACH: Absolutely. No, if you look around, society would lead you to believe we're at a protein deficit, right? Because they're always trying to, like,"Oh, do you wanna add protein with that? Oh, plus more protein," right? So, if you're not looking at the numbers, I mean, my inclination would be,"Oh, I need more protein." Right, right. It's definitely poised as this, like, epitome of health that if you want to get the gains or if you're trying to slim down that you need more protein so you feel fuller. And like, social media is a huge proprietary component of this. Everything between fitness influencers, you know, pushing their protein routines in conjunction with their workouts, to the rise of just being seen more. And more people being on weight loss medications. And if you're on a weight loss medication, you actually do need more protein. But for the average person, you know, how much protein is truly enough? ZACH: Mm-hmm. There's a stat out there that says that the average person needs approximately .8 grams per kilogram of protein.

ZACH: 1:38

.8 grams per kilogram. PAIGE: Yes. Okay. PAIGE: Of your body weight. And so, for us not using the metric system… Yes.[Laughing]

PAIGE: 1:47

That means that if you weigh about 165 pounds, you'll be needing about 60 grams of protein per day.

ZACH: 1:54

Okay, okay. I'm gonna need a little bit more than 60 grams of protein, but that's fine.

PAIGE: 1:58

And it's crazy to me that it's only 60 grams because if you think about it, like, a protein bar might have 20 grams of protein. ZACH: Right. And that's in, like, a snack.

ZACH: 2:08

Yeah. PAIGE: You know? If you're not even counting what you're, like, consuming from meat or eggs, or plant-based proteins just in your day-to-day consumption when you're not necessarily even thinking about getting that extra protein. Absolutely. So, we have a lot of questions about protein. Who did we talk to about this, Paige?

PAIGE: 2:24

Yes. Today we're talking to Knubian Gatlin. He is a Registered Dietician here at Houston Methodist, and he has all the insights on protein and protein consumption. Hi Knubian, thank you so much for joining us on today's On Health podcast about protein. We're gonna start really simple. How much protein does the average person actually need and how does that compare to what we're seeing advised on social media.

KNUBIAN GATLIN: 2:49

Okay so, this is a lovely question because I feel like it usually starts here, like, a lot of the questions are gonna be like, how much do I need? So, the standard amount, or what the average person would need, average adult, right, it's gonna be about 0.8 grams all the way up to about 1.5, 1.7, with some subpopulation needing around that 1.7 to about 2, maybe even 2.2 grams per kilogram.

PAIGE: 3:17

Okay. KNUBIAN: Right? So, this is gonna be like your athletes and ultra-endurance athletes, things like that on that higher range. PAIGE: Sure. I'm sure you've also seen the uptick in trends of people beginning to start their fitness journey in the new year. What does that look like for people who are just now starting to get in their fitness journey? Do they need to be consuming more protein, or does that kind of stay the same?

KNUBIAN: 3:41

So, you know, this does depend on the individual. Most of the time you are meeting your protein needs, and it's gonna be from a mixture of your plant-based and your animal-based sources. If anything, or at least from my experience, I'll see that people might need to rearrange their protein intake, right? And so, this might look like something kind of like adding a little bit to breakfast, taking a little bit off of dinner. This is the most common one, right? And then sometimes it's vice versa. But most of the time you're still sitting at that range of about 0.8, maybe even 1 gram I would say. About 1 gram per kilogram, and that usually fits the bill just fine. PAIGE: Awesome. And protein is everywhere right now. It's quite the trend. Between bars, chips, cereal, even coffee. And water?[Laughing] From your professional standpoint, is the surge driven by more science or by marketing? So, protein has been in existence for a long time and we have been getting adequate and optimal levels of protein for a quiet a while, before we were able to put it into chips, or cookies, or even other types of foods, right? Like protein water, I heard you mention that one, which is pretty interesting, right? I'm gonna say that science can back -- not back some of it but it supports how it's created, right, because the idea is you wanna have more. But the idea that you need to have a certain amount or that you need to have more this really comes from that marketing standpoint, right? They wanna support the idea that, you know, "Carbs are bad, you have to take them all the way down. Protein is, like, you know, perfect, and if a little bit helps a lot helps, then a lot, lot more helps," right? And it kind of just, like, I feel like it… helps the idea that somehow these carbs are bad, but then you're like craving these foods that are traditionally carbohydrate style. So then they put protein in it so that way you kind of feel better. But -- PAIGE: Sure. We've been able to kind of meet this balance before all of that for quite a while so, more so marketing.

