Do you need extra protein or its only required for body building? Will it be healthy or spoil my liver and kidney?

I believe this is something which is bothering many of the people around. Is it a marketing gimmicks to sell protein powder? Probably only body builders need ‘extra protein’ and you being an ordinary human are well enough. Hello… I can’t have too much of protein especially protein in some powder form. some chemicals...! Its going to create havoc on my kidneys and liver. Too much of protein is not good for kidneys. I have seen how doctors prescribe less or no protein to people having kidney problems. If not all, many of you reading this are thinking in similar lines. How far are you true? Read on to know the truth. 

First, lets understand what protein is and how much is so called ‘extra’? I know you must have studied this in standard 5 but I am sure most of you can not answer this. Bigger priorities of our life have taken over ordinary day to day knowledge...! Well... Protein is derived from Greek word ‘Proteious’ which means ‘of prime importance’ or ‘of first rank’. Proteins are the most important nutrient and are the building blocks of your body. They are made up of amino acids and required for the structure function and regulation of body’s tissues and organs. Your body needs protein for muscle synthesis (making your muscle tissues), building blocks for bones, tissues and skin, antibody production, enzymes, and hormones. 

So, there is no doubt about this fact that to be healthy you need sufficient protein or else; 1) you will lose muscles (muscles are not only for body builders. Your ordinary body also needs and has muscles and without that your body can not be formed), 2) quality of skin will deteriorate 3) your immunity and hormonal functions will be impacted and compromised. A side effect of protein deficient diet is you gain weight because if you are eating less protein you tend to eat more carbs and fat and your metabolism also goes down. Both leads to obesity.

How much is sufficient?  As per WHO a person needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight just to maintain his existing muscles and organs (even if you don’t exercise you need at least this much). If you exercise your needs will be higher). If you have lost muscles (which is the case with 75% of Indians today) you need much higher to gain the lost muscles; almost 1.5-2x of your body weight. That means if you are 80 Kilos you need minimum 64 grams and to build (and lose fat also) you need approx. 120-160 grams…. 

Huff…. That’s too much. To give you a perspective typically 1 bowl dal/ pulses/ sprouts (25 g uncooked) contain 6-7 grams, 100 grams chicken contains 25 grams of protein, a whole egg contains 6 grams, a bowl of cooked soya chunks is 10 g of protein, and a glass of milk (250 ml) is 8 grams. These are supposedly most protein efficient foods in day-to-day life (not to say super foods like spirulina). To have a rough idea of your intake add roughly from these sources and add extra 20% from other sources. You will be surprised to know you wont reach more than 30-50% of your bare minimum requirement. Yes, that is a fact. A 2017 survey shows that 73% of Indians are deficient in protein while above 90% are unaware of the daily requirement of protein. Various myths surround protein consumption with 85% believing it leads to weight gain. India has the lowest protein consumption globally with average consumption hovering at only 50% of daily minimum WHO recommendation.

So, friends its clear now that protein is extremely important to be healthy and there are 75% chances that you are highly deficient of this essential nutrient (if you are Indian). Practically you can’t have ‘Extra’ protein except if you are doing extreme overeating of protein foods or are just gobbling on protein supplements. Even if by any chance you consume extra (hypothetical scenario), your body will convert it into fat like it converts extra carbs. In our day-to-day today’s life (with most of the people) if you don’t do focused disciplined eating with awareness, you are always going to be protein deficient because most protein efficient foods have only 30% protein while your meal should contain average of that much protein in your meal.

How to fix it? Friends you have two choices. Either live with this deficiency and with obesity and extremely high risk of NCDs (non-communicable diseases like BP, diabetes, heart disease, cancer stroke) or take your health in your command and fix it. Unfortunately, majority of people have knowingly or un-knowingly opted for the first choice. In case you choose to be healthier you have two options. Either become disciplined & knowledgeable and you must 1) quit high carb low protein foods which include many of your favorite foods 2) eat with complete awareness, knowledge, and high discipline. Despite that it would be difficult to reach your protein needs within your calorie limits. (Unfortunately, calorie limits have become relatively much lower in modern lifestyle due to lack of physical work and exercise, stress, and wrong eating habits). Remember When you try to fix your protein, it increases carbs & fat also and thus increasing (read carbs and fat calorie density) calorie density leading to surplus calorie and resulting obesity.

Protein supplements are helpful to a great extent in such scenario. Protein supplements (normally in powder form) are pure protein extracted from protein rich foods and an extremely good source (bought from a trusted brand) of lean protein (foods which are high in protein and low on carbs and fats). For example, whey protein is made by just cold filtration of whey (liquid portion of curd). It’s a by-product of cheese making and, by filtering 700 pounds of whey you get 5 pounds of protein. Adding protein supplement in your diet helps in meeting your protein needs within your calorie limits. Some people think that your liver or kidney must do over work if you eat high protein diet. Again, we saw that you need very healthy eating and support of supplements even to meet your minimum requirements, forget about high protein. Even if you go high in protein (more than 1.5 to 2x of your body weight) its ok with heathy people (people with impaired kidney or liver are restricted in their protein intake. They are restricted in water intake even). If you are an otherwise healthy person, even if you eat too much protein (by gobbling up protein supplements which has no practical meaning), at max it may cause digestive issues constipation and nausea etc.

So, to conclude 1) There are 73% chances that your diet is protein deficient. Fix it if you want a healthy body. 2) Protein is not only for body building; it’s equally important for we ordinary people. 3) And extra protein or too much protein is something which has no practical meaning. 4) Supplements can help you to meet protein needs within calorie limits and help you become healthier. 5) High protein or supplements (higher than even 2x your body weight) are not going to damage healthy kidneys so don’t worry if you are healthy with no dietary restrictions. Its just a food, a very important nutrient. Just chill…!