Key TakeawaysGetting too much protein in one sitting—especially over time—can cause various health issues, including gastrointestinal symptoms.What counts as “too much” protein for you depends on many factors, including your age, overall health, activity levels, and more.You should speak with a healthcare provider before making any significant changes to your diet, including how much protein you eat and how frequently you eat it, experts said.
Key Takeaways
Getting too much protein in one sitting—especially over time—can cause various health issues, including gastrointestinal symptoms.What counts as “too much” protein for you depends on many factors, including your age, overall health, activity levels, and more.You should speak with a healthcare provider before making any significant changes to your diet, including how much protein you eat and how frequently you eat it, experts said.
Protein plays many vital roles in keeping your body healthy, and getting enough daily is essential.
But getting too muchproteinin one sitting can cause uncomfortable side effects, experts said.
“It is possible to get too much protein,” Beth Czerwony, RD, a dietitian at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition, told Verywell. “Our bodies can [only absorb so much] protein in a sitting.”
Since it is possible to eat too much protein in one sitting, experts recommend spreading your protein intake throughout the day so your body can absorb it more easily.
How Healthy Is Protein Powder?
How Much Protein Do You Need Each Day?
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein a day per kilogram of body weight, Traci McCarthy, PT, DPT, PhD, an exercise physiology instructor at New York University, told Verywell. “But that’s just supporting general life,” she said. “If you’re getting 30 minutes of exercise, you’re going to need more.”
Depending on how active you are, you may need 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein a day per kilogram of body weight, Czerwony said. This is advisable if you’retrying to gain muscle, she added.
What Is a Protein?
How Much Protein Should You Get In One Sitting?
Research on just how much protein you should eat at one time is inconclusive, experts said. “While 25 to 30 grams of protein for one meal is the standard recommendation, further research is needed to quantify a specific upper threshold for per-meal protein intake,” Perri Halperin, MS, RD, CDN, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Mount Sinai Health System, told Verywell.
High-Protein Foods for Every Eater
Why It’s Important to Spread Out Your Daily Protein Intake
If you’ve had a busy day and you haven’t been able to optimize your diet the way you would have liked, that doesn’t mean you have to cram your daily protein intake into one meal. “Getting all your protein in one sitting would be challenging,” McCarthy said. “I find it hard to consume a lot at once.”
Eating all your protein at one meal may make you less likely to eat a balanced meal with the other food groups you need. Langer explained: “For most people, [protein] would end up being the only thing they consume just because of the volume and satiety factors.”
For reference, McCarthy explained, someone who’s 150 pounds would need about 80 to 160 grams of protein, depending on how active they are and their workout goals. One serving (100 grams) of chicken has 32.1 grams of protein; one medium egg has 5.54 grams of protein; and one serving of lentils (100 grams) has 9.02 grams of protein.
Given how much protein is found in common sources, it would be difficult to consume your daily protein intake all at once, experts said, and doing so can cause various issues. This is true no matter your workout goals or activity level.
Because eating too much protein in one meal can be uncomfortable, you should aim to spread your protein intake between three to six meals and snacks daily, McCarthy said. “Everybody’s meal preferences are different,” she explained. While some people have three meals a day, “other people like to have [between]-meal snacks, and that’s fine too.”
Getting too little protein can also cause problems, McCarthy said. Not getting enough protein may mean you’re less likely to get enough calories daily. When this happens, “we start seeing changes in mood states—where people are more irritable and quicker to anger—and changes in sleep,” she explained.
It’s important to remember that there will be days you don’t get to eat exactly the way you want, and that’s normal, Langer said. “I wouldn’t worry about getting the exact amount of protein at each meal, and certainly not day to day.” If you don’t get enough protein for a few days due to a busy schedule or other circumstances, there likely won’t be any long-term consequences. “It’s what you eat overall, over time, that matters,” Langer said.
What to Consider if You’re Trying to Eat More Protein for Muscle Growth
Though experts recommend spreading out your protein intake throughout the day—to make it easier and more comfortable on yourself—some research suggests doing so won’t necessarily affect yourmuscle growth.
Because getting too much protein can cause various issues—from gastrointestinal symptoms to kidney damage—it’s essential to talk to a provider about your goals before drastically changing your routine. “Always consult with your healthcare professional before making changes to your diet,” Halperin said.
A dietitian can help you optimize your diet based on your goals, helping you determine how often you need to eat and what foods will best serve your goals.
What This Means For YouIt’s best to spread your protein intake throughout the day, as eating too much at once can cause uncomfortable side effects. What constitutes “too much” protein for one sitting differs from person to person, experts said. If you want to change your lifestyle or workout goals, it’s best to speak with a healthcare provider or dietitian about how much protein is right for you.
What This Means For You
It’s best to spread your protein intake throughout the day, as eating too much at once can cause uncomfortable side effects. What constitutes “too much” protein for one sitting differs from person to person, experts said. If you want to change your lifestyle or workout goals, it’s best to speak with a healthcare provider or dietitian about how much protein is right for you.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.USDA: FoodData Central.Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt.USDA: FoodData Central.Egg, whole, raw, fresh.USDA: FoodData Central.Chicken, broiler or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, braised.Hudson JL, Bergia RE, Campbell WW.Protein distribution and muscle-related outcomes: does the evidence support the concept?.Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1441. doi:10.3390/nu12051441
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.USDA: FoodData Central.Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt.USDA: FoodData Central.Egg, whole, raw, fresh.USDA: FoodData Central.Chicken, broiler or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, braised.Hudson JL, Bergia RE, Campbell WW.Protein distribution and muscle-related outcomes: does the evidence support the concept?.Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1441. doi:10.3390/nu12051441
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
USDA: FoodData Central.Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt.USDA: FoodData Central.Egg, whole, raw, fresh.USDA: FoodData Central.Chicken, broiler or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, braised.Hudson JL, Bergia RE, Campbell WW.Protein distribution and muscle-related outcomes: does the evidence support the concept?.Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1441. doi:10.3390/nu12051441
USDA: FoodData Central.Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt.
USDA: FoodData Central.Egg, whole, raw, fresh.
USDA: FoodData Central.Chicken, broiler or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, braised.
Hudson JL, Bergia RE, Campbell WW.Protein distribution and muscle-related outcomes: does the evidence support the concept?.Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1441. doi:10.3390/nu12051441
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