PAIGE: 5:43

I definitely fall victim to the protein chips.

KNUBIAN: 5:47

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. What I will say, now hold on, it's okay, you know. When you wanna have, like, some protein chips or like a protein cookie or some type of snack or a shake, or whatever, right? It's fine, right? We do this in moderation, we include it to a balanced diet. There's a little bit of space, usually, for whatever it is that you have a preference for. And especially if you're trying to meet some needs, you just need a little boost, sure, that's fine, as long as the majority is coming from other whole food items. PAIGE: Awesome. And I think we kind of touched on this a little bit earlier but who, like, truly benefits from those higher protein diets? I know we mentioned, like, athletes and people who fall into those, like, hyperactive lifestyles. Are there any other groups of people who might benefit from a higher protein intake? So, let's see, we have some needs for increase. Now, when we talk about, like, you know, those athletes, just to touch on that for a second, we're talking about, like, you know, those, what do you call it? Those powerlifters, or those bodybuilders, or those endurance athletes, or ultra- endurance athletes, right? But then we also have to talk about older adults, right, with sarcopenia kinda starting after you reach that age 30 area, 31, 32 it starts to decrease and then it accelerates around 60, 65. You do have an increased need for protein there. But even with the increased need, we're sitting at about maybe 1.2 grams per kilogram. And it can go all the way up to about 1.5 or so depending on the activity level of that older adult as well. I would say pregnant women also kind of have a little bit of a increased need. PAIGE: Sure. And this is after the first trimester, right? So, first trimester, completely normal needs. You could still do the 0.8, which is gonna be adequate, a little different than optimal, but adequate, right? Which means we're dodging deficiency. 0.8 grams per kilogram all the way up to about 1.2, 1.5. Most of the time by second, third trimester we're at about 1.1, 1.2 in that area. So some increased needs there as well.

PAIGE: 7:47

Definitely, and that makes a lot of sense, just with those different stages. And what happens when somebody gets too much protein? Is that even really a thing?

KNUBIAN: 7:59

So, that is a thing, and it varies, right? So, usually if we have too much protein or more than what we would need, symptom wise I'm gonna say we have a little bit of some discomfort, right? So we might have something along the lines of some extra bloating or some extra gas, they'll call it something like, you know, like, the protein farts.[Laughing] Something like that, right?

PAIGE: 8:22

Sure.

KNUBIAN: 8:23

Just to kind of name off some, you know, immediate, off the top of my head symptoms. Now, on the inside, assuming that we're taking in too much protein, if it's not an excess of calories but your body's already kind of at the maximum amount of muscle protein synthesis, then a lot of that protein kinda gets used up for energy such as carbohydrates, right? It will kind of play that role instead when you have that excess there. Now, if it's in an excess of calories and it's too much protein then it gets stored as fat, which is gonna be energy for later, right? And then there are extreme cases where a person might take it beyond, like, 1 gram per pound, which I would consider to be, like, the highest amount that you'll want to reach for.

PAIGE: 9:07

Sure.

KNUBIAN: 9:08

They might take it beyond that, not necessarily being like an ultra-endurance athlete or like a very, like, competitive body builder outside of that. And you'll see instances of, or I should say the research, or literature, has recorded instances of decreases in testosterone production for men, right? Or in older adults who might be having, like, any type of issues or dysfunction with their kidneys, you may see a decrease in kidney function or extra damage there. PAIGE: Sure. So that would be extreme cases, just kinda taking you from, like, very mild,"Okay, we have some gas," all the way to, like, "Okay, we have some, like, organ response issues going on," right?

