General recommendations are to consume 15-30 grams of protein at each meal. Studies show that higher intakes in one sitting — more than 40 grams — are no more beneficial than consuming the recommended 15-30 grams at one time. Don't waste your money on more protein than you need.
Key Takeaways: There Is Such Thing as "Too Much Protein"
Consuming more than 30 grams of protein is too much for just one meal because your kidneys will process and excrete any excess.
For most people, consuming 50 grams of protein in a single meal is generally considered safe and can be appropriate, especially for those who are active or trying to build muscle.
Fast-digesting proteins take about 30 minutes to two hours to be absorbed while slow-digesting proteins like plant-based proteins can take up to three to four hours for complete absorption, with most digestion and absorption happening within the first three to four hours.
That means the most your body can absorb in one sitting is around 25 grams of protein. In this case, “one sitting” refers to the time over the course of 1.5-2 hours. Broken down by hour, the body can absorb fast-digesting proteins like whey at a rate of roughly 10 grams per hour, per the study.
You can eat as much protein as you want in one sitting. There is a limit in how fast your body can absorb protein, but any excess protein will simply reside in your gut.
50 Grams Per Meal
Some sample meals that add up to 50 grams of protein each include: Breakfast: Two-egg omelet with veggies of your choice and 1 ounce of cheddar. 1 cup of low-fat Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of raspberries.
The short answer: Many experts suggest having protein after a workout to build muscle mass. But preworkout or postworkout protein may help. Strenuous exercise creates microtears in the muscles. After a workout, your body repairs the damage using amino acids from dietary protein.
In general, most people can process around 20–40 grams of protein in a meal—so “I wouldn't recommend eating more than about 45 grams of protein in one sitting,” Levi says. (For context: One 100-gram steak contains about 25 grams of protein, so eating two—while delicious—might lead to a little discomfort.)
20g of quick-digesting protein is the best to promote muscle protein synthesis. Anything over 20g will only provide a small benefit unless it's a blend of fast and slow-digesting proteins. Over 40g of slow-digesting proteins may stimulate muscle protein synthesis for a longer period.
Consuming more protein than the body needs can cause symptoms such as intestinal discomfort, dehydration, nausea, fatigue, headaches, and more. Chronic protein overconsumption can also increase the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, blood vessel disorders, liver and kidney issues, and seizures.
Protein Absorption
In adults, essentially all protein is absorbed as tripeptides, dipeptides or amino acids and this process occurs in the duodenum or proximal jejunum of the small intestine. The peptides and/or amino acids pass through the interstitial brush border by facilitative diffusion or active transport.
However, for the average healthy person (who is not an elite athlete or heavily involved in body building) it's probably best to keep total protein intake to no more than 2 gm/kg of ideal body weight; that would be about 125 grams/day for a 140-pound person with a normal body mass index (BMI).
Average person: Recommended intake is about 0.8 grams per kilograms for most adults. (1 kg = 2.2 pounds) Person with diabetes: Protein intake for a person with diabetes is also about 0.8 grams. Build muscle: Recommended intake is 1-1.5 grams per kilogram.
Protein before bed can help supply the body with important nutrients while we sleep, which is our most important recovery phase. A growing selection of relatively small studies have pinpointed muscle-building benefits of consuming protein before bed, particularly by drinking protein shakes.
Eat after you exercise
Eat a meal that has both carbohydrates and protein in it within two hours of your workout if possible. Eating after you work out can help muscles recover and replace their glycogen stores. Think about having a snack if your meal is more than two hours away.
Replacing breakfast with a nutritionally balanced protein shake may benefit your health. However, protein shakes should not be relied upon as a long-term replacement for whole foods. Instead, they should be consumed as part of a well-balanced diet.
How many eggs make 50 grams of protein? There are 6 grams of protein in one large egg. To reach 50 grams of protein from eggs alone, you'd have to consume eight or nine eggs for a total of 48 to 54 grams of protein. That's probably more eggs than you'd want to eat in one sitting.
What do 50 grams of meat look like? It's equal to 1.8 ounces or a 2 x 2-inch piece of steak that is ½ inch thick.
Most active people drink one protein shake per day, which contains a single scoop of protein, meaning that you are receiving nearly half of your daily recommended protein intake from this shake. It's recommended that you try to only consume somewhere between 25 to 50 grams of protein from protein powder each day.
The protein content in 1 scoop of whey protein generally equals approximately 2-3 medium-sized eggs. However, this can vary depending on the brand and type of whey protein powder, as well as the size of the eggs.
General recommendations are to consume 15-30 grams of protein at each meal. Studies show that higher intakes in one sitting — more than 40 grams — are no more beneficial than consuming the recommended 15-30 grams at one time. Don't waste your money on more protein than you need.
The Verdict. It seems reasonable to conclude that consuming two scoops or 40-50 grams of protein powder daily from natural sources and in combination with adequate calories, carbohydrates, fats, and fluids is not necessarily negative for most moderately active persons. Only professional athletes need more than this.