Proteins: Recommended Intake and Sources 2024

Protein and its array of amino acids are the primary building blocks of your muscles, bones, enzymes and many hormones. You simply cannot live without protein. For this reason, many people now believe that protein should be the bulk of their diet, and are even switching to “high-protein” diets.

But can you eat too much protein?

The answer is a resounding definitive yes.

The Cons of Excessive Protein Intake

There is an upper limit to how much protein your body can use, and if you do not regularly stay within this limit, it will spell trouble for your health.

Most Americans today are consuming far more protein than they need, along with excessive non-fiber carbohydrates and not enough healthy fats. This can hinder your health and fitness goals by elevating blood glucose levels, promoting weight gain, storing extra body fat, stressing your kidneys, leaching important bone minerals, and even causing dehydration.

Excessive protein intake can also stimulate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), an important biochemical pathway that plays a critical role in stimulating cancers. As long as you keep your protein intake at an adequate level to meet your body’s needs without consuming an excess, the mTOR pathway is inhibited, which then minimizes your risk of cancer growth.

Why a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet Can Wreak Havoc on Your Health

The first step in ensuring sufficient protein intake is to get it from a mixture of plant and animal sources. This is why I do not recommend following a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, because eliminating all animal foods from your diet puts you at risk of nutrient deficiencies, as there are some nutrients that simply cannot be obtained from plant foods.

Research found that eating a strictly plant-based diet can put you at risk of subclinical protein malnutrition, which means you're also likely not getting enough dietary sulfur. You may become deficient in omega-3s, which is best obtained from meats and other animal protein sources, as well.

Another essential nutrient that you may miss out on if you consume a vegetarian or vegan diet is conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, which has been linked to long-term weight management and health. So if you insist on following a strict plant-based diet, I advise you to be mindful of consuming these nutrients, which you can get in supplement form:

  • Vitamin B12 
  • Vitamin D3 
  • Iron
  • Creatine 
  • Omega-3s (DHA) 
  • Sulfur
  • Carnosine 
  • Taurine

What’s Your Ideal Daily Protein Requirement?

So how much protein do you actually need? To determine that, you’ll need to know your lean body mass (see below).

You likely need about one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

This amounts to 30 to 70 grams of protein a day, spread out throughout the day. If you’re aggressively exercising or competing, or pregnant (or lactating), your daily protein requirement may be 25 to 50 percent higher.

To calculate your lean body mass, subtract your percent body fat from 100. So if you have 20 percent body fat, then you have 80 percent lean body mass. Then multiply that percentage (in this case, 0.8) by your current weight to get your lean body mass in pounds. So, in this example, if you weighed 160 pounds, multiply that amount by 0.8 (representing 80 percent) which leaves you with 128 pounds of lean body mass. Following the "one-half gram of protein per pound" rule, you would need about 64 grams of protein per day.

Thirty to 70 grams of protein is not a large amount of food. This can be as little as two small hamburger patties or a six-ounce chicken breast. I recommend that you write down everything you eat for a few days, along with the weight in grams and then calculate the amount of daily protein you’ve consumed from these sources. Check out this chart as a simple guide on the grams of protein in foods:

Red meat, pork, poultry, and seafood average 6 to 9 grams of protein per ounce.

An ideal amount for most people would be a 3-ounce serving of meat or seafood per meal (not 9- or 12-ounce steaks!), which will provide about 18 to 27 grams of protein.

Eggs contain about 6 to 8 grams of protein per egg. So an omelet made from two eggs would give you about 12 to 16 grams of protein.

If you add cheese, you need to calculate that protein in as well (check the label of your cheese).

Seeds and nuts contain on average 4 to 8 grams of protein per quarter cup (packaged with valuable fiber). Cooked beans average about 7 to 8 grams per half cup (packaged with valuable fiber).
Most vegetables contain about 1 to 2 grams of protein per ounce.

Your Source of Protein Matters

Some people think meat is the best source of protein, but this isn’t necessarily the case, as there are other protein sources you can turn to. In addition, be wary of meats sold in conventional markets, as they mostly come from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where animals are mistreated and given an unnatural diet of genetically engineered grains instead of fresh grass.

Other wonderful foods that can provide you substantial amounts of protein include fish (especially sardines and anchovies), pastured poultry and beef nuts, and seeds.

Are Eggs a Good Source of Protein?

Yes, they are. Eggs contain complete proteins, meaning they provide the eight essential amino acids. However, it is important that you choose true free-range eggs, also referred to as pasture-raised, which come from hens that roam freely outdoors on a pasture where they can forage for their natural diet of seeds, worms, insects, and green plants.  If you purchase these eggs in a grocery store, they typically are the most expensive ones on the shelf as they cost more to produce.

Tests have confirmed that pasture-raised eggs contain superior nutrient levels. Compared to eggs from CAFO chickens, they have:

  • Two-thirds more vitamin A
  • Three times more vitamin E
  • Two times more omega-3 fatty acids
  • Seven times more beta carotene
To learn more about how pasture-raised eggs stand out from other varieties (plus other interesting trivia about eggs), check out this infographic:


Click to View Full Size


Remember that how you eat your eggs matters to ensure their nutrition content. Ideally, eat them raw or as close to raw as possible in order to keep the nutrients intact. As long as you’re getting pasture-raised eggs from clean trustworthy sources, your risk of infections like salmonella is pretty slim.
If you cannot eat them raw, poached or soft-boiled is the next best option. Scrambled or fried eggs are the worst, as this oxidizes the cholesterol in the eggs. Heating eggs also alters the chemical composition of the egg protein, which can result in an allergic reaction.

Restrict Your Dairy Intake

In this phase, you may eat dairy products like pasteurized yogurt and cheese. However, if you have any allergies, then it would be better to avoid all dairy, particularly pasteurized milk. Raw milk would be a better alternative. I also advise avoiding milk if you have insulin resistance, as it is loaded with milk sugar (lactose).

When consuming yogurt, make sure to read the ingredient list and check the carbohydrate content, as it may contain added sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Avoid low-fat dairy at all costs, as it tends to be densely packed with sugars.

You Can Eat All Meats in This Level

All meats, including lunch meats, are allowed in this phase. The benefits of eating meat (from organic, grass-fed sources) are plentiful, however, make sure that you purchase lunch meats that are free of preservatives like nitrate, and as mentioned above, steer clear of CAFO meats. In the next phase, you will move on toward higher quality protein sources.

Monitor Your Soy Intake

Is soy good for you? Despite what conventional health experts and health enthusiasts say, be warned that it’s NOT. Soy can weaken your immune system and lead to impaired thyroid function. Unfermented soy also contains phytoestrogens (or isoflavones) that are found to have adverse effects on human tissues, and may lead to an increased risk of cancer.

Furthermore, 94 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, which can expose you to damaging pesticides like glyphosate. This active ingredient is associated with a host of negative effects, and has been deemed to be a probable carcinogen that can cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer in humans.

Despite this, you can still consume soy products in this phase but prepare to eliminate it completely. It will be completely excluded in the next phase, except for fermented soy products like miso, tempeh, and natto.

Think About Your Fish and Seafood Intake

You can consume all fish and seafood products, but some of these will be eliminated in Level 2 due to their high levels of toxins. One of the major contaminants in seafood is mercury, which can vary more than 100-fold from one seafood species to another.

Just to give you an example of how seafood is contributing to the rising mercury contamination among humans, a 2010 study found that tuna was responsible for more than one-third of Americans’ total exposure to methylmercury.

What’s more, seafood fraud is big business today and a growing industry with widespread contamination and deceit. Just some of the issues plaguing the seafood industry include:

  • Increased use of antibiotics – Farmed seafood is typically given antibiotics and other drugs, which mask a lack of hygiene in the farms and promote antibiotic resistance. While the U.S. does not permit antibiotics in shrimp farming, other nations use it in their operations.
  • Pollution and poor quality, leading to the spread of disease – The seafood industry is plagued with pollution, disease, and inferior nutritional quality – the same problems found in land-based concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The situation is becoming so dire that fish farms can now be described as “CAFOs of the sea.”
  • Mislabeling – Shrimp and other fish are often mislabeled, exposing consumers to low-quality product – sometimes, those that are dangerous and/or not even intended for human consumption! In one instance, some varieties of white tuna sold in retail outlets were found to be escolar, a fish that can cause severe digestive problems.
  • Lack of oversight – Most seafood imported today come from industrial farms in other countries that have very lax industry regulations, and they do not undergo adequate inspection when imported to the US. In fact, 60 percent of imported shrimp tested were found to have bacteria that may cause staph infection and food poisoning.

There are certain fish varieties that are ideally safe in terms of contamination, and would benefit you if added to your health diet. Wild-caught Alaskan salmon and sockeye salmon are some of your best choices, as neither are allowed to be farmed. There are also acceptable choices as Vital Choice and Wild Planet. Their short lifespan prevents contamination by mercury and other toxins, while providing you with nutrients like protein and omega-3s.

Other safe seafood choices include sardines, herring, and anchovies. These are among the most concentrated sources of omega-3 fats. One serving of sardines has more than 50 percent of your recommended daily value. They are also rich in nutrients like vitamin B12, selenium, calcium, and choline. One caveat, though, these are very high in histamines so back off if you notice a histamine reaction. Unlike food allergies, a histamine reaction may not manifest for several hours.

Watch Your Bean and Legume Intake

Beans can provide you with good (but not complete) proteins. However, they are complex carbohydrates that can contribute to raising your insulin levels. If you do not suffer from insulin resistance, you can consume beans in this phase, but if you struggle with this problem, avoid them until you’ve normalized your levels.

Strictly Eat Organic Eggs and Raw Butter

The first step is to make the switch to high-quality, organic raw butter from grass-fed cows and oeggs from pasture-raised hens. I advise you to stop buying eggs and butter from conventional grocery stores, as these products mostly come from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Instead, look for a trustworthy local farmer who uses only natural methods to raise livestock. To help you find a farmer in your area who can provide you high-quality raw butter and eggs, check out these resources:

How You Cook Your Egg Matters

I laid out the benefits of high-quality pastured eggs in the first level, but this time, you need to focus on not just the type of egg, but also how you prepare it. Remember that eggs are rich in dietary cholesterol, and heating your eggs can lead to an increase in oxidized cholesterol levels in your blood. This can then cause hardening of your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease.

The iron in the egg white, when combined with the egg yolk and then heated, can oxidize the cholesterol. This is why scrambled eggs and omelets are the least healthy ways to cook eggs.

Poaching or soft-boiling are ideal methods for cooking eggs, but the optimal method is to not cook them at all. Instead, eat the whole egg – yolk and whites – raw. The texture of raw eggs is not very appealing, so the best solution is to mix the eggs in a smoothie (you won’t even notice that they’re there).

Unless you are immunocompromised there is little need to worry about getting salmonella from eating raw eggs, as long as you acquire the eggs from a trustworthy source. In fact, CAFO eggs actually pose a higher risk of salmonella because of the use of antibiotics at these factory farms.

The Benefits of High-Quality Organic Raw Butter

Contrary to what many “health experts” tell you, butter is actually a health food with a plethora of benefits. It is a wonderful source of nourishing fats and long-chain fatty acids that are used by your body for energy. It is also rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K2, antioxidants, lauric acid, lecithin, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), as well as minerals, including manganese, selenium, zinc, chromium, and copper.

A study found that eating a meal rich in butter lowers fat levels in your blood better afterwards, as opposed to one rich in olive, canola, or flaxseed oil. Raw butter also contains the Wulzen Factor, a hormone-like substance that is said to prevent arthritis and joint stiffness. Conventional butter does not have this factor, as it is destroyed by pasteurization.

However, it is not only butter that you should get in raw form, but all forms of dairy, including milk and yogurt, from organically raised grass-fed cows. Avoid pasteurized products as much as possible. Raw dairy benefits you more because it contains essential digestive enzymes. Pasteurization, on the other hand, destroys these enzymes. This is why drinking pasteurized milk can tax your pancreas, promote disease, and trigger allergies.

Not only that, pasteurization denatures milk proteins, diminishes vitamins, destroys vitamins like B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, and promotes the growth of pathogens. In fact, most food illnesses today are related to pasteurized and processed foods, and not to whole organic foods like raw milk.

Opt for Organic Pastured Chicken

Chicken is a great source of protein, and is recommended in this level, so long as you make sure to stay within your ideal protein requirement (refer back to the computation in the previous section). However, like eggs, the source of your chicken is of utmost importance.

Only eat organic pastured chicken that are allowed to roam and forage for their natural diet of worms, insects, seeds, and green plants. They are a far, far healthier option than CAFO chickens that are kept in cramped and dirty cages. Find a local farmer that lets hens forage freely outdoors. To see how this looks like in the real world, watch this video featuring farmer Will Harris of White Oak Pastures.

Organic pastured chickens will not put you at the same risk of diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria like salmonella that CAFO chickens do. In fact, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) claims that contaminated CAFO chicken parts cause nearly 133,000 illnesses each year. FRONTLINE cites an even higher number, saying that salmonella-contaminated chickens sicken an estimated 200,000 Americans each year.

What’s more, CAFO chickens are chlorine washed. While this anti-microbial bath is believed to reduce pathogenic bacteria, it can actually make the problem worse. Workers in these CAFOs have complained of asthma and other respiratory problems due to exposure to the chlorine bath. This practice is so bad that it’s banned in the European Union (EU).

Organic pastured chickens are not given antibiotics, a practice that CAFO chickens are routinely subjected to. This is very important, as agricultural use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic-resistant disease, which poses a direct threat to human health. Antibiotics also contaminate the environment through run off into lakes, rivers, aquifers and drinking water, further increasing the risk of drug-resistant bacteria.

Handle and cook chicken carefully and thoroughly to prevent the risk of food poisoning and diseases. According to the USDA, the best way to cook chicken is to bring it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to eliminate any contamination present. Remember, failing to follow these safe handling instructions can magnify your risk of contamination. Even washing your chicken is ill-advised, as it allows bacteria to spread around your kitchen.

You should also designate separate cutting boards for meats and vegetables. Do not cut vegetables using the same cutting board you just used to prepare chicken or other meats.

Eliminate All Fish From Your Diet

In this level, you must aim to eliminate all contaminated fish and seafood from your diet. While this food group is a great source of protein as well as beneficial omega-3 fats, fish are highly polluted, and chances are the toxic effects will outweigh the benefits.

There are only a few types of fish that you should eat, and that is wild-caught Alaskan salmon, anchovies, and sardines. These are generally safe from contamination, as they are not allowed to be farmed, and therefore are always wild-caught. What’s more, sockeye salmon has a short life cycle, which reduces its risk of accumulating high amounts of mercury and other toxins.   

When purchasing these types of salmon, make sure that the label says “Alaskan salmon” or “wild Alaskan salmon,” or “Sockeye salmon.” Canned varieties labeled “Alaskan salmon” are also recommended, and are an inexpensive alternative to salmon fillets.

Make sure that the salmon you buy has received the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. This assures that every component of the manufacturing process, from harvesting the raw materials to manufacturing and packaging, has been scrutinized by the MSC and independently audited to make sure it meets sustainable standards.

Seafood Watch can also help you find sustainable seafood choices. Check out their database for more seafood options, or download their Sustainable Seafood app on your smartphone. Other labels that can indicate more sustainable products include:

  • Whole Foods Market Responsibly Farmed.  This signifies third-party certification.
  • Fishwise. It specifies how the fish was caught, where it came from, and whether the fish is sustainable (or environmentally threatened).
  • Seafood Safe. It conducts independent testing of fish for contaminants, including mercury and PCBs, and recommendations for consumption based upon the findings.

The Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef

For another beneficial source of animal protein, grass-fed beef is a great option. However, most people are often confused about the term “grass-fed,” and in many cases, it has become an abused and manipulated term, like the word “natural.”

Most all calves are fed grass when they are young, which is one factor that allows less scrupulous producers to get away with calling their beef grass-fed. However, the key to a truly grass-fed product is the finishing. Remember, optimal beef is both grass-fed and grass-finished beef.

In the interview below, I talk with Joey Jones, founder of the Grass-Fed Network, about the grass-fed and grass-finished meat industry, and how you can ensure that you’re getting high-quality beef.