PAIGE: 9:47

Sure. And definitely don't want those organ response issues.

KNUBIAN: 9:51

We try to avoid those. PAIGE: Yes. And on the opposite side of that coin, what are the signs that somebody may actually not be getting enough protein? Okay so, signs of not getting enough protein, this one can vary a little bit. Usually it's going to be difficulty with maintaining muscle. You might see a little bit of some frailness or maybe some early fatigue, just because we're not necessarily able to support the amount of muscle we need for, just, everyday movement. I'll also say that you might see something like dry skin. Fluid balance is important for protein. Brittle hair, right? In some extreme cases, it doesn't happen here, right, on the Western side. In some extreme cases you could enter into some extreme protein malnutrition, I believe you call it kwashiorkor. And so, this is where you'll kind of see a lot of distention in the abdomen, right? A lot of fluid will start to collect there and it's just because protein has a lot to do with how we balance our fluids in the first place. So, a lot of puffiness, swelling, and of course very thin stature, thin extremities. Those will be some things, off the top of my head, that you would see. PAIGE: Sure. And I'm assuming that, as you've mentioned earlier, we typically get enough protein from our daily diets and things like that, so how common is protein overconsumption and protein malnutrition? So, protein malnutrition, a good deal less common here, right? I couldn't give you exact numbers, but if I do -- Well let me pause there. Yeah, I'll just kind of leave it there for the underconsumption part, malnutrition part. It's not something that you see a ton of, right? In terms of eating more than what we would need, or compared to the guidelines of that 0.8 that I was talking about or going over, right, we'll see that I'd say, roughly maybe 60% of people.

PAIGE: 12:03

Wow.

KNUBIAN: 12:04

Are already kind of, like, reaching over that minimum, right? And we're not talking about the actually spread of, like, where it's at, like optimum, stuff like that. But, like, for the day they're usually getting more than enough, right? PAIGE: Wow. And do you think any of that has to do with the way protein is marketed to us now versus how it was marketed, maybe, 30 years ago? Oh man, that is a good question. Okay, you know what, this one I'm gonna have to just, kinda, really put my spin on it here but I would say so, yeah.

PAIGE: 12:39

Okay.

KNUBIAN: 12:40

I would say so, right? PAIGE: Yeah. And it's because as we keep going we're like, yeah, you know, we should make sure that we focus on getting our adequate physique, or the way -- how we wanna look, but losing fat mass. We lose fat mass by decreasing calories. So, at first you're like, decrease fat, keep protein the same, and decrease carbs and keep protein the same, or even increase it, right, so it fulfills some of those other needs, right? And so, like, as it keeps going you kinda get a rebrand of just, like, increasing protein decreasing some other macronutrient.

PAIGE: 13:09

Sure.

KNUBIAN: 13:10

And so it just kinda pushes this agenda to -- Not agenda, I won't say that, not agenda. There's no agenda, but it just kinda pushes this narrative that protein should always, kind of, remain with us, right? Or remain in our diets. Even if a person is not necessarily sure what protein foods or what types of protein foods there are, if that makes sense.

PAIGE: 13:31

Definitely. KNUBIAN: Right? So they end up just, kinda like, whatever has protein in it. And their like, "Yeah, let's just dump a bunch of this. We should be fine, right? Understanding the rest? Ah, we'll get there." Yes. And that's actually a perfect segue into my next question for you. What are some of the most common overlooked sources of really good protein?

KNUBIAN: 13:51

Okay so, some overlooked sources of protein. You know, the first thing that comes to mind, and I'm not sure if it's exactly overlooked. I'm sure it's not in, like, certain, like, communities where protein is, like, a little more studied, or like, they're worried about it, but I would say canned tuna usually. And that's just because it's very, very, very affordable. It gets you lots of cool, like, high biological value protein, cool, and then you get some omega 3 fatty acids and we kinda love that combo, right? But then if we step outside of that, maybe we do a little segue into like the plant-based protein sources. I feel like these kind of get overlooked because they're just, like,"It's not a complete source." Well that's why you have to eat more of it. Like, you have to eat it across like different types of plants, right? But, you know, I'd say maybe, amaranth, buckwheat, lentils. I feel like lentils get dodged a lot.

