Can The Body Really Absorb 30 Grams Of Protein In A Meal?

Akash Sehrawat

3 min read | Dec 30, 2018

Last night I ate 120 g of protein in one meal.

 

My average protein intake is around 120-140g /day. I had 20 g of oats and milk in the morning, and then I fasted until 7 pm. I had half a kg of roasted chicken with mashed potatoes.

 

 

Think of how we have evolved over thousands of years. Visualize this situation when food was scarce and agriculture was not invented. Food was hunted and limited.

 

Do you think the hunters/gatherers would stop eating just because they have crossed the limit of 30g in a meal?

 

Of course not! They would eat until their heart desired because they were not sure where their next meal would come from. And our genetics are similar to that of our forefathers…

 

This eating pattern, called intermittent fasting, is increasingly becoming popular and for all the right reasons.

 

It makes sense to overeat and undereat. Both have immense benefits.

 

Undereating helps you normalize your insulin levels; it helps burn fat and has other health benefits. Science is pretty conclusive that fasting increases life span and is good for health.

 

Overeating satisfies you. When I was eating my roasted chicken and mashed potatoes and some wine, I knew I had around 1,500-1,700 in reserve before I crossed my 2,200 intakes.

 

So I was not worried about crossing my limit and really enjoyed and cherished my meal.

 

Don’t you want to enjoy your life and at the same time achieve your dream physique??

 

I have a feeling that this myth was started by supplement companies. Do you think it’s a coincidence that a protein scoop has around 25–30g of protein in one serving and that you cannot digest more than 30g in one sitting?

 

5-6 smaller meals ‘myth’ is a precursor to this one. It fits in nicely, doesn’t it?

 

-5-6 smaller meals a day, eat 30g in every meal

 

-30g x 5/6 meals= 150-180g of protein.

 

-Oh, and don’t forget to have 3 servings of our tasty and yummy protein shake.

 

-One pre-workout, one post-workout and one just before bed.

 

-In case you are not gaining weight, put an alarm at 3 AM, and squeeze in one serving then. It will help you gain weight.

 

I am not against whey protein. I love whey protein. I mix it in my oats because it dramatically improves the taste, or I have it in my smoothie with milk again because it helps me curb my sweet cravings.

 

I can easily consume enough protein from food, especially when I am eating chicken/tuna etc., but when I am traveling to don’t feel like cooking, whey does help and helps big time!!

 

So coming back to the point, can the body really absorb 30-35g of protein in one sitting?

 

Yes, it can!

 

Your body is very smart and intelligent and can easily self-regulate its digestion. If you eat more protein than I and millions of others like me, our bodies just take longer time to absorb it.

 

Bottomline, the amount of protein in a meal is irrelevant, and as always, the total intake matters the most.

 

I advise an intake of 1.2 to 1.8g/kg of Body Weight.

 

There is absolutely no use in going above 1.8/2g per kg of BW of protein intake. At the same time, if you have crossed your TDEE and your body has utilized the protein, anything excess will likely be converted into fat stores.

 

Related Article: How Much Protein Should I Eat Per Day?

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About Akash Sehrawat

Akash is a creator of 25+ programs and certificate courses in which more than 200,000 students have enrolled both on Udemy and Fabulous Body's native platform. Akash is also an author of three books that can be found on Amazon. His answers on Quora have gathered more than 12 million views in less than a year.

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