A lot doesn't help a lot – dose your protein powder carefully
Protein powder is literally on everyone's lips these days. For you, it's certainly already an integral part of your diet. Perfect! Because protein not only helps build and maintain muscle, it can also be a game changer for your entire diet. To meet the body's protein requirements, foods such as milk, cheese, cottage cheese, natural yoghurt as well as fish or meat are just as suitable. Are you committed to a vegan diet or do you like to try out other forms of protein? Then you're well equipped by taking plant-based proteins. But you probably already know all that. The most common problem is that you often have problems meeting your protein requirements with protein-containing foods alone. You need additional protein. This is where we, or rather our MORE PROTEIN and MORE VEGAN PROTEIN protein powder, come into play.
But be careful: protein powder is concentrated protein. You therefore need significantly less protein powder for your daily protein requirement than other protein sources. For example, 100 g of our neutral MORE PROTEIN has almost four times as much protein as 100 g of fish or meat. You should not overwhelm your body with protein powder according to the motto "more is better", but rather dose it according to your needs. Although an excess of protein is not dangerous for healthy people, a daily overdose of protein powder, just like too much protein from other foods, can lead to skin imperfections and bloating in the long term.
So pay attention to how much protein you are already taking in through other foods. If you take this into account, you can then build up your supplementary nutrition and integrate the protein powder as a permanent part of your diet, making everyday life easier for you. Ideally, you should divide the total amount of your daily protein requirement into 3 portions per day. Don't forget to drink enough liquid, preferably water. Only by drinking enough water can the body efficiently digest the nutrients it takes in, which also include protein, and process them in the right places in the body. After all, it's not just your muscles that should benefit from the supplementary nutrition. The water or milk you mix your protein shake with is not enough to cover your entire fluid requirement. Let's go!
Are you more of an occasional athlete or even a couch potato who just wants to lose a little weight? No problem! Proteins are important for everyone, the amount you need depends on your lifestyle and goal. Protein shakes are suitable for everyone as a supplementary food and can also be easily integrated into recipes.
Dosage of protein powder tailored to you - here's how
The dosage of protein powder is quite similar for men and women. Men have a slightly higher protein requirement than women in relation to their body weight due to their higher muscle mass, but in practice this small difference is not taken into account. Current scientific data show a wide range for the daily protein requirement, for example 1.2 - 2.4 g/kg body weight for men and women, depending on body weight and activity.
To make it easier for you to dose the protein powder, we include a measuring spoon in each of our MORE PROTEIN cans. This saves you having to weigh it. If you don't have a measuring spoon to hand for the optimal protein powder dosage, you can also use a tablespoon. A level tablespoon corresponds to 15 grams.
The perfect dosage of your protein powder
Spoiler alert: Nobody is perfect, including the amount of protein required calculated using formulas. There is no such thing as the perfect protein powder dosage. We will give you some guidance that will help you get to the almost perfect dosage of your protein powder.
The DGE[1] reference value (RDA) is given as at least 0.8 g protein per kg body weight per day for people who mainly have a sedentary job and do not exercise. Many guides assume the intake of 1 g protein per kg of body weight. This is simply easier to calculate.
But even this value is not optimal according to current scientific findings. In a systematic review and meta-analysis by Hudson et al., 2020, the scientific data regarding a higher protein intake than the official recommendation of 0.8 protein/kg body weight was analyzed in detail. The scientists come to the conclusion that a protein intake that is above the RDA has a positive effect on the changes in lean body mass. Especially under physical exertion and stress![2] So if you stick to the relatively low RDA, you will not be undernourished, but you will still be a long way from the optimum.
If you take a look at Examine.com's dosage recommendations on protein intake, you will see that there is a difference of at least 0.4 g/kg of body weight compared to the DGE reference value. For a body weight of 80 kg, that is at least a 32 gram difference. Because we don't want to settle for the minimum, but only the optimum, we have summarized the recommended amounts for you based on current scientific findings. This is the range you should use when dosing your protein powder in combination with your other foods. Depending on whether you are of normal weight or weigh a little more and how intensive and regular you exercise, your entire body, not just your muscles, needs a little more or a little less protein. Your fitness goal is also important. Is building muscle or maintaining muscle while dieting your current path?
