Does Protein Give You Energy? (Guide For Shakes & More)

Does Protein Provide You With Energy?

Yes, consuming protein does provide you with energy. And yes, it’s not that simple.

Let’s start with the basics.

Energy, as far as nutrition and human bodies go, is measured in calories. In other words, a calorie is a unit of measurement.

To be more specific, a calorie is a unit of measurement for the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius (or 33.8 Fahrenheit).[1]

In layman’s terms, these are nothing more than potential energy stored in our bodies to be broken down and utilized for various processes.

Now, how does this have anything to do with protein?

Protein is a macronutrient, and these nutrients contain calories, so here's how that goes:

Since you’re never going to eat a gram of protein - here’s how it works in some real-world situations:

Here's the caveat…

Just because you’ve eaten 400 kcals doesn’t mean you’ll get to use them!

More protein usually doesn't mean more energy because using protein for energy is not an efficient process, and your body usually won't resort to it unless there are no alternative sources.

Protein can provide energy, but that rarely happens.[2]

Of course, there are exceptions to this.

If you’re fasting, or you’re on a very low-carb diet, or you’ve burned through all the glucose in your body on an assault bike - your body will definitely adapt to using protein for energy.

How Protein Works, Why Do We Need It?

Most of you already know that proteins are micronutrients that play an essential role in muscle development, but that’s hardly all there is to them.

Let's dive in a little deeper.

Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of not only new proteins but cells, tissues, and organs.

There are 20 different amino acids divided into two groups:[3]

Now, every protein is made up of these amino acids, but not all of them are made equal.

Depending on the sequence and the number of particular amino acids that form a protein, they can be divided into several categories, most notably into two:

For proteins to be classified as complete proteins, they must contain all EAAs in sufficient amounts.

Since we’ve learned all that, let’s learn how they work, and we need them.

Protein helps grow and repair muscle tissue.

Now, this is a very complex process that occurs on a cellular level that involves protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown, but I'll do my best to simplify it as much as possible:

Let’s start with muscle growth or hypertrophy.

When you consume protein, it is broken down into individual amino acids that are then used by the body to build new proteins, which are then transported to muscle cells, where they are used to create lean muscle through a process called protein synthesis.

On the other hand, we have muscle repair.

Resistance training or any other form of physical activity puts stress on the muscles, causing micro-damage to the muscle fiber as well as muscle protein breakdown (proteins reverting back into amino acids).

To fix the damage, the body initiates repair processes by activating satellite cells and increasing muscle protein synthesis.[4]

Now, there’s also a delicate balance here.

Namely, if you end up relying on the amino acids that come from muscle protein breakdown for repair -  you will lose muscle mass over time.

Why? Because your body can’t make EAAs.

That’s why eating a high-protein diet is crucial to help maintain this balance between muscle protein synthesis and breakdown.[5]

In addition to building muscles, proteins play a number of major roles in other systems in our body.

Here are a few:

Aside from those, there are also signaling proteins, gene and DNA regulation proteins, digestive proteins (enzymes), etc.

How Much Energy Do Protein Shakes Give You

Does protein give you energy before workout, and if it does - how much energy do you get from it?

The truth is that protein shakes don't play a major role in fueling your workout or upping your glucose levels.

If you just mix water and 25 grams of protein (whey, pea, soy, casein, brown rice, hemp seeds, etc.) -  you will only supply yourself with 120-150 kcals (depending on the protein powder) that won’t be utilized immediately.

The same thing goes for those that like to take their shakes bright and early.

Protein shakes give you energy in the morning, but only a small amount.

Eating a healthy, balanced breakfast is much more important than drinking a shake - whether before a tough workout or a day in the office.[6]

That said, I have a confession to make.

I was quite lenient with my carnivore diet, so there were quite a few shakes and smoothies in my diet. And those shakes were anything but plain.

So, if you’re like me and you like to spice things up a bit, what I like to do is add whole nuts and apples (for fiber and fats) to my shakes. What you can also do is try it with some cranberry juice (my go-to pre-workout shake), dairy products, bananas, nut butter, almond butter, or whatever else you like to put in your shake.

Keep in mind, in that case, you’ll have to do some maths and figure out the caloric content of each ingredient you’ve consumed, add it all up, and you’ll get yourself an answer to how much energy you will get from a protein shake.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

You need about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram or 0.36 grams per pound of body weight. That’s the official RDA.

However, you shouldn’t take this literally. There’s evidence suggesting otherwise. [7]

And also, what is enough protein for a sedentary young woman is not enough for an active elderly man.

In other words, everyone's metabolism is different, and not everyone responds to macronutrients similarly. Also, your lifestyle, health, sex, and age affect your macronutrient needs.

I've been at 210 pounds for years now, and I usually eat around 150-200 grams of protein.

So, how do you determine your daily intake? How much should you be eating?

Here are some examples:

Once again, this isn’t necessarily true for everyone.

In the end, the best thing you can do, and what I would do, is visit a doctor or a nutritionist, discuss goals, wants, and needs, assess the overall health, and discuss everything in great detail.

That’s the only way you’ll work with precise data.

How Long Does It Take For Protein To Turn Into Energy?

The time it takes for the protein to be converted into energy depends on several factors, including your metabolic rate, the presence of other nutrients, the body's energy demands at the time, etc.

That said, it usually takes about four to five hours for protein to turn into energy - if it even ends up being used.

And even that is not exactly true, as different types of protein have different PDCAAs scores, meaning they’re digested and absorbed more or less efficiently.[8]

Energy From Protein Commonly Asked Questions

Conclusion

So, does protein give you energy? Yes, absolutely.

Are low-carb-high-protein diets a good choice if you want to feel more energized? Probably not.

The body prefers carbs and healthy fats, and while you can draw energy from high-protein foods - it’s the carbohydrate-rich foods that will ramp you up.

So, take it from me. My carbohydrate-void diet didn't last long, and it wasn't very sustainable.

So, feel free to eat protein in high amounts, but don't be restrictive. Instead, eat a balanced diet and get all the nutrients you need if you want a healthy body and that energized feeling all day.

References: 

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218769/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557845/
4. https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-022-02706-5
5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0845-5
6. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/5/559
7. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2015-0550
8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622141507?via%3Dihub