Can Too Much Protein Cause Constipation? (From a Dietitian)

If you’re currently on a high-protein diet and want to prevent constipation, your best bet is to keep your meals balanced.

• Include non-starchy vegetables such as dark leafy greens vegetables: kale, spinach, Asian greens, cabbage. They are low in carbs and high in fiber.
• Balance your animal protein intake with plant-based proteins such as lentils, peanuts, kidney beans, and almonds.
• Check the protein shakes you consume. Although they normally don’t cause constipation, consuming large amounts or components such as lactose or gluten may cause digestive issues.
• Drink more fluids.

Constipation may cause fatigue over time so, here are things you can do when you are constipated.

1. Increase your fiber intake

Enough fiber is the key to healthy bowel movements. So, make sure you eat more fiber in your diet, especially insoluble fiber found in wholegrain foods, root vegetables, beans, pulses, and lentils (also high in soluble fiber).

2. Drink more water

Increasing your water intake helps soften stool and move it easily through the GI tract, relieving constipation. Carrying around a water bottle ensures you drink plenty of it.

3. Exercise

Doing a digestion-friendly exercise, such as a 15-minute walk or jog an hour after you had your meal, helps relieve constipation because it improves your blood flow.

Related: Yoga Poses for Constipation

4. Eat probiotic foods

Probiotic foods contain “good” bacteria that are safe and help improve bowel movements and soften hard stools.

The right amount of protein to take depends on several factors such as your body weight, age, gender, activity, health, and total diet.

According to insights from Healthline, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 0.36 grams of protein per pound (0.8 grams per kg) of your body mass [3].

It’s about 56 grams per day for an average man with an inactive lifestyle (not exercising) and an estimated 46 grams per day for an average woman with an inactive lifestyle.

Those who have an active lifestyle, eating 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kg of body weight each day do them well.

Elite athletes need to consume more protein for weight loss and improved athletic performance. The International Journal of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.6 to 2.4 grams of protein per kg body weight per day.

If you are looking to add a protein supplement to your diet, make sure you check out our article on the best whey protein powders on the market.

Our findings show that while high dietary protein intake helps in muscle building and weight management, it can also lead to issues like gaining weight, diarrhea, and even dehydration.

• Diarrhea - Eating too many dairy products and processed food, plus a lack of fiber, may cause diarrhea.  Avoid diarrhea: limit fried foods, avoid caffeinated beverages, increase your fiber intake, and reduce excess fat consumption.
• Weight Gain - Eating fewer carbs and consuming more protein helps you lose weight and grow muscles. However, it may lead to excess calories that are stored as fat, resulting in an increased body weight.
• Dehydration - High-protein diets cause your kidneys to work overtime to flush out excess nitrogen found in the protein’s amino acids out of your system. As a result, you urinate a lot, feel more thirsty than usual, and worse, wreck your kidneys over time.
• Calcium loss - Some protein sources are high in acid that binds with calcium and is excreted in the urine, resulting in loss of calcium. It is said to cause bone issues over time; however, no research proves it yet.
• Heart Disease - Increased protein intake from red meat and full-fat dairy foods increases the risks of heart disease because they contain high saturated fat that can build up around the blood vessels. It is best to eat heart-healthy meals.
• Risk of cancer - Eating protein in large quantities, especially those coming from red and processed meat, is linked to increased cancer risk. It is because these high-protein foods are considered carcinogenic.
• Bad breath - As our bodies break down protein’s amino acids, they release ammonia that produces a strong odor on our breath; so, extra protein may lead to bad breath.

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