Protein seems to be the nutrient of the moment. In reality, it’s a far more complex molecule with system-wide roles. And to function effectively it has to be digested, absorbed, transported, allocated, and signalled.
Protein seems to be the nutrient of the moment.
This week alone I saw a 55-gram protein pizza hit the headlines, alongside articles questioning whether we’ve tipped from under-consuming protein to overdoing it.
Most people associate protein with muscle. In reality, it’s a far more complex molecule with system-wide roles. Protein doesn’t just help you build tissue. It helps you repair it. Absorb nutrients. Communicate with your brain. Regulate stress. Support detoxification and immune defence.
And to function effectively it has to be digested, absorbed, transported, allocated, and signalled. Those steps matter just as much as intake.
Miss one step and the whole system under delivers.
The consequences don’t show up only in the gym. They show up in recovery, mood, sleep, resilience, and metabolic health.
Let’s dive in...
Where insight becomes impact
What I’ve been looking at this week…
What I’ve been focusing on this week isn’t how much protein to eat. It’s what happens to protein after you eat it.
Many people I see have heard the familiar numbers. Aim for 30 grams of protein per meal. Get to 100 grams a day. Eat 1.6 grams per kilo of body weight. They tell me they eat eggs every day, have chicken with most meals, or rely on tofu and pulses.
In principle, protein intake looks good.
Yet when I test protein at a deeper level and look at its breakdown into amino acids, the building blocks of protein, a different picture often emerges. I see deficiencies of specific amino acids despite what appears to be adequate overall intake. And aminos (amino acids) are not interchangeable. Each one has a distinct role .
You might be meeting protein intake targets but falling short on AMINO function
Here's what amino's do: A- Assemble: This is about building muscle and tissue. Leucine is the key amino acid here. If leucine availability is low, training doesn’t translate into strength or muscle. You might be going to the gym regularly but not seeing changes in muscle tone or strength.
M- Mend: This is about repair. Glycine and proline support collagen and connective tissue. When these are low, you might notice more joint niggles, poorer sleep, or even changes in skin quality like increased wrinkles or slower healing.
I- Incorporate: This is about digestion and absorption. Glutamine is an amino that supports the gut lining so protein can actually be absorbed. When this is low, you might experience bloating, loose stools, food sensitivities, or feel depleted despite eating well.
N- Notify: This is about brain chemistry. Tryptophan is a precursor that builds your happy hormone serotonin and sleep hormone melatonin, while tyrosine feeds dopamine and noradrenaline for motivation and focus. When these are low, you might feel flat, unmotivated, wired but tired, or struggle to switch off at night.
O- Offset: This is about coping with stress. Methionine, supported by glycine, helps your body process stress and recover from it. When levels are low, you might feel more reactive, sluggish, or notice that stress hits you harder than it used to.
This is why I repeatedly see people who think they're hitting their protein goals but don’t feel it. The issue isn’t effort. It’s whether protein is actually being broken down, absorbed, and used in the ways your body needs, specifically to meet your individual needs and demands.
That’s why I test your amino acids. They show you what protein is actually doing in your body, not what you assume it’s doing.
Track it to hack it.
What I’ve been monitoring this week…
Now that you're thinking about protein as A.M.I.N.O. function, devices stop being about muscle alone and start reflecting how your body is actually meeting it's demands: . Assemble A simple grip strength meter tells you whether protein is translating into real-world strength. Flat or falling grip strength often signals poor protein assembly, even if you’re training regularly.
Mend Repair shows up in sleep quality and overnight recovery. Restless sleep or waking unrefreshed can reflect inadequate repair support.
Incorporate Absorption shows up in patterns. Digestive symptoms and simple symptom tracking on a scale of 0-10 help flag when protein isn’t being incorporated well, even if intake looks good.
Notify Brain signalling shows up in HRV and readiness scores. Low HRV or feeling wired but tired often reflects poor neurotransmitter support.
Offset Stress resilience shows up in resting heart rate trends. When stress hits harder or recovery lags, protein demand is often higher than intake.
Devices don’t give the diagnosis here. They tell you where to look.
From knowing to doing.
What this means for YOU…
Just to be clear on one thing first. Intake does matter. You can’t assemble, mend, incorporate, notify, or offset if there isn’t enough protein coming in to begin with. So step one is always to get the foundation right.
The most reliable, high-quality sources I see working well clinically are:
Eggs – highly bioavailable, rich in leucine, and easy to digest for most people
Greek yoghurt – high protein with minimal volume
Fish or poultry – consistent amino acid profiles without excessive digestive load
If you’re vegetarian, quality and combination matter more:
Tofu or tempeh – complete proteins with good leucine content
Lentils and chickpeas – useful, work best paired with other protein sources
Greek-style plant yoghurts or protein-enriched alternatives – helpful when whole-food intake falls short
Once intake is reasonable, then look at function. If your grip strength is low, sleep is restless, digestion is unreliable, or stress feels harder to cope with than it used to, those are signs protein may not be landing where it’s needed. It’s also important to match protein to demand. Training more, being under pressure, poor sleep, hormonal shifts, or gut issues all increase amino acid demand. Your needs are not static. They change with your life, your workload, and your physiology.
💼 Case in point: One of my private patients, a serial entrepreneur, came to me training regularly and confident he was hitting his protein targets with daily eggs and chicken. What he was struggling with was different. Bloating after meals. Light, broken sleep. Feeling more reactive under pressure. Amino acid testing showed low levels of methionine, glutamine, glycine, and lysine. We didn’t simply add more protein. We focused on improving digestion and targeted the specific gaps. Digestion settled first. Sleep improved next. Recovery and resilience followed. That order matters. So here’s your takeaway. Get intake right. Pay attention to how your body responds. And if effort and outcome don’t match, test your amino acids so you know exactly where the gap is.
🎯 If you'd like to make decisions with precision based on your personal data and using devices that are specific for you, then book a private consultation and let's start to decode your health.
Where you’ll find me…
Last week: I was Biohacking Beauty with The Modems at The Hotel Cafe Royal, with a very lively panel discussion and delivering a keynote, asking the question What Is Beauty? What do think beauty is? I'd love to know.
This week: WATCH THE TONIGHT SHOW ON ITV, THURSDAY 22ND 730PM - I should be on it! Alas I shall be in the skies on my way to Chicago when it airs and won't be able to watch it... so if someone catches a good recording, please do send it my way!
Next week: I'm on a very exciting trip to the US - will share everything when I'm back!
A thought to pause on…
“Eating enough protein and meeting your protein needs are not the same thing. Protein only counts once your body can use it."
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead (that's 168 hours of your Million Hour Life!) Dr Alka
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Take the free LQThis article is general education, not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. If something has been going on for a while, please get it properly looked at by your own doctor.