Inquisitive.me

A year ago, I ran an experiment I didn’t plan to run.

I didn’t trust protein powder. And instead of blindly following the hype, I did what I usually do—I tested it myself. For three months, I added protein powder to my diet on training days and paid attention to what actually changed. Not in a lab, not under perfect conditions, just in my normal routine.

I had a few simple questions in mind: Do I feel better? Do I recover faster? Can I train harder? Do I actually see changes in my body? Nothing fancy—just curiosity. Because the real reason I even considered it wasn’t performance optimization or chasing aesthetics. It was much simpler: I couldn’t keep up with my protein intake through food alone. Not without planning every meal, not without forcing myself to eat more than I wanted, and definitely not without turning my day into a nutrition spreadsheet. And that’s a system I knew I wouldn’t stick to.

For a while, I thought I could manage anyway. There are high-protein recipes all over Instagram and TikTok, supermarkets are full of “high protein” labels—even on products that probably shouldn’t exist—and everyone seems to sell their one perfect solution. But the deeper I looked, the clearer it became: most of it is marketing. And a lot of those recipes? They just don’t taste good. I grew up with really good food, so if something tastes like cardboard with macros, I’m out.

So I simplified the problem. Protein powder. No drama, no overthinking. And after a year, all those initial questions? Subjectively—but consistently—the answer is yes.

This post isn’t about convincing you to take protein powder. It’s about cutting through the noise. Because the real question isn’t whether you need a supplement—it’s whether you’re actually meeting your body’s requirements with the system you currently have. So instead of another opinion piece, I put together a simple FAQ with the most relevant things I came across over the past year—so you don’t have to dig through all the marketing yourself.

⁉️ FAQ ⁉️

What are proteins and why do we need them? 🤔

Proteins are not a trend—they’re a requirement. At their core, proteins are chains of amino acids, the building blocks your body uses for almost everything. And here’s what matters: your body is constantly breaking things down and rebuilding them. Muscle tissue, tendons, ligaments, skin, enzymes, hormones—it’s an ongoing cycle that never really stops.

But rebuilding only works if the raw material is available—just like when you’re building or maintaining a house. No materials, no repair. Some amino acids your body can produce on its own, but others—the essential ones—must come from food. If you don’t provide enough, your body can’t keep up with repair and maintenance the way it’s supposed to.

That doesn’t just affect muscle growth. It shows up as slower recovery, reduced performance, higher fatigue, increased injury risk, and less resilience overall. Protein isn’t just about building muscle—it’s about keeping the entire system running properly.

How much protein do we actually need? ⚖️

Most people have heard the number 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This recommendation is based on research like the work of William M. Rand and colleagues (2003) and is reflected in guidelines from the World Health Organization. But what often gets lost is what that number actually represents.

It’s the minimum required to maintain basic physiological function—not the amount needed to optimize performance, recovery, or muscle mass. In other words, it’s the level that keeps you from deficiency, not the level that helps you improve.

If you’re training—or simply want your body to stay strong and functional as you age—you’ll likely benefit from more. Current evidence suggests that around 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram per day supports muscle maintenance and growth, with little additional benefit beyond roughly 1.8 grams. So instead of overcomplicating it, a practical approach is to aim somewhere around 2 grams per kilogram if you’re active.

And here’s the part many people underestimate: reaching that consistently without intention is harder than it sounds.

“But I don’t want to build muscle…” 🫢

This is something I hear all the time, and I get where it comes from. “Building muscle” sounds like a conscious decision to become bulky, like you might accidentally wake up looking like a bodybuilder if you eat too much protein. That’s not how this works.

So let’s reframe it. Do you want to be able to stand up from a chair without effort, carry your groceries, move without pain, stay independent as you age, or play with your kids or grandkids? If the answer is yes, then you want muscle.

Not for aesthetics—for function. For resilience. For your future self.

You don’t need to turn into the Hulk. But you do need enough muscle to support your life. And muscle doesn’t build itself. It requires stimulus—and it requires protein.

What about protein shakes? Bad? 🍌

No, they’re not.

A protein shake is nothing more than a concentrated protein source. You can absolutely get your protein from whole foods—meat, fish, tofu, yogurt, eggs, legumes, nuts. The difference is that whole foods come with other macro- and micronutrients… and calories. So depending on your situation, that can either be a benefit—or something you need to manage.