PAIGE: 14:44

Yeah. KNUBIAN: Quinoa. These are gonna be some really cool sources. Soy foods, I feel like they already kind of have a good, like, reputation, but I would say I hear a lot less about these foods, even when I'm speaking with somebody who's kind of like, a vegetarian or like, you know, vegan, like, they're like,"Yeah, you know, I don't necessarily like --" I'd say maybe like a third of my clients are like,"Yeah, I'll have some lentils. Like, every now and again." And I'm just like, every -- A little more than now and again, like every couple of days, man. You know what I mean? Like, let's mix it in there really good, you know? So I would say plant-based sources, your canned protein options, definitely like your fatty fish, tuna, things like that. Awesome. And it's great to know about those affordable options as well, that you don't need all of your protein to come from something that might be out of your budget.

KNUBIAN: 15:31

Definitely, definitely. And it's a little more earth friendly when we mix it up with some plant-based sources too, so.

PAIGE: 15:38

Definitely. And then can you talk about how protein needs differ across those life stages. I know you mentioned that range some time in the 40s, before your 60s. Can you tell me just a little bit more about that or why at this stage you might need more or less protein?

KNUBIAN: 15:58

Okay so, you know, this is gonna be the interesting part because there are a few styles of recommending protein, right? And it could be, like, a percentage of your total energy intake, your caloric intake, right? Most of the time the most accurate measure is always gonna be gram per kilogram. This is why we are -- or what we always refer back to, right? PAIGE: Mm-hmm. So, if we started out kind of, like, I guess we'll start out like, you know, like teenagers, adolescents, people who are kinda, like, growing, right? It's like 0.85, 0.9. It gets a little bit higher 1.2, when they're athletic, right, for teens and adolescents. This is kind of where it starts off. But you'll notice that I've been saying this number range a lot, right? So we're kind of sitting in adequate protein intake as soon as we get to that 0.8 gram per kilogram range. And then we just kinda place it at optimal levels from there, right? So usually for optimal we're kinda putting it at like, maybe, 0.9, 1 gram per kilogram, teens and adolescents, right? They get a little bit older, depending on the size of their body or the activity level, then we're talking about 1.1, 1.2. This is usually where you'll find your, like I said, your pregnant women, second and third trimester, and your older adults as well, right? Just because increased energy needs because you know, pregnant women making a whole human, right? And then older people we have age related or sarcopenia, which is just gonna be that muscular decline in strength or just something that you want to try to prevent or slow down if you can help, right? And a little extra protein usually does the job, right? And then, of course, adults sitting between 19 to, I would say, 50-something. 19 -- We could say classic 19-60, 65, right? So they're sitting at that range all the way up to about 1.7. In most cases, I do like to recommend, if you don't mind me kinda rambling a little bit, right.

PAIGE: 17:55

Not a problem.

KNUBIAN: 17:56

I'm like, yeah, I'm like going all over the place so bear with me. But in most cases sitting about a gram per kilogram always hits the mark pretty well.

PAIGE: 18:04

Sure.

KNUBIAN: 18:05

With just a little variation here and there, but…

PAIGE: 18:07

Definitely.

KNUBIAN: 18:08

That's kind of what it looks like, right? Adolescents very similar to adults, adults, the baseline is a little different compared to older adults, if that makes sense.

PAIGE: 18:19

Definitely. KNUBIAN: Okay. Yeah. And if somebody wants to improve their protein intake, if they are expecting, or if they are getting to those later stages of adult life how would they do that, practically?

KNUBIAN: 18:37

So, if a person is trying to -- Now you said increase or improve, what word did you use?

