Protein - Too Much is Too Much

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I intentionally restrict the quantity of protein that I eat. Yes, you read that correctly – I am not a believer in high protein consumption. When people ask about my vegan diet, almost inevitably they’ll ask where do you get your protein? When I reply that I’m not really too concerned about beefing (sorry – bad reference) up my protein consumption, I get some pretty incredulous looks!

Here's a food I most assuredly do not
need.

No doubt, protein is an essential nutrient that helps build tissues. I love to run and be physically active, so I’m interested in consuming enough quality protein. That being said, the scientific evidence consistently suggests that the average person should consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass. I weigh 83 kilograms, which translates into needing 66 grams of protein per day. Most food contains protein (yes, even many vegetables contain a surprising quantity of protein.) When I periodically track my food consumption, I inevitably find that without even trying, I’m easily consuming sufficient protein (generally 80+ grams of protein/day.) Contrary to common belief, protein is not involved with providing energy in the way that fat and carbohydrate are. In addition, your kidneys have to work hard to process protein – why strain your kidneys by eating more protein than you need?

In addition, a recent study suggests that excess protein consumption increases the risk of developing cancer. Protein is about building tissues, and if you're doing strength/resistance training to stimulate muscle growth, you will likely benefit from increasing your protein consumption. Unfortunately, many people consume protein with the unfounded assumption that the protein itself builds muscle. Unfortunately, protein by itself does not and cannot build muscle... muscle is only built by doing the activities that build muscle. Protein provides the raw materials - the activity builds the structure.

In my workout routine, I do a modest amount of strength and muscle-building work. As a result, my protein needs are modest. Since protein mainly provides building materials and not fuel, excess protein consumption would either ask my kidneys to work overtime, or potentially, stimulate unwanted tissue growth. And if the aforementioned article is to be believed, this unwanted tissue growth is tied to an increased risk of developing cancer.

As in almost anything in life, too much of anything is TOO MUCH. Protein is no exception.


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