🥩 What is Optimal Protein Intake?
Our mission is to promote the benefits of animal-based eating and fight back against anti-meat rhetoric. Consider subscribing to support our mission!
🥩 Hello Meatlings,
It seems like 1g/lb of body weight has become the motto for optimal protein intake. Is that the correct amount however? Menno Henselmans did a dive into this topic, he even co-authored a meta-analysis with some of the world’s leading fitness researchers. They found along with past research a cut-off point at exactly 1.6g/kg/d beyond which no further benefits for muscle growth or strength development are seen.
Based on the sound research, many review papers have concluded 0.82g/lb is the upper limit at which protein intake benefits body composition (Phillips & Van Loon, 2011). This recommendation often includes a 95% confidence level, meaning they took the highest mean intake at which benefits were still observed and then added two standard deviations to that level to ensure that all possible benefits from additional protein intake are utilized. As such, this is already overdoing it, and consuming 1g/lb ‘to be safe’ doesn’t make any sense. 0.82g/lb is already a very safe level.
Lemon et al. (1992) studied bodybuilders training 1.5 hours per day, 6 days per week and still concluded 0.75g/lb is the highest intake at which body composition benefits could occur.
Another frequently heard objection is that people need more protein because they are more experienced than the studied populations. Well, Tarnopolsky et al. (1988) used elite bodybuilders and found that less protein was needed than in novice bodybuilders.
In fact, the finding that the more experienced you are, the less protein you need, has been replicated in several studies (Rennie & Tipton, 2000; Hartman et al., 2006; Moore et al., 2007).
In everyone there is both constant protein synthesis and breakdown. Resistance training causes both breakdown and synthesis to increase, normally with a favorable balance towards synthesis. As you progress in your training, your body becomes more efficient at preventing the breakdown of protein that results from training. Since less protein now needs to be replenished, this increase in nitrogen retention means less protein is subsequently needed for optimal growth.
Secondly, the more advanced you are, the less protein synthesis increases after training. As you become more muscular and you get closer to your genetic limit, less muscle is built after training. This is very intuitive. The slower you can build muscle, the less protein is needed for optimal growth. It wouldn’t make any sense if the body needed more protein to build less muscle, especially considering that the body becomes more efficient at metabolizing protein.
You can learn more about his thoughts here.
In general, there is normally no advantage to consuming more protein than 0.82g/lb (1.8g/kg) of total bodyweight per day to preserve or build muscle for natural trainees. This already includes a markup, as most research finds no additional benefits beyond 0.64g/lb. My suggestion: eat at least .8g/pound of ideal body weight.
✌🏻and ribeyes,
Miranda Ebner MS, LN and The Yes2Meat Team
📰 News & 🔬 Research
🍼 Colostrum’s Secret Hero: Lactoferrin Most people know colostrum as a rich source of immune and growth factors—but its standout compound, lactoferrin, deserves more attention. A recent study found that lactoferrin can modulate immune function, strengthen the gut lining, and combat Candida overgrowth, without disturbing your beneficial bacteria. For women, especially new mothers or those navigating hormonal changes, this is a significant concern. Balanced immunity, better digestion, clearer skin—these are the kinds of upstream changes that ripple throughout the bo
🫖 Flavonoid Diversity & Longevity We’ve known for a while that flavonoids—plant compounds found in foods like berries, tea, and dark chocolate—can lower the risk of chronic disease. But this new UK Biobank study takes it further: it’s not just about how many flavonoids you consume, but how many different kinds. Participants with the most diverse flavonoid intake had a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality, plus reduced rates of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, even when total flavonoid intake was held constant. The takeaway? Variety really is the spice of life. Instead of relying on just one polyphenol-rich food or supplement, aim for a rainbow: tea, berries, apples, citrus, and dark leafy greens all contribute different flavonoid subclasses with unique benefits.
❤️🔥 Plastics and heart disease: a hidden global epidemic Most of us know that phthalates—chemicals used to make plastic more flexible—are endocrine disruptors. But a new global burden analysisadds an alarming twist: these compounds, particularly DEHP, may be responsible for more than 356,000 cardiovascular deaths annually among people aged 55–64. The study found strong associations between DEHP exposure and increased oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis—hallmarks of cardiovascular disease. While the data isn’t perfect (exposure estimates are often regional averages), the takeaway is clear: reducing phthalate exposure, particularly from plastic packaging and products, should be a global public health priority.
🙋♀️ Support Your Animal-Based Lifestyle Virtually with Miranda @ Thrive Nutrition
Get help from Miranda, a licensed nutritionist who helps clients reach their weight goals, fix their gut, reverse their diabetes and heal emotional eating while eating delicious and nourishing foods. Get collaborative support and enjoy lasting results. Use insurance for FREE sessions! Insurance accepted: Aetna, United Healthcare, BCBS (PPO plans) and Medicare. Start with a free 30-minute phone consultation. Subscribers get 10% off with code Yes2Meat
🥩 Support The Yes2Meat Newsletter
The Yes2Meat community is a hub to unite like-minded people to share, collaborate, commerce, and help grow the world’s most important movement for change.
If you would like to volunteer, please complete this form.
If you want to support us, you can become a subscriber below (with limited access coming soon to supporters). 👇🏻
🙏🏻 Our Supporters
Using our affiliate links supports the project and helps us reach more people
Carnivore Bar → A hand-made beef tallow bar with a 25-year shelf life. It is the most delicious and nutritious on-the-go bar in existence. Grab a box today! Use code Yes2Meat at checkout for 10% off
Thrive Nutrition → Personalized nutrition counseling using real food to reverse disease or augment good health. Burn fat, fix your gut, heal emotional eating, and more.
The Better Human Newsletter by Colin Stuckert, health founder and long-time animal-based eater, is free, weekly, and full of valuable ways to be a better human.
Wild Foods → Sourcing the highest-quality foods and supplements from around the world. 🥩 Animal-Based Stack from Wild Foods: Readers get 10% off with code: Yes2Meat
👋 The Yes2Meat Team
Miranda MS, LN, Chief Nutritionist and Editor
Thank you for reading Yes2Meat. This post is public, so feel free to share it.
Thank you for this info about protein intake!