By John Krueger (About the Author)
Myth: "You need protein immediately post workout or you'll lose all your gains" "You have to eat protein every 2 hours"
Fact: If you have been told either of these two things, you should know that both are inherently false. You should not overly stress about how much protein you eat every hour, or when you consume it. It is important to know that at the end of the day your total daily protein intake has a lot more effect than the timing you consume it. Now this does not mean you should cram 200g of protein into one meal, but you don't need to be that person slamming down a protein shake as soon as they get in the gym locker room either.
Myth: "Your body can only digest 20-30 grams of protein at a time"
Fact: There is common theory that anything above this number is turned to fat and wasted. First of all this is incorrect due to the fact that protein has the highest thermogenic rate among macro nutrients. This simply means that the body has to work harder (burn more calories) to break down and digest protein than other nutrients. This does not even take into effect the role protein plays into building muscle. The goal behind this is to minimize muscle breakdown and increase protein synthesis; in other words stop your body from using muscle tissue for energy and increase the amount of amino acids (protein) in your body. A simpler way to achieve this would be to consume higher amounts of protein.
Myth: "High protein diets are bad on your kidneys and cause other health issues"
Fact: There has yet to be a study done on people without EXISTING kidney condition that links high protein diets with kidney ailments of any kind. The same can be said for osteoporosis, and in some cases high protein diets have to shown to reverse the fact. Simple, moving on.
Take Home Points
1. Total daily protein intake is much more important than time of consumption.
2. Break down your intake per meal based on what works for you and what will allow you hit your total daily goal.
3. There are no health issues directly correlated with high protein diets