In summary, these daily dosage recommendations represent the optimum for your daily protein powder dosage: [3],[4]
- Minimum requirement (predominantly sedentary activity & no sport): 0.8 g / kg body weight
- Optimum for low activity: 1.2 – 1.8 g / kg body weight
- In connection with sport and the goal of muscle maintenance: 1.4 – 2.0 g / kg body weight
- During a diet or to build muscle mass: 1.6 – 2.4 g / kg body weight
- During pregnancy: 1.8 g / kg body weight
- During breastfeeding: => 1.5 g / kg body weight
When is the right time to take protein?
The question of all questions: Should you take protein powder before or after exercise? Or maybe even before and after? Can you take protein powder independently of exercise? So when is the best time to take protein?
According to current scientific findings, it is not important whether you take the proteins before or after training. The only important thing is that the body receives sufficient amounts of proteins that are adapted to the training goal.[5] This means that you can decide for yourself whether you prefer to drink your shake before or after training or when you use your protein powder for cooking or baking.
Do you want to know exactly when your protein shake makes the most sense? Then check out our article "Protein shake before or after training: Which is better?" If you want to use protein shakes not only to build muscle but also to lose weight, then find out more here: "Protein shakes for losing weight"
Do whey and casein need to be dosed differently?
Not all proteins are created equal. If you choose our MORE PROTEIN, you don't have to worry about the dosage of the two types of protein powder. Because we have already taken into account the optimal ratio, which is based on the scientific findings of Lyle McDonald and which he summarized in his "Protein Book". But why are there two variants?
The difference between whey and casein lies in how the body absorbs the proteins. In short: whey is absorbed and utilized very quickly, thus boosting protein synthesis. However, only for a short period of time. Casein, on the other hand, is absorbed much more slowly but continuously by the body. This means that the amino acid level remains high over a longer period of time. Your body and muscles are thus supplied with the important nutrients in the long term. The composition of your protein powder is therefore always important to consider.
So which protein is better? It's all about the mix! With our MORE PROTEIN protein powder, you don't have to choose between whey and casein.
Protein shakes aren't your thing? No problem!
You're not the biggest fan of protein shakes? That's okay. There are other ways to prepare protein powder every day in a delicious way and in a variety of ways. Does preparing sound like cooking to you? That's right! Our MORE PROTEIN is great for cooking and baking. The many different flavors give you a lot of variety. In your next pancakes, replace some of the flour that corresponds to the dosage of your protein powder with MORE PROTEIN cinnamon sugar cookies or another MORE PROTEIN that suits your taste. Our vegan protein powder VEGAN MORE PROTEIN is also ideal for cooking and baking.
Conclusion: How to dose your protein powder correctly
Please avoid the motto "more is better" when it comes to the amount of protein powder you choose , and take into account your total protein intake from all foods. An overdose of protein over a long period of time can lead to skin blemishes and bloating. That's not a bad thing, but you can also do without it. As an average, you can stick to a daily protein powder dosage of 1.8 g/kg of body weight - plus the protein you get from your other diet. If you do a lot of sport, the amount you need is 1.4-2.0 g/kg of body weight. Women need between 1.4-1.7 g/kg because they generally have lower muscle mass, and men need between 1.7-2.0 g/kg of body weight.
It is important not only as an athlete not to take the whole dose at once and to drink enough water on the side to stay hydrated. The liquid, whether milk or water, with which you mix your protein powder shake is not enough to replenish your body's water balance on a daily basis. It is best to divide your protein powder intake into 1-3 portions a day and thus incorporate your additional protein into your diet as a fixed, daily component. In total, you should have 3 portions of protein a day. So: get off the couch and get motivated to train!
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