When you switch to grass-fed that has also been grass-finished, you can enjoy multiple benefits, such as higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and healthy fats. It also has a more balanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.

However, not everyone is fortunate enough to live near grass-fed producers. In this case, you can check your local grocery store to see if they sell grass-fed beef, and be sure to look for the country of origin.

Ideally, you should choose grass-fed beef that is produced in the U.S. over imported meat. This is because other countries’ standards of raising cattle are different from ours. The American Grassfed Association certification is the best certification to insure this. Another option: Responsibly raised local lamb (which are always grass-fed).

To find a trustworthy source of grass-fed beef near you, you can check out these resources:

  • Grassfed Exchange is an association of pasture-based livestock farms with a searchable database of places where you can purchase high-quality grass-fed meat.
  • Eat Wild's Directory of Farms has over 1,400 pasture-based farms and is one of the most comprehensive sources for grass-fed meat and dairy products in the U.S. and Canada.
  • Local Harvest can help you locate farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
  • Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy from farms, restaurants, stores, inns and hotels, and even online outlets in the U.S. and Canada.
  • Farmers Markets gives you a national listing of farmers markets.
  • FoodRoutes’ "Find Good Food" map lets you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and markets near you.

Avoid Non-Fermented Soy

At this level, you should completely eliminate non-fermented soy from your diet. If you care to review the thousands of studies published on soy, I believe you would agree with me that the risks of consuming unfermented soy products FAR outweigh any possible benefits.

It is not widely known that the amount of omega-6 fat the public consumes from soy oil has increased 1,000 times between 1900 to 2000. Many experts believe that this increase in highly processed omega-6 oil has played a major role in the increase in chronic degenerative diseases.

Improving your omega 6:3 ratio is a powerful method to improve your health, and avoiding unfermented soy products will help you improve this ratio.

Additionally, soybean and soy-based foods actually promote kidney stones in people prone to them, mainly because of their high levels of oxalates, which bind to calcium in your kidney to form kidney stones.

A more concerning reason why soy should be eliminated from your diet is it’s one of the most genetically engineered crops in the U.S. today. It is well established that over 95 percent of soy in the U.S. is genetically modified and contains high levels of Roundup and glyphosate residues. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the Roundup Ready herbicide, may be to blame for the rising rates of many chronic diseases in Westernized societies.

Avoid Peanuts – Choose High-Quality Nuts Instead

I generally do not recommend peanuts, mainly because they’re very heavily sprayed with pesticides and contaminated with aflatoxin, a toxic mold. They are also relatively high in omega-6 fats, and may end up skewing your omega-6:3 ratio. Even peanut butter has been found to have no beneficial health effects — mainly because most brands are loaded with processed salt and hydrogenated trans fats. (Note: peanuts are only “nuts” by name – they’re actually a legume).

I do, however, believe that raw organic nuts are an important part of a healthy diet. Some of the best choices are macadamias and pecans. Less beneficial due to a less healthy protein and carb content are walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts (no more than 2 to 3 per day), and almonds. Raw nuts are a near-ideal snack, as they’re loaded with healthy fats, antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. People who eat nuts have also been found to have lower risk for metabolic syndrome and have lower systolic blood pressure.

To maximize their health benefits, make sure the nuts are truly organic and raw, not irradiated or pasteurized. Most almonds, even those that are typically labeled “raw,” have gone through pasteurization because this is required in the U.S., so make sure you seek vendors who sell these nuts in small quantities and have a waiver from the pasteurization requirements. Some nuts, like almonds and walnuts, have nutrients in the skin, so opt for these instead of skinless varieties.

As I covered in Level 1, it’s very important that you don’t overeat protein, as your body will convert excess protein you consume into glucose, which impacts your blood sugar level and your insulin response and this may get stored as fat. So although all the sources of proteins I’ve covered here are high-quality and healthful, you want to be certain that you don’t eat more than your requirements for adequate protein.

Again, the formula for determining your protein requirement is one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (your total body weight multiplied by your body fat percentage.)

Sources and References:

https://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/beginner_proteins.htm

https://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/advanced_proteins.htm


Read More - Dr Joseph Mercola Nutrition Plan series:

Nutrition Program (Introduction) - Dr Mercola (Part 1)






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