PAIGE: 18:42

I think I said improve. KNUBIAN: Okay. Yes.[Laughing]

KNUBIAN: 18:45

Okay. So, you know if you're looking to improve your protein intake I'd probably look at, you know, one, make sure you understand what foods have higher amounts of protein compared to others, right? What your kind of, like, primary protein food are, and then to just understanding that we have some high biological value. You're getting all nine essential amino acids, right? So while that's all available in your animal sources, when it comes to plant sources, just making sure, like, you know, vegetarian or vegan population, just making sure that you have those beans, those lentils, legumes, basically, soy foods. These things are all gonna be helpful just because they usually have enough of a limiting amino acid in other plant foods, right? I think it's lysine. So once you understand that, I would just take a look at your daily intake, right? Or maybe just take a look at, like, an average day, pay attention to how your meals are composed. Is there a protein food here? Is there a protein food there, right?

PAIGE: 19:45

Sure.

KNUBIAN: 19:47

If you have a meal or a stent of the day where protein intake is a bit lower, you may benefit from adding protein to that time of the day, right? Most commonly, I see this in the beginning, we get up ripping and running, we have a lot of responsibilities. Totally get it, so breakfast is small. It's usually something that has a little more like carbohydrate energy, right? PAIGE: Mm-hmm. Totally cool. But you may benefit very well from just adding some protein there, if you find that it's low. Or any other meal if you find that it's low, right? And then, I wanna say there was one more tip that I'd like to include. So, we talked about kind of like that timing, filling in the gaps, understanding your protein foods, making sure that you're kind of getting a hold of all those essential amino acids through varied sources. And if you are lost further, you can always speak to a dietician and you can ask them these questions as well.

PAIGE: 20:43

Thank you so much, Knubian. We appreciate it. KNUBIAN: Absolutely.

ZACH: 20:48

So Paige, are you gonna start eating less protein now?

PAIGE: 20:51

I think I can switch my coffee creamer back to just regular creamer rather than a protein drink.

ZACH: 20:56

Yeah.[Laughing]

PAIGE: 20:58

Yeah, how about yourself?

ZACH: 20:59

Yeah, you know, I've never really been one to add in that extra protein. I've always questioned it though, right? Because you know, you try different diets and eating habits and especially when you're, you know, trying to exercise more and you're exerting more energy, and you wanna get stronger. Like, intuitively you're like,"Oh, I must need more protein."

PAIGE: 21:15

Right.

ZACH: 21:16

A lot of these smoothie shops around gyms they offer protein. They say, they always ask,"Do you want more protein?" And you say, "I mean, I don't know, you're making me sound like I should," right? Like we were talking about earlier, you feel society's pressure to…

PAIGE: 21:28

A push. ZACH: To add protein, yeah. But, I guess, no, I feel vindicated in not adding all that protein all the time now, right. Right, right. I'll actually choose the peanut butter flavor because I like how it tastes, not for the protein gain.

ZACH: 21:39

It is one of my favorite smoothie flavors though.

PAIGE: 21:40

Right.

ZACH: 21:41

That's a go-to for me, yeah.

PAIGE: 21:42

Yes. ZACH: Yeah. You guys were doing a lot of math. Yeah.

ZACH: 21:45

And I'm, you know, I'm not the strongest at math, but that's a good formula though, as a rule of thumb. if you're really gonna start tracking your protein, because, yeah, all this stuff there's an app for it, right?

PAIGE: 21:56

And some of these apps are built out really well, you can track all sorts of macros, not just protein. You can track like fiber and sugar, and carbs, and fat, so it's crazy just how expanded that you can go into for your macros. And it's never been easier than, again, with the apps on our phones and wearable tracking devices that are always monitoring, you know, your steps and things like that. So if you are on the fitness journey, you know, maybe you start doing a little bit more math and can calculate how much protein is truly the best fit for you based on your activity level.

ZACH: 22:30

Absolutely. The never-ending fitness journey, for some of us anyway.[Laughter] So, there you have it. That's gonna do it for us this time on On Health with Houston Methodist. Be sure to share, like, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We drop episodes Tuesday mornings. So, until next time, stay tuned and stay healthy.♪ ♪