Hi Reader.
Protein matters.
We are made of amino acids, which make protein. Protein builds muscle. It stabilizes blood sugar. It is needed for the production of digestive enzymes, hormones, and antioxidant enzymes. It feeds your mitochondria. We need protein!
We need protein.
But many of my clients dramatically increase their protein intake because they hear it everywhere — without understanding that the source matters, the amount matters, and how you clear it matters.
Then they start feeling:
• Foggy
• Nauseous
• Headachy
• Irritable
• Wired but tired
Often, this comes from ammonia produced during protein breakdown, and not clearing it efficiently.
Here’s what most people don’t understand.
When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids.
That process naturally produces ammonia.
Ammonia is normal — but it must be cleared.
Your liver converts ammonia into urea through the urea cycle, so you can eliminate it safely before it becomes toxic to your mitochondria.
If you have genetic variants affecting enzymes like CPS1, OