{"id":25369,"date":"2025-09-19T09:41:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/25369\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T09:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:41:09","slug":"4-signs-youre-eating-too-much-protein-according-to-gi-docs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/25369\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Signs You\u2019re Eating Too Much Protein, According to GI Docs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right now, it seems like there\u2019s a protein-ified version of every single food and drink out there\u2014even (and especially) the ones that no one asked for. There\u2019s protein pasta<\/a>, protein yogurt<\/a>, protein popcorn (shout-out to Khloe Kardashian), protein cookies, protein pancakes<\/a>, and even\u2014of all things\u2014protein water (no, we\u2019re not kidding). Doubt us? Take it from a doc: \u201cProtein\u2019s having its moment,\u201d Lisa Ganjhu, DO<\/a>, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. \u201cIt\u2019s all over the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n

We admit, we\u2019ve covered our fair share of high-protein products and recipes due to their relevance and popularity (protein yogurt and protein pancakes? Strongly recommend), but we want to add a disclaimer: Despite the hype, you probably don\u2019t need nearly as much of the macro as influencers, celebrity endorsements, and online food trends would have you thinking. In fact, you\u2019re probably getting more than enough already, according to the experts we spoke to for this story. \u201cContrary to the chatter on social media, the average American or Western diet contains adequate protein,\u201d Amy Burkhart, MD, RD<\/a>, a physician and registered dietitian who specializes in gut health, tells SELF. \u201cPeople tend to eat a little bit more protein than what they probably should,\u201d Dr. Ganjhu says. Even as far back as the early 2000s, the CDC found<\/a> that US adults were overloading, and the problem has likely only intensified with time.<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s not to bad-mouth protein or insinuate that it\u2019s somehow less important than other nutrients. Quite the opposite: It\u2019s a \u201cbasic building block for health,\u201d Dr. Ganjhu says. As one of the three macros, it serves a ton of essential functions in your body, like building muscle, regulating blood sugar, and supplying energy for your day-to-day life. That said, more isn\u2019t always better, Dr. Ganjhu warns\u2014and overloading can actually have some negative side effects. Read on for four key signs your protein intake is too high.<\/p>\n

How much protein is too much?<\/p>\n

Your ideal protein intake<\/a> depends on a number of factors, including your age, sex, body size, activity level, and overall health, so it can vary widely between people. You will also need to consider your specific fitness goals<\/a> as you\u2019re making this calculation, Dr. Ganjhu says. If you\u2019re a bodybuilder, for example, \u201cyou\u2019re going to need more protein than someone who\u2019s not doing a lot of muscle mass building.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering where you fall here, health authorities offer some solid general guidelines. Per the National Library of Medicine, protein should make up 10 to 35% of your total daily calorie needs, and various sources<\/a> report the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein calls for a minimum of 0.36 grams per pound of body weight. Going by that standard, someone who weighs 140 pounds would need around 50 grams per day, while someone who weighs 200 pounds would need around 70 grams.<\/p>\n

However, the recommended amount is higher for people who exercise regularly and for those over 60. Since protein is key to muscle recovery<\/a> after intense physical activity, folks who make a habit of working out should shoot for 70 to 100 grams per day, Dr. Burkhart says. Meanwhile, elderly individuals lose muscle mass at a much higher rate than their younger counterparts, so, she adds, they may need as much as 80 to 140 grams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Right now, it seems like there\u2019s a protein-ified version of every single food and drink out there\u2014even (and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[166,163,22621,85,46,543,5198],"class_list":{"0":"post-25369","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-diet","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-high-protein","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-nutrition","14":"tag-protein"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}