I was skeptical for a long time. I thought I’d be fine getting my protein through food alone. And in theory, that works. In practice, it didn’t fit my day. I had to plan meals around work and training, and that quickly turned into something I couldn’t maintain consistently.

Because here’s the reality: going into the gym with a full stomach isn’t fun. But going in completely fasted isn’t ideal either.

And for women, it can even be counterproductive.

According to Stacy Sims, training without prior nutrition—especially in the morning—can have a few unintended effects. First, our circadian rhythm isn’t just influenced by light and darkness, but also by food intake. Delaying food can shift melatonin production, which may negatively impact sleep. Second, without early fuel, we tend to move less throughout the day—less spontaneous activity, less fidgeting, less overall energy expenditure. And third, we’re more likely to crave simple carbohydrates later on, which often leads to eating more overall.

In short: less sleep, less movement, more cravings.

This is where a protein shake can actually be useful. Not as a magic tool—but as a practical one.

Not hungry in the morning? Drink your protein. It’s 20–30 grams in a small volume, quick, easy, and doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach. Enough to give your body something to work with, without feeling full.

The same applies to busy days. I usually train after work at the rehab center, around 5 pm. By then, my last proper meal is often 4–5 hours behind me. I’m not exactly fueled. Having a protein shake about an hour before training gives me something in the system—without the “full stomach” feeling. And during the day, it’s simply efficient. I can’t eat a full meal in a 5-minute break between patients, but I can drink a shake in under three.

And this is the part that matters most:

A protein shake doesn’t build muscle.

Training does.

Protein supports that process—it doesn’t replace it. Supplementation is exactly what the word says: a supplement, not a substitute for quality training.

And timing? Much less important than most people think.

What matters is that by the end of the day, you’ve met your protein needs.

What about “too much protein”? Doesn’t it damage your kidneys? 🫘

Short answer: not in healthy people.

This is probably the most persistent myth around protein—and one of the questions I get asked by my patients. Somewhere along the way, “high protein = kidney damage” became common knowledge. But when you actually look at the evidence, that connection doesn’t really hold up—at least not for people with healthy kidneys.

A recent umbrella review by Thomas Remer and colleagues (2023), used for the guidelines of the German Nutrition Society, looked at exactly this question. The result? There’s no strong evidence that higher protein intake—meaning above the standard 0.8 g/kg/day—causes kidney disease, increases kidney stone risk, or leads to markers of kidney damage in healthy adults.

What does happen is that some lab values change. Things like glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urinary calcium, or urea can increase. But—and this is key—these changes are considered physiological adaptations, not signs of damage. In simple terms: your kidneys are doing their job, adjusting to a higher workload, not breaking down.

And that’s an important distinction. Because more activity doesn’t automatically mean harm.

Think of it like training a muscle. Increased demand leads to adaptation. Not pathology.

On top of that, a one-year study by Jose Antonio looked et al. (2016) at resistance-trained men consuming very high protein intakes—around 2.5 to over 3 g/kg/day. After a year, there were no negative effects on kidney function, liver markers, or blood lipids.

So even at levels well above what most people eat, there was no sign of harm in healthy, trained individuals.

Now, let’s keep this grounded.

If you ignore everything else—your overall nutrition, micronutrients, fiber, hydration—and just consume a high-protein diet, whether that’s excessive amounts of meat or protein shakes, then yes, that can become a problem. But not because protein itself is harmful—rather because your overall diet is unbalanced.

Context matters.

This doesn’t mean “more is always better.” It also doesn’t mean you should aim for extreme intake levels just because you can. And it definitely doesn’t apply to people with existing kidney disease or impaired kidney function—those cases need individual medical guidance.

But for healthy individuals?

Protein isn’t the problem.

If anything, the bigger risk is not getting enough—especially if you want to recover, perform, and stay functional long-term.

So instead of asking, “Is this too much protein?” a better question might be:

“Is this appropriate for my body, my training, and my health status?”

Do proteins help me lose weight? 📉

Yes—they can.

When we eat, our body releases hormones that signal satiety—basically telling us: “You’ve had enough.” Protein tends to stimulate these signals more strongly than carbohydrates or fats, which means meals higher in protein can leave you feeling fuller for longer.

So in simple terms: if you feel fuller, you’re less likely to keep eating. And if you eat less overall, you’re more likely to end up in a calorie deficit—which is the key driver of weight loss.

But here’s where it gets important:

Protein doesn’t magically make you lose weight.

A calorie deficit does.

Protein can support that process—it’s not the process itself.

And it’s also not the only way. It’s one tool. For some people, it works really well. For others, different strategies might be more sustainable.

There’s also an interesting nuance here. Increasing protein intake does improve satiety—but only up to a point. Once your body has enough protein to support muscle maintenance and function, adding even more doesn’t necessarily make you feel fuller (it’s called protein leverage).

In other words:

👉 Going from too little protein → enough protein = helpful

👉 Going from enough protein → a lot more protein = not much extra benefit

At that point, other factors become more important—like overall calorie intake, food quality, and things like fiber, which can have a strong effect on fullness as well.

So yes, protein can help—but it’s not a shortcut.

And just to keep this realistic:

The goal isn’t to eat as little as possible. A calorie deficit that’s too aggressive can backfire—more stress, worse recovery, lower energy, and for some people, a higher risk of losing muscle mass.

That’s where I stay in my lane as a physio.

I talk about it because it affects recovery, performance, and overall health—but if weight loss is your main goal, getting guidance from a dietitian is the smarter move.

Does it matter which protein source I use? 🥩

Technically—yes. Practically—not as much as people think.

Let’s start with the obvious misconception: just because your protein comes from an ultra-processed source like a protein powder doesn’t automatically make it worse than protein from whole foods.

How something is produced—whether in nature or in a lab—doesn’t determine its value. What matters is its structure. Your body doesn’t care if an amino acid came from a chicken, a soybean, or a shaker bottle. It cares about what it is, not where it came from.

The opposite belief is just as flawed. Just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Cyanide and arsenic are natural too—and I don’t see anyone putting that into their morning smoothie.

This is called naturalness bias: the assumption that natural automatically equals better. It doesn’t.

So yes—protein powder is a perfectly valid protein source. Not magic. Not harmful. Just… protein.

Now, if you want to go one level deeper, quality does matter.

Not all protein sources are equal in terms of:

• Amino acid profile (do they contain all essential amino acids?)
• Digestibility (how well your body can actually use it)

High-quality sources like whey protein, eggs, meat, or soy contain all essential amino acids and are easily digested. That makes them very efficient for your body to use.

Other sources—especially some plant-based ones—may lack certain essential amino acids. For example, legumes are relatively low in methionine. But that’s not a problem if you combine foods, like legumes with rice or grains. Over the course of a day, you can absolutely cover everything.

So this isn’t a limitation—it just requires a bit more awareness.

Now let’s talk about where things get messy: marketing.

“High protein” has become a label that sells.

But it doesn’t automatically mean the product is better—or even higher in protein.

I’ve compared yogurts labeled “high protein” with regular ones that had the same—or sometimes even higher—protein content. The label creates a perception, not necessarily a difference.

And many of these products come with trade-offs: added sugars, missing amino acids, or just overall poorer nutritional quality.

So if you really want to evaluate a product, don’t look at the front of the package.

Look at the back.

One more important point—especially if you’re thinking in terms of performance or muscle building:

Animal proteins are generally slightly more effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis compared to most plant proteins. That’s mainly due to their amino acid composition and digestibility.

But—and this is the part most people miss—once your total daily protein intake is high enough, the source becomes much less important.

Research summarized by Alan Aragon shows that when people consume around 1.6 g/kg/day, there are no meaningful differences in muscle growth or strength gains between plant-based and omnivorous diets.

In other words:

👉 Protein source matters a bit

👉 Total protein intake matters a lot

So what’s the takeaway?

You don’t need the “perfect” protein source.

You need enough protein.

From a mix of sources that fit your lifestyle, your preferences, and your routine.

Because at the end of the day, the best protein source is the one you actually consume consistently.

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📝 Key takeaways

• Protein isn’t optional—it’s required. Your body needs it daily to repair, rebuild, and function properly.
• 0.8 g/kg is the minimum, not the goal. If you want performance, recovery, and muscle, you likely need more.
• Protein shakes aren’t bad—they’re practical. Just a tool to help you hit your intake when real life gets in the way.
• More protein doesn’t equal kidney damage (if you’re healthy). Your kidneys adapt—they don’t break.
• Protein can help with weight loss—but it’s not magic. It supports satiety, but the real driver is a calorie deficit.
• Protein source matters less than you think. Quality plays a role, but total daily intake matters more.

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Thanks for spending this time with me. Keep exploring, stay open to new ideas, and remember—growth is a journey, not a destination.

Take care,

Carina 🦊