No.1 Protein Scientist: Are you eating enough?

madman · Aug 7, 2025

Are you eating enough protein? This is probably a question you’ve asked yourself. With “high protein” labels on almost every type of food product you can imagine, it’s easy to get confused.

In this episode, Prof. Stuart Phillips explains how protein can keep us healthy as we age. He also outlines when we should eat protein, how much protein we really need, and provides simple, practical advice to help you achieve it. Stuart is a professor in the Kinesiology Department at McMaster University. He’s the author of more than 400 scientific papers, many focusing on protein and muscle health, particularly during ageing.

With so much confusion around this topic - especially in the context of fitness and ageing - this episode will provide clear, evidence-based answers from one of the world’s leading scientists on the topic, to help you make smarter nutrition choices.

Timecodes:

00:00 We’ve been lied to about protein
04:05 Why protein is completely different from carbs and fat
09:05 The depressing age when you start losing muscle
14:45 Your muscles have a secret second job
17:25 Why food companies are suddenly adding protein to everything
22:25 The shocking protein intake that fuelled your biggest ever growth spurt
26:45 Why the 'optimal' amount of protein is so hard to define
33:05 The surprising truth about protein for building muscle
40:15 Most of us are already eating the 'optimal' amount of protein without trying
42:30 When eating more protein could actually be harmful
45:00 The ‘anabolic window’ myth debunked
48:50 Why 'animal protein is superior' is an outdated idea
51:16 The myth of ‘incomplete’ plant proteins
51:55 The ancient food secret our ancestors discovered all over the world
53:50 Is there an upper limit for protein in one meal?
57:25 My number one food for a high-protein breakfast
59:05 A simple pyramid for choosing the healthiest protein sources
59:55 The 'healthy' protein source that’s a class one carcinogen
01:02:55 When a protein bar is no healthier than a chocolate bar
01:04:30 Why your protein cookie could be reducing your healthy life years
01:06:20 My number one tip for health (and it’s not about nutrition)
01:08:50 The ideal daily protein target for most healthy adults

Thread 'Experts Settle the PROTEIN Debate'

Jul 8, 2025

Bringing together two of the top minds, with differing (though less so now than ever before) perspectives on protein as it relates to health from multiple different angles, watching their circles of agreement overlapping more and more in real time, is amazing. But we push the envelope, ask the right questions and you find where Reality Meets Science.

Finding Peace With Protein

A conversation distilled into actionable insights from Professors Christopher Gardner (Stanford / Harvard) and Stuart Phillips (McMaster University)...

2. Plant vs. Animal Protein: How Different Are They?

Question	Key Points From the Experts
Is animal protein “superior”?	- Early scoring systems (e.g., PDCAAS) favored animal protein for digestibility and essential amino-acid content. - Newer research shows comparable muscle-related outcomes when total intake is adequate; pea or soy protein can match whey in many contexts.
When might plant protein fall short?	- Older adults at or below the RDA (0.8 g kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) and eating strictly vegan may need extra attention to quantity and amino-acid diversity. - Close to the RDA, small quality gaps matter more.
Practical takeaway	- For most people eating ≥1.0 g kg⁻¹ day⁻¹, plant and animal proteins are functionally equivalent for muscle health. - Focus on overall diet quality, not single amino-acid scores.

3. The Underrated Power of Legumes

Gardner highlighted the striking under-consumption of beans, lentils and peas in North America—despite:
· ~20% protein by weight (double most grains).
· High fiber, low saturated fat, rich micronutrient profile.
· A much lower environmental footprint than meat.
Regular legume intake is common in Asian, Mediterranean, Latin-American and African cuisines. Flatulence concerns typically fade as the gut microbiome adapts.

madman · Aug 7, 2025

Thread 'Optimizing Amino Acids and Protein for Musculoskeletal Health during Periods of Rest or Disuse'

Nov 8, 2024

The hammer my hometown!

Professor Stuart Phillips.

Speaker: Prof Stuart Phillips, PhD, FACSM, FCAHS, Professor & Tier 1 Canada Research Chair Director, Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE),
McMaster University, Ontario, Canada.

46th ESPEN Congress on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism - Milano, Italy
For Healthcare Professionals Only

madman · Aug 7, 2025

Thread 'Are BCAAs worth the hype?'

Aug 7, 2025

EAA is where it's at!

Professor Stuart Phillips is back on the podcast and this time talking with Scott about BCAAs aka Branch Chain Amino Acids. There is a lot of hype around BCAAs however are they worth it? Listen to find out.

Phil Goodman · Aug 7, 2025

I’m not sure I’d call anyone the number one protein scientist if they don’t even understand that animal protein is superior to plant protein.

I’m not surprised though… the villainization of meat has been in overdrive for years now. Probably haven’t seen a dietary campaign this misguided since the demonization of fat that was pushed by the sugar industry all those years ago.

Guided_by_Voices · Aug 7, 2025

Phil Goodman said:
I’m not sure I’d call anyone the number one protein scientist if they don’t even understand that animal protein is superior to plant protein.

I’m not surprised though… the villainization of meat has been in overdrive for years now. Probably haven’t seen a dietary campaign this misguided since the demonization of fat that was pushed by the sugar industry all those years ago.

I didn't watch the video, but my understanding from other sources is that while technically plant protein can, in the right combination, approach animal sources, in the real world you would have to eat so much of it that it is both impractical, and what plant protein comes bundled with could be a problem. Mike Mahler is a vegan who is very strong, but he emphasizes that there is no way he could do it without tons of supplements like pea and pumpkin protein powder. He also appears to be a natural mesomorph. Additionally, it's kind of a moot point because there are other essential nutrients in animal products like the choline in eggs.

Apparently the genetic traits have been identified in research in Russia that identify who is likely to be naturally strong and respond really well to a strength program, so any research with a small sample size that doesn't take that into account from here on out is likely suspect.

madman · Aug 7, 2025

Guided_by_Voices said:
I didn't watch the video, but my understanding from other sources is that while technically plant protein can, in the right combination, approach animal sources, in the real world you would have to eat so much of it that it is both impractical, and what plant protein comes bundled with could be a problem. Mike Mahler is a vegan who is very strong, but he emphasizes that there is no way he could do it without tons of supplements like pea and pumpkin protein powder. He also appears to be a natural mesomorph. Additionally, it's kind of a moot point because there are other essential nutrients in animal products like the choline in eggs.

Apparently the genetic traits have been identified in research in Russia that identify who is likely to be naturally strong and respond really well to a strength program, so any research with a small sample size that doesn't take that into account from here on out is likely suspect.

Thread 'Experts Settle the PROTEIN Debate'

Jul 8, 2025

Bringing together two of the top minds, with differing (though less so now than ever before) perspectives on protein as it relates to health from multiple different angles, watching their circles of agreement overlapping more and more in real time, is amazing. But we push the envelope, ask the right questions and you find where Reality Meets Science.

Finding Peace With Protein

A conversation distilled into actionable insights from Professors Christopher Gardner (Stanford / Harvard) and Stuart Phillips (McMaster University)...

2. Plant vs. Animal Protein: How Different Are They?

Question	Key Points From the Experts
Is animal protein “superior”?	- Early scoring systems (e.g., PDCAAS) favored animal protein for digestibility and essential amino-acid content. - Newer research shows comparable muscle-related outcomes when total intake is adequate; pea or soy protein can match whey in many contexts.
When might plant protein fall short?	- Older adults at or below the RDA (0.8 g kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) and eating strictly vegan may need extra attention to quantity and amino-acid diversity. - Close to the RDA, small quality gaps matter more.
Practical takeaway	- For most people eating ≥1.0 g kg⁻¹ day⁻¹, plant and animal proteins are functionally equivalent for muscle health. - Focus on overall diet quality, not single amino-acid scores.

3. The Underrated Power of Legumes

Gardner highlighted the striking under-consumption of beans, lentils and peas in North America—despite:
· ~20% protein by weight (double most grains).
· High fiber, low saturated fat, rich micronutrient profile.
· A much lower environmental footprint than meat.
Regular legume intake is common in Asian, Mediterranean, Latin-American and African cuisines. Flatulence concerns typically fade as the gut microbiome adapts.

Phil Goodman · Aug 8, 2025

Guided_by_Voices said:
I didn't watch the video, but my understanding from other sources is that while technically plant protein can, in the right combination, approach animal sources, in the real world you would have to eat so much of it that it is both impractical, and what plant protein comes bundled with could be a problem. Mike Mahler is a vegan who is very strong, but he emphasizes that there is no way he could do it without tons of supplements like pea and pumpkin protein powder. He also appears to be a natural mesomorph. Additionally, it's kind of a moot point because there are other essential nutrients in animal products like the choline in eggs.

Apparently the genetic traits have been identified in research in Russia that identify who is likely to be naturally strong and respond really well to a strength program, so any research with a small sample size that doesn't take that into account from here on out is likely suspect.

Agreed. I didn’t watch the entire video, but one great thing about madman’s posting is that he always posts the timestamps for various topics from the videos which is super convenient. A few highlights from the video on the topic of animal vs plant.

- they say that bioavailability can be similar between plant and animal proteins, but even they admit that it’s only when comparing the various protein supplements like soy or pea protein isolate. Or at least the guy does. Well… he says they have studied it as far as comparing whole foods but that he won’t give the answer. The woman with him straight up lies and says when you combine the right plant sources to get a complete protein the digestibility is the same, which is 100% false. We can get into the weeds about why that is, but probably the simplest example is that fiber plays a role in bioavailability(among many other things in plants) so it doesn’t matter if the amino acid profile is the same, there are still other factors in plant sources which will mean in a whole foods form they will never be as bioavailable as animal proteins. They also say you should try to avoid supplements as much as possible and try to get your protein from whole foods so they are kind of contradicting themselves there.

They do at least mention the importance of planning when trying to get complete proteins from plants due to incomplete proteins, but they downplay it a lot and make it sound super easy.

The woman in the video even goes so far as to say most of your proteins should come from plants, and explains it in a way similar to the food pyramid. She says in the pyramid whole grains, soy, and legumes would be at the bottom and make up the bulk. That was the part that blew my mind. Let’s compare eating an 8 oz steak vs what it would take in peanuts to get the same amount of protein (about 1.25 cups of peanuts)…and I’m picking a plant source that is almost best case scenario for her argument. If I’d went with something like beans it would be an insane amount of beans to match the steak. Between the two you’d get the same amount of protein. With the steak you’d get about 15 grams of fat, with the peanuts you’d get over 140 grams of fat. Steak would provide 0 carbs vs over 60 for the peanuts, and the peanuts would give you 4x more calories for the same amount of protein. And again, that’s comparing one that actually wouldn’t be too hard to eat… if I’d compared other plant sources like beans…. let’s just say you’d probably shit your pants before getting the same amount of protein as the steak lol. Plus you get into the issues of all the chemicals they spray on plants in this country that gets into our food, which would be more pronounced in plant sources.

So again, I don’t understand why they’re so adamant about saying plant protein is equal to animal protein. For the sake of fairness though, he did repeatedly emphasize the importance of exercise. Even at the end when asked for which one piece of advice he would give if it had to be a single one, he said exercise is extremely important. And they did a good job of calling out the recent marketing campaign we see so much these days, where companies will take a crappy food then add a few grams of protein to it and market it as a high protein “health food”. So there were some good points made as well, I just don’t get the whole push to try and say plant protein is just as good as animal protein.