The best time to eat protein depends on your goals, but in general, spreading protein intake evenly throughout the day is ideal for maximizing its benefits. Eating protein with each meal supports muscle maintenance, satiety, and energy balance.
Everyone should be focused on optimizing lean body mass. The maintenance and increase in lean body mass is an important pillar of overall health and longevity, and protein is critical to achieve this goal.
One major takeaway: total protein consumption is far more important than the timing of protein intake. As long as you are hitting your daily protein total, the timing of protein consumption is less important.
Let's dive into the differences for when to eat protein depending on your goals.
Best Time to Take Protein for Muscle Growth
The shaker bottle packed with protein is a staple of gyms everywhere.
The prevailing rule of thumb among fitness experts and bodybuilders is the best time to drink a protein shake is right after a workout. People will often talk about the anabolic window—the 30-60 minutes after exercise when the body is most receptive to protein for muscle growth and recovery.
Research, however, suggests it doesn't matter when you drink a protein shake. There is more to gain from consuming nutrients and protein at all times surrounding exercise and throughout the day.
Additionally, total protein intake matters most. The total daily caloric and protein intake over the long term play the most crucial dietary roles in facilitating adaptations to exercise.
So what does this mean? You can absolutely crush a protein shake post-workout. In fact, it’s a great way to hit your daily protein goals, but don’t worry if you miss the post-workout window, it’s the total amount that matters.
A 2018 study revealed that consuming high-quality protein before and after exercise, spaced around four to six hours apart, is ideal for promoting muscle growth. Muscles remain responsive to protein intake for up to 24 hours after a workout. This allows more flexibility in timing protein consumption to optimize muscle gain.
To summarize—Protein shake before or after workout? It doesn’t matter as long as you consume enough protein throughout the day.
Make sure to eat protein at each meal and focus on snacks that have high protein. No empty calories.
Best Time to Eat Protein for Weight Loss
The best time to eat protein for weight loss is at every meal.
Here’s why eating protein at every meal is important—
- Helps with weight loss by increasing satiety, making you feel fuller for longer and reducing overall calorie intake.
- Boosts metabolism through the thermic effect of food, where the body burns more calories digesting protein compared to fats and carbs.
- Preserves lean muscle mass during weight loss, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy metabolism.
- Makes it easier to reach daily protein goal
Start your day with protein. Consuming protein in the morning can help curb hunger throughout the day.
Studies show that a high-protein breakfast can reduce cravings and help prevent overeating later in the day.
Try machaca with eggs, Greek yogurt, or a protein shake.
Make protein a feature of every meal and snack. Spread your protein intake throughout the day to keep your metabolism active and support muscle maintenance, which is essential for weight loss.
Eating protein at each meal helps control appetite and reduces cravings. A study found that women who consumed high-protein yogurt during the afternoon ate 100 fewer calories at dinner, compared to women who ate crackers as an afternoon snack.
Ditch the chips and try high-protein beef jerky.
Before and After Workouts Eating protein before a workout can give you sustained energy, and consuming it after exercise helps with muscle recovery and growth.
Maintaining or building muscle can improve metabolism, aiding in weight loss
Stop the cravings at night with protein. Having a small, protein-rich snack before bed, such as cottage cheese or a protein shake, may support muscle repair and help with overnight recovery, especially if you exercise regularly. This can also help prevent late-night cravings.
Best Time to Eat Protein to Prevent Muscle Loss
Maintaining muscle mass becomes increasingly important as you age.
Research suggests that people lose about 3–8% of their muscle mass each decade after the age of 30. Maintaining muscle mass is critical to overall health.
Consuming sufficient protein throughout the day counteracts and slows the process of muscle loss. Aim for around 25–30 grams of protein per meal. Make sure that any snacks you are enjoying are packed with protein.
Interestingly, most Americans consume about three times more protein at dinner than at breakfast. Increasing protein intake at breakfast is a great way to balance protein consumption across meals.
How Much Protein Should You Eat
We recommend consuming 1.25 to 1.75 grams of protein per kilogram daily. We find this achieves the benefits of protein consumption while still being attainable in a normal diet.
Learn more about the science behind how much protein you should eat.
Best Protein Sources
The best protein sources provide all essential amino acids, are highly digestible, and support overall health. Here’s a list of high-quality protein sources, both animal- and plant-based.
Animal-Based Protein Sources
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Fish and Seafood
- Beef
- Pork
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Cheese
*Animal based protein sources are “complete” proteins meaning they offer the nine amino acids that the human body cannot make.
Plant-Based Protein Sources
- Quinoa*
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Tofu and Tempeh*
- Edamame*
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Seeds
- Nuts and Nut Butters
- Seitan
*These are the few complete, plant-based protein sources that offer the nine amino acids the human body cannot make.
Protein Supplements
- Whey Protein
- Casein Protein
- Pea Protein
- Soy Protein
- Hemp Protein
Learn more about the difference between complete and incomplete protein.
Bottom Line
The best time to eat protein is throughout the day. Spreading protein intake across meals helps with muscle maintenance and keeps you fuller for longer.
Your ace in the hole to hitting your protein goal? High protein beef jerky.
Our beef jerky can help you reach your daily protein total by providing a convenient, high-protein snack that can be easily incorporated into meals or eaten on the go. Each serving of beef jerky contains a significant amount of lean protein.
Additionally, because it's portable and shelf-stable, it makes it easier to stay on track with protein intake throughout the day, whether as a snack between meals or after a workout.
