The previous chart gave you a number; let’s see how quickly 63 grams can translate into food. The following chart lists the protein content of commonly eaten foods. You can imagine how quickly these numbers add up, especially because most people tend to eat much more than a 3-ounce serving in one shot. Let’s take a look at a typical day:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs 3 strips of bacon 2 slices of toast with margarine Glass of milk Lunch: A big fat tuna salad sandwich (6 oz.) 2 slices of bread Apple Dinner: Steak (6 oz.) Some veggies and rice Total protein = 137 grams (yikes!)

As mentioned earlier, people in industrialized countries don’t have a problem meeting their protein requirements. In fact, as you can see, it’s easy to exceed the amount you need because our society tends to focus on meat, fish, eggs, seafood, or dairy with almost every meal.

Should You Worry About Overeating Protein?

Well, maybe. The problem is that your body only uses what it needs. And the rest? Well, some protein may be used for energy, but most is just a lot of extra calories and usually not just protein calories. Many of these high-protein foods are also packaged with fat; therefore, excess calories, which can translate into weight gain, can be a major concern. Furthermore, filling up on enormous portions of animal protein might crowd out grains, fruits, and veggies, which would create “macro-nutrient chaos.” Go ahead and determine your personal protein needs, and then adjust your meals accordingly. You might want to prepare smaller pieces of animal protein (about 3 ounces) and load a variety of veggies and grains onto your plate. Also, watch out for “ high-protein” diets, which promise quick weight loss by encouraging large amounts of protein while severely limiting carbohydrate intake (no bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal, and so on). You might lose weight, but not from any magical combination of “high protein/low carbohydrates.” One reason may be loss of water because the breakdown of excessive protein causes frequent urination. Another explanation may be that your total calories usually decrease when you’re limited to high-protein foods. How much plain protein can you really eat? Furthermore, these high-protein/low-carb eating plans can be unhealthy (unless you are clinically diagnosed with hyperinsulinemia by your physician). Your body cannot burn fat efficiently without adequate carbohydrates. As a result, you produce compounds called ketones, which can accumulate in the blood and leave you feeling dizzy, nauseous, fatigued, and headachy—and give you incredibly bad breath. What’s more, excessive protein can also put an added strain on your kidneys. It’s pretty ironic when the goal of losing weight should be to improve your health, not make it worse.