Protein Essentials: Building Blocks for a Healthier and Stronger You
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In this episode of the Foundational Health Podcast, Dr. Kevin Schultz breaks down the topic of protein into practical tips and knowledge. From understanding how much protein you should consume daily to the differences between plant and animal proteins, Dr. Schultz answers all your burning questions. Learn why not all proteins are created equal, the importance of amino acids, and how to make better dietary choices to support muscle, bone, and overall health.
Whether you're curious about whey protein, the benefits of whole foods, or the role of supplements like Perfect Aminos, this episode provides comprehensive insights to help you optimize your protein intake. Tune in to discover how to look better, feel better, and heal better with the right protein strategies.
Understanding Protein: The Key to a Healthy Lifestyle
How much protein do you need daily? Does the type or source matter? Questions like these are common, and the answers are essential for optimizing your health. Protein is not just protein—the quality, source, and digestibility significantly impact how your body uses it. For instance, one gram of whey protein doesn’t provide the same usable protein as one gram from a whole egg. It’s not just about how much protein you consume but how much your body can effectively absorb and utilize.
In this article, we’ll break down the essentials of protein: how to determine your needs, what makes certain proteins better than others, and how to make informed choices. By understanding these basics, you’ll be better equipped to support your body’s needs, from building muscle to improving overall health. Let’s dive in!
The Building Blocks of Life: Proteins and Amino Acids
Proteins are crucial for your body’s structure and function, but what are they made of? At their core, proteins are composed of smaller building blocks called amino acids. Here's what you need to know:
Amino Acids Basics:
Out of 500 known amino acids, only 20 are used by the human body.
Nine are considered essential, though recent research suggests eight are truly essential since one can be synthesized when the others are present.
These amino acids form the foundation of muscles, bones, skin, nerves, hormones, enzymes, and more.
Why Amino Acids Matter:
Low amino acid levels can negatively affect every part of your body.
You need sufficient, high-quality protein daily to maintain optimal levels.
Supporting Protein Utilization
Eating protein isn’t enough—your body also requires a well-rounded diet to fully benefit from amino acids.
Key Dietary Components:
Healthy fats: Essential for amino acid absorption.
Low-quantity, high-quality carbs: Focus on fruits and vegetables instead of processed carbs like breads and pastas.
Vitamins and minerals: Especially methylated B12 (found in high-quality supplements like Nutridyn).
Gut Health Is Essential:
A healthy digestive system is crucial for absorbing and using proteins and amino acids.
An inflamed or inefficient gut can block nutrient absorption.
Consider a spore-based probiotic or a gut-healing protocol to support digestion.
By focusing on a whole-food, balanced diet with an emphasis on gut health, you can ensure your body fully utilizes the protein and amino acids it needs to thrive.
How Your Body Uses Protein
Once protein is digested and absorbed, it undergoes a remarkable transformation to meet your body’s specific needs. Here’s a breakdown of what happens:
Proteins Are Completely Transformed:
No food enters your body in a form that can be directly used.
Proteins, carbs, fats, and even vitamins are broken down and rebuilt into forms your body can utilize.
The Digestion and Absorption Process:
Proteins are broken down in the stomach and small intestine into amino acids.
These amino acids are absorbed through the small intestine walls.
They pass through the liver and enter the bloodstream.
The bloodstream transports amino acids to individual cells, where they’re transformed into the exact type of protein each cell needs—whether for muscles, bones, skin, nerves, or ligaments.
Why This Matters:
Your body doesn’t store protein in its original form, like egg or whey molecules in muscles or collagen in skin. Instead, it customizes and repurposes protein based on its needs at any given time.
This process highlights the importance of consuming high-quality proteins and providing your body with the right nutrients to support this transformation.
By understanding this process, you can better appreciate the importance of prioritizing quality protein and nutrients in your diet to fuel your body’s incredible ability to repair and rebuild itself.
Essential vs. Non-Essential Amino Acids: What You Need to Know
When it comes to amino acids, there are two primary types: essential and non-essential. Here's the breakdown:
Essential Amino Acids
These are amino acids your body cannot produce on its own, making it necessary to obtain them through food or supplements.
Essential amino acids are vital for building every type of protein in your body, including muscle, bone, nerve, and brain proteins.
Non-Essential Amino Acids
These amino acids can be synthesized by your body, but their production depends on having a sufficient supply of essential amino acids.
Why You Need All the Essential Amino Acids
To build any protein, your body requires all eight essential amino acids. If even one is missing, the protein cannot be synthesized—period.
In addition to having all essential amino acids, they must be present in the correct ratios for optimal protein building.
Why Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) Fall Short
BCAAs include only three of the eight essential amino acids.
While they’ve been marketed as muscle-building supplements, modern science has disproven their effectiveness in building new proteins without the other essential amino acids.
Without a complete set of essential amino acids in the right ratios, your body cannot synthesize proteins effectively, no matter how much BCAA supplementation you consume.
This is why consuming high-quality protein sources that provide all the essential amino acids in the right proportions is critical for supporting muscle growth, bone health, and overall body function.
Protein Utilization Rate and How Your Body Uses Protein
The rate at which your body utilizes protein varies depending on the source, even if all are considered "complete proteins." Here’s a breakdown of key points about protein utilization rates:
What Is a Complete Protein?
A complete protein contains all of the essential amino acids. However, even with these complete proteins, the ratio of these amino acids matters greatly for how much of the protein can actually be used by your body to build muscle, bones, and other structures. This leads to the concept of protein utilization rates.
Utilization Rates of Common Protein Sources
The utilization rate refers to the percentage of protein that the body can use to build new tissue. Here's a comparison of the protein utilization rates of common protein sources:
Utilization Rate: 99%
Why It’s Effective: Nearly all of it is used by the body, with almost no excess.
Caloric Impact: Zero calories, making it ideal for fasting.
Eggs:
Utilization Rate: 48%
Why It’s High: Eggs are the top whole food for protein utilization.
Meat, Poultry, Fish:
Utilization Rate: About 32%
Key Consideration: While high in protein, a significant portion is not utilized.
Whey Protein:
Utilization Rate: 18%
Excess: 82% of whey protein is not usable for building new proteins, converted to sugar, and often stored as fat.
Plant-Based Proteins (e.g., Soy, Pea):
Utilization Rate: 16%
Consideration: Lower compared to animal-based proteins.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs):
Utilization Rate: 1%
Why It’s Low: BCAAs lack the complete set of essential amino acids required to build proteins.
Key Insights on Whey Protein
As shown above, whey protein (a very common source of protein, especially in the fitness world) only has a utilization rate of 18%. This leaves 82% of the protein that is not utilized which is often converted to sugar, potentially leading to:
Weight gain
Digestive and gut issues
Inflammation
If you do choose to use whey protein as a protein source, however, opt for high-quality whey protein (e.g., grass-fed, additive-free). Some great examples are Naked Whey (goat whey protein), or Nutridyn’s whey protein powder.
Why "Calories In, Calories Out" Is Misleading
Calories from food are measured outside the body using a calorimeter, but this doesn’t reflect how the body processes food.
Example:
Eggs: Are said to have 4 calories per gram, but this is actually closer to ~2 calories per gram due to higher protein utilization rates.
Whey Protein: Has ~3.2 calories per gram, not 4, because of lower utilization.
Protein Utilization: A Practical Example
Consider two individuals, both weighing 150 pounds, aiming for 1 gram of protein per pound daily:
Person A consumes 150 grams of protein from soy, pea, nuts, dairy, and whey. These sources have a utilization rate of 16–18%, resulting in just 27 grams of usable protein.
Person B eats 150 grams of protein from higher-quality sources:
40 grams from eggs = 19.2 grams usable protein
95 grams from red meat, fish, and poultry = 30.4 grams usable protein
15 grams from Perfect Aminos = 15 grams usable protein
Person B’s total: 65 grams of usable protein—2.5x more than Person A, despite consuming the same total protein.
This example highlights why understanding protein quality and utilization is crucial for optimizing health, building muscle, and preserving bone. Armed with this knowledge, you can make informed decisions to support your body’s long-term vitality.
Practical Protein FAQs: How to Optimize Your Intake
Let’s revisit the key questions about protein from earlier, now armed with a deeper understanding. Here’s how to apply this information to your daily life.
How Much Protein Should I Eat Per Day?
The amount of protein you need depends on your goals and weight. A good rule of thumb is 1 to 1.25 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight per day.
For example, if your ideal body weight is around 200 pounds, aim for 200–250 grams of protein daily. It’s important to focus on your ideal body weight—if you weigh 400 pounds, consuming 400 grams of protein daily is neither practical nor beneficial.
For most people, a minimum of 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight is recommended, especially as we age and naturally lose muscle and bone mass. However, this loss isn’t inevitable—by actively working to preserve and build muscle, you can counteract this process.
Does the Type of Protein I Eat Matter?
Absolutely! Quality is everything when it comes to protein. Prioritize high-quality, whole-food sources such as:
Grass-fed red meats
Pasture-raised poultry and eggs
Wild-caught fish (e.g., Alaskan sockeye salmon)
Avoid grain-fed animal products, which are often inflammatory and less nutrient-dense. Protein isn’t just about quantity—it’s about building a healthier body over time. Poor-quality proteins can introduce toxins and promote inflammation, undermining long-term health.
How Much Protein Should I Eat Per Meal?
This depends on your daily protein goal. Dividing your protein evenly across three meals is ideal for most people. It’s challenging to meet your needs if you only eat one or two meals a day.
For additional support, consider adding Perfect Aminos or similar supplements first thing in the morning or before workouts. After an overnight fast, your body craves protein, making morning supplementation especially effective.
Which Is Better: Plant or Animal Protein?
When it comes to bioavailability and utilization, animal protein is superior. However, plant proteins can be beneficial if used wisely. For example, Perfect Aminos are 100% plant-based yet provide all essential amino acids in the optimal ratio, making them 99% usable by the body.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian, focus on plant proteins with high utilization rates and supplement with a methylated B-complex vitamin to cover essential nutrients like B vitamins, which are harder to obtain from plant-based diets.
Key Takeaways: Simple Steps to Optimize Your Health
To wrap up today’s discussion, here are your inspirational and educational takeaways:
Success Comes From Simple Habits
Don’t let the journey to better health overwhelm you. Focus on simple, consistent habits performed daily over time. Consistency is the key to achieving your health goals.Build Your Meals Around High-Quality Protein
Prioritize high-quality protein sources with high utilization rates, such as eggs, grass-fed meats, and Perfect Aminos. Try to avoid low-quality, powdered, and processed proteins like whey and pea proteins whenever possible.Break Your Fast With Protein
Whenever you break a fast—whether after an overnight fast or during intermittent fasting—make protein your first choice. This could be eggs, high-quality meat, or an amino acid supplement.You Are a Leader
If today’s podcast resonated with you, share the knowledge. Think of someone who could benefit from learning about the importance of protein and send them a text to check out The Foundational Health Podcast with Dr. Kevin Schultz, Episode 13.