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Q&A: How Much Protein Can I Process in One Sitting?
How much protein is can we actually use?
If you believe most things that you read, the most your body can digest in one sitting is 30g of protein. This is a myth – ask any serious athlete or bodybuilder!
From an evolutionary perspective it just wouldn’t have made sense. We survived on periods of feast and famine (and functioned pretty well on it thank you very much), and without the ability to process larger amounts of food we might not be having this discussion today.
We must also consider that studies done to publicise this 30g theory were carried out on senior citizen groups and have little application to many of us. This is because as you get older we lose the ability to process and digest higher amount of protein (due to decreased stomach acid).
How much can we process in one go?
We don’t know exactly.
It will very much depend on the individual and their specific circumstances (muscle mass, gut health, etc, etc). But what we do know, is that increased amounts of protein help with muscle building and recovery during periods of high exercise volume, which would suggest that it’s being used!
We help our members with a nutritional programme that works for them, if you’re struggling, give us a shout at our gym or try out our personal training and we’ll help you work out a plan that suits you.
You may also find our nutritional articles helpful to eating healthier.
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- Why So Much Protein?
- Not All Protein Supplements Are Created Equal
- How Many Grams of Protein Should I Be Consuming Daily?
- Is Whey Protein for Me?
- The Role of Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins in Fuelling the Aerobic Energy System
