Can I Drink 2 Protein Shakes a Day?

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

Can I drink 2 protein shakes a day?

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to safely add protein supplements to your diet.

Last Updated
Mar 2, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, Founder

Jack is the Founder of Drink Wholesome.

Medically reviewed by Brittany, MS, RD and Jenn, PA-C

Kayla is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Jennifer is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

2 Protein Shakes a Day

How Much Protein Do I Need?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance of protein for a healthy, sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram body weight per day (Food Funct, 2016).

This is the bare minimum needed to meet your basic metabolic needs.

The amount of protein you actually need will depend on a number of factors, including your age and activity level.

Older adults who regularly do resistance training (weight lifting), for example, could need as much as 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2018).

For most individuals who meet these criteria, this could easily come out to well over 100 grams of protein.

Use our Daily Protein Intake Calculator to calculate your recommended protein intake.

Keep in mind that you should try to get as much protein as you can from foods like eggs, fish, and meat.

If you cannot easily meet protein needs this way, however, due dietary or lifestyle restrictions, then adding a protein supplement to your diet may be beneficial.

A protein shake can help you easily fill in nutritional gaps and ensure that you are giving your body what it needs to be strong and healthy.

Is It Possible to Eat Too Much Protein?

Yes, it is possible to consume too much protein.

Sustained intakes above 2 g/kg/day are not recommended due to risks such as renal (kidney) stress and other metabolic disturbances (N Engl J Med, 2023).

That said, consistently eating this much protein is hard to do and not something most people need to worry about.

How Many Protein Shakes Should I Drink a Day?

As long as you need the protein, and as long as you are avoiding protein supplements with ultra-processed and artificial ingredients, drinking 2 or more protein shakes a day is perfectly healthy.

Again, protein supplements should not replace protein sources like eggs, fish, and meat, but they can certainly have a place in a healthy diet.

It is important to note that there are 2 types of protein shakes: ready-to-drink (store-bought) protein shakes and homemade protein shakes made with protein powder.

Most ready-to-drink protein shakes contain a cocktail of emulsifiers, thickeners, and other food additives that could not only upset your stomach, but also contribute to long-term health problems.

If follows that it is recommended you make your own protein shakes with protein powder if protein shakes are to be a regular part of your diet.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

Many of them also contain ingredients linked to potential adverse health effects.

For instance, regularly eating certain food additives can alter the composition of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut microbiota, which contributes to a wide range of chronic diseases, including obesity, type 1 diabetes, and colorectal cancer (Microorganisms, 2022; J Exp Med, 2019).

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Food & Function (Food Funct). Dietary protein intake and human health. 2016.
2. The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab). Protein Recommendations for Weight Loss in Elite Athletes: A Focus on Body Composition and Performance. 2018.
3. The New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med). Nutrition and the Kidney. 2023.
4. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
5. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
6. The Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med). The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy. 2019.
7. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
8. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.