Protein powder sales are responsible for nearly half of a multi-billion dollar industry for sports nutrition supplements.
In spite of its worldwide popularity, there are so many differing opinions about how much protein powder you should actually have.
Some people constantly go through copious quantities—we’re talking several servings each day. I call them The Brotein All-stars.
Then you’ve got other people that are staunchly opposed to any and all protein powder. It’s like they’re still on the Nancy Reagan, “Just say no” train.
Both of these extremes are misguided.
The Brotein All-stars often feel like their “gainz,”—yes, with a z—are directly correlated to the amount of protein powder they have. Those on the “Just say no” train, however, practically treat protein powders like an addictive substance that should be avoided like the plague.
Neither is true.
Even though these are obviously sweeping and satirical generalizations, people often take things too far. And then vehemently argue their stance. The worst part is everyone left in between gets lost in the dogma and confusion.
How Much Protein Powder Should You Have?
Definitely not as much as you’ve been told.
I’ve had a protein powder label that says to have a serving morning, afternoon, and night for best results.
Most protein powders usually have about 20-30 grams of protein per serving. Which means that the morning, afternoon, and night suggestion would supplement your diet with 60-90 grams of protein from protein powder alone.
If that seems like a lot, it is.
Especially when you consider the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is 46 grams for adult women and 56 grams for adult men.
Note: governmental guidelines and recommendations are not ideal for aesthetic or athletic goals. Learn how many grams of protein you really need here.
Any supplements on the market are intended to complement a healthy diet. And protein powders are a supplement. But 60-90 grams of protein from protein powder is hardly supplementary. No diet should rely wholly on protein powder for protein.
You should get it from a variety of different sources, not a variety of different protein powders. Make sure real foods are your protein priority and then use supplements to fill in the gaps.
For one, real food will fill you up faster and keep you full longer than a protein shake. I’m always a fan of anything that will help with appetite control—especially if you’re trying to lose fat.
Also, having a wide variety of protein sources will help you get enough of all 9 essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are critical for results in the gym.
Our body produces some of these amino acids, but other amino acids must be obtained from our nutrition—those that we can’t produce ourselves are called essential amino acids. Because different sources of proteins have different amino acid profiles, having a wide variety of protein will help avoid any deficiencies.
But let’s get back to the powder…
How much protein powder to have in 3 steps:
1. Determine your daily goal for protein intake. See how to set your goal here.
2. Determine how much protein you’ll have from real foods in a given day. This can be a rough estimation.
3. Have enough protein powder to close the gap between Steps 1 and 2.
It’s that simple. Bare in mind, how much protein powder you need can—and should—be slightly different every day.
Go With The Flow
There is no “one size fits all” guideline.
There is no magic number of servings that you need to have each day “for best results.”
Protein powder is meant to supplement your diet. And your diet is going to vary day-to-day. So your protein powder needs to as well.
Some days you won’t need any protein powder and other days you’ll need a bunch in order to hit your goals.
Sometimes I end up feeling like a complete brotein all-star—life happens, I don’t have a chance to eat like normal, and I end up needing to supplement my diet with a lot of protein powder. Even though these days are few and far between, they happen to everyone.
Simply learn to adjust how much protein powder you have according to the ebb and flow of daily life.
My Favorite Thing About Protein Powder
Protein powder makes it easy to “fill in the gaps” of your diet’s protein needs, there are countless varieties of flavors, and it’s inexpensive. But by far, my favorite part about protein powder is that you can use it for so much more than shakes.
I was actually going to finish writing this yesterday. But then I made a bowl of my protein ice cream and got a bit distracted. It was a delicious decision.
After the cool, decadent euphoria faded, I decided I needed to share the recipe…
I would never spam you.
It’s seriously the simplest recipe in the world.
Download it now.
Tweet about it later.