Are you eating enough protein?

This audio clip is from episode #202 – Peter on nutrition, disease prevention, sleep, and more, originally released on April 11, 2022.

Show Notes

The common problem of protein underconsumption [51:45]

• Most people are not eating enough protein
• The recommended daily allowances (RDA), are “pathetic” says Peter
• The RDA for protein is roughly 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight 
• You take an 80 kilogram person, so someone that weighs like about 175, and that person should only be eating 65 grams of protein a day or “something asinine like that”
• The RDA is likely predicated on how much protein you need to like live versus how much protein you need to thrive
• We probably need closer to two grams per kilogram or about a gram per pound of body weight

Regarding concerns about the toxicity of excess protein: 

• The concern is that if you consume enough protein you’re going to overtax the kidneys because that’s how we excrete the excess nitrogen. 
• And you’re looking at somewhere in the order of three to four grams per kilogram before you get into the places where you’re going to start to challenge your kidney’s abilities to take care of excess nitrogen

Lack of protein in middle-aged women: 

• It seems to be a really big problem in middle aged women
• Especially in women that show up with no muscle mass, eating no protein, doing very little strength training
• “To me that is a recipe for a shorter life, but more importantly, a lower quality of life.”

*Additional Resource: Follow-up conversation Layne Norton