Protein Occasion Assessment
Dose protein by occasion, digestion, blood sugar, and food context
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
This assessment replaces a single daily grams-per-pound target with an occasion-by-occasion decision. Begin with enough protein at an eating occasion to resource the body and support blood-sugar stability; Koff suggests that most people generally should not go below 15 grams at an occasion. Before moving above roughly 30–40 grams at a sitting, assess whether digestion can break it down and whether blood sugar responds well. Choose the form to fit the context: after intense exercise, an easier-to-digest liquid or soft food may work better than steak. Then monitor gas, acne, bloating, reflux, constipation, and other signs of poor fit. Finally, diversify protein-containing foods because natural foods also deliver fats, carbohydrates, antioxidants, and different amino-acid profiles.
Origin
Ashley Koff offers the assessment while challenging the trend of prescribing one gram of protein per pound of body weight to everyone.
Core principles
- 01Assess protein per eating occasion, not only per day
- 02Use digestion and blood sugar to set the upper bound
- 03Choose foods containing protein, not protein in isolation
- 04Vary sources to broaden amino acid and nutrient intake
How to run it
- 1
Set the occasion floor
Include enough protein at each eating occasion to support the body's needs and stabilize blood sugar. Use the floor as a starting point, not a universal prescription.
Pro tip Koff cites 15 grams as a general lower boundary for most people at an eating occasion.
- 2
Test the upper range
Before regularly exceeding 30–40 grams at once, check digestive capacity and blood-sugar response. Reduce or redistribute the dose if the body handles it poorly.
Watch out A large daily target can become excessive at higher body weights.
- 3
Match form to context
Choose a digestible food form based on current stress and activity. Consider liquid or softer nutrition after intense exercise if digestion is temporarily reduced.
Pro tip Ease of breakdown can matter as much as the number of grams.
- 4
Read symptom signals
Watch for bad gas, acne, bloating, reflux, constipation, or worsening blood sugar. Treat these as reasons to reassess quantity, source, and digestion.
Watch out Do not bandage persistent symptoms with supplements while continuing the same overload.
- 5
Diversify the source
Rotate among protein-containing foods to vary amino acids and accompanying nutrients. Judge the whole food rather than labeling it as pure protein.
Watch out Removing all carbohydrate in favor of protein and fat can unbalance nutrient intake.
In the wild
After a very intense workout, a person finds that steak sits poorly because digestion has been downregulated. They use a higher-protein liquid or cottage cheese and reassess recovery and symptoms.
→ They receive useful protein in a form their body can break down at that moment.
A 200-pound person stops automatically targeting 200 grams per day and instead distributes appropriate portions across meals while monitoring digestion and blood sugar.
→ Protein supports the goal without an arbitrary high dose.
Common mistakes
Using grams per pound blindly
The formula can produce implausibly high intake as body weight rises and ignores the person's response.
Ignoring digestive capacity
Protein that cannot be broken down well may produce symptoms instead of the intended benefit.
Treating food as pure protein
Natural protein sources also contain fats, carbohydrates, antioxidants, and other nutrients that affect the choice.
Is it for you?
Best for
People increasing protein for muscle, satiety, or blood-sugar stability who need a personalized dose.
Not ideal for
People who require a medically prescribed protein restriction or specialized clinical diet without practitioner guidance.
From the transcript
“The question often that I'm faced with is are you getting are you giving your body enough protein in a moment that it helps to…”
“The question of at any time do you go above 30 or 40 g at a sitting? You have to have optimal digestion.”
“What food in nature is only protein?”
From the episode
Episode 523: Ashley Koff, RD: GLP-1, Weight Loss and the Mistakes That Create Rebound
Ashley Koff, RD