What a high-protein diet is doing to your gut health

We live in the era of the regime rich in protein. It’s in everything – Doupe coffee kulfis and cakes. Social flows are thick with declarations of 100 grams per day, the shaker bottles are treated as fashion accessories, and somewhere along the way, the carbohydrates have become the villain in the history of well-being. For some, which started as a clinical macronutrient has turned into a personality trait – and slightly obsessive.

But behind the aesthetic promise of the regime rich in protein (lean members, shiny hair, sacred metabolic boost), there is a quieter story playing in the intestine.

According to the nutritionist Payal Kothari, author of The intestineThe rise in the regime rich in protein was motivated by a mixture of vanity and virality. “Social media, aesthetic objectives and the culture of the gymnasium have glamorous proteins to the point of obsession,” she said. “The fear of carbohydrates and the conviction that proteins is equivalent to weight loss or muscle gain are everywhere. Although proteins are essential, this obsession is often exaggerated, especially when it eclipses fibers, healthy fats and diversity of food. ”

Mathematics itself are revealing. For most non -athletic adults, Kothari says: “The requirement is approximately 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.” Far from the three -digit figures often peddled online. “Influencers often push 100 g + per day, which can suit the cultists but overwhelms the intestine and the kidneys of the average person, especially if they are not balanced with fibers, water and movement,” she adds.

So what happens when you look too far into the protein-rich diet? “The intestine likes diversity and fibers, not just meat,” explains Kothari. “A heavy and fiber -poor diet fuels bacteria that produce inflammatory compounds such as ammonia and trimethylamine.

In short: your microbiome wants a buffet, not an obsession with a single diet. And when the fiber is missing, things go downhill. “When consumption exceeds 2 GMS / kg of body weight, it can overwhelm digestion and produce harmful by-products in the colon. Without fiber to balance it, excess protein does not well fermented, also leads to bloating, migraines and completely disturb the microbial ecosystem. ”

These are not just figures either. This is how this imbalance appears in your daily life. “It slows down everything,” notes Kothari. “You will probably feel constipated, gas or even foggy. Fiber is the food of your good bacteria. Without it, your intestine is hungry, and digestion becomes slow and inflamed. ”