8 Evidence-Based Facts About Protein

Protein is crucial to supplying muscle tissue with the building blocks it needs for its growth.
––Dorian Yates

In no particular order:

1. Your total daily protein intake is the main priority for muscle growth.

While there are other aspects to protein consumption that may be helpful––such as its timing and distribution across the day––these are all secondary to your total daily intake.

So focus on this first and foremost.
 
Worry about the other factors once acing your total daily intake has become an ingrained habit.

2. You don’t need to have protein immediately after a workout… but it is a good idea.

If you can have it within one to two hours of training, that’d be ideal.

However, if you really can’t, you haven’t just “wasted” your session. Have some protein as soon as you can, and move on.
 
Again, your total daily intake trumps everything else, including post-workout protein timing.

3. You can absorb more than 30g of protein per meal.

In fact, a new study seems to show an anabolic response to as much as 100g of protein in a single meal, at least when having milk protein concentrate as your main protein source, like the subjects in this paper did.

Moreover, protein is present in most tissues, so, even if you’re not using it to build muscle, you’d likely be using it for another purpose.
 
In short, protein doesn’t “go to waste”.

I talked about this study at length with clinical dietician and nutritionist Astrid Naranjo, who reviewed this study for the January 2024 issue of REPS, so click here if you want to learn more about it.
 
And don’t worry about eating more than 40g of protein per meal.

4. Eat a minimum of 20 to 40g of protein three to six times per day.

To be precise, you want a minimum of 0.4 to 0.5g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per meal, which, for an average-sized person, equates roughly to 20 to 40g.

Repeat this three to six times a day and you’ll:

• Hit your daily protein target;
• Maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) multiple times per day, which seems to be beneficial in order to maintain a positive net protein balance over the course of the day and thus support muscle growth and maintenance; and
• Feel satiated after every meal and snack.

 
Again, this is not an upper limit. You can have more than 40g if you want!
 
To read all about how much and when to eat protein for muscle growth, check out my comprehensive guide on this topic here.

5. If you’re vegan, aim for the higher end of the recommended protein range for your goal and combine different protein sources throughout the day.

Plant-based protein sources are a perfectly viable alternative to animal-based sources.

However, compared to their animal-based counterparts, most plant-based sources don’t contain all nine essential amino acids or, if they do, some of these amino acids are too low to maximise MPS.

Fortunately, current evidence shows that you can work around these potential issues by:
 

• Aiming for the higher end of the recommended protein range for your goal on a daily basis.

For instance, in the above-mentioned paper, they suggest 1.4 to 2g of protein per kilogram per day for all athletes.

If you’re keen on maximising muscle growth, the typical suggested range is 1.6 to 2.2g of protein per kilogram per day, so you may want to err on the side of having 2 to 2.2g per kilogram.

I’ve said it twice already, but I’ll say it again: your daily protein intake is Priority Numero Uno.
 

• Aiming for the higher end of the range on a per-meal basis.

So, rather than 20g per meal, try to hit 30g+ per meal.
 

• Combining different plant-based foods throughout the day to make up for the amino acid deficiencies in individual foods.

As a practical example, if you hit 30g+ of protein from a combo of rice and beans, you’re likely close to maximising the MPS response from that meal because these two foods have complementary amino acid deficiencies.

That is, rice is low in lysine, but high in methionine, whereas beans are high in lysine, but low in methionine.

6. Protein isn’t as important as training for muscle growth.

If you’re not engaging in regular resistance training, eating a high-protein diet isn’t going to help you gain muscle.

Looking at it from a different perspective, this means that you can and will build muscle even if your current protein intake isn’t “optimal” for growth just yet.

So, if you’re only just beginning to pay more attention to your nutrition, don’t worry.

Even if your protein is lower than what’s typically recommended for muscle growth, you’ll be able to gain size and strength by focusing on training consistency.

Protein will help you get even better results, so it’d behoove you to increase it, but a lower intake won’t prevent you from getting any results at all.

7. Protein isn’t just for muscle growth.

This is a common assumption that may lead some people to believe that protein isn’t a priority unless muscle growth is one of your main goals.

However, protein is incredibly beneficial for fat loss, too.

The primary advantage of a high-protein diet is that, along with fibre, protein is one of the two most satiating nutrients, especially when you go from a lower- to a higher-protein intake over time. For a comprehensive list of tips to manage hunger on a fat loss diet, click here to read an article of mine or listen to this podcast.

Furthermore, since it’s a component of most tissues in the body, eating more protein can help promote your recovery from injury or a procedure like top surgery. Suffice to say, when I’m coaching one of my clients through an injury or the post-op process… we certainly don’t slack on their protein intake!

8. You don’t “need” protein powder.

Although protein powder is technically classified as a supplement, I view it as a processed food.

For example, whey protein powder is derived from the same process from which we make cheese, whereas soy protein powder is made by removing the fat and carbohydrate content from soy beans.

In other words, protein powder isn’t some “magical” protein source that boosts muscle growth more so than others.

It’s a cost-effective and very helpful way to increase your protein intake, and my clients and I all have it.

However, if you’re already getting all the protein you need from other foods, protein powder isn’t a “requirement” for your gains.
 
Practical Takeaways
 
1.Your total daily protein intake is your top priority.

2.Protein isn’t only relevant if your goal is muscle growth. It’s also beneficial for fat loss and recovery from injury and surgery.

3.You don’t “need” protein powder if you can hit your protein target with other foods.
 
Thanks for reading. May you make the best gains.
 
As a token of my appreciation, click here to download my PDF guide to protein sources for omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. If you’re already subscribed to my free newsletter (thank you!), this link won’t work for you. Email me at [email protected] and I’ll send you the guide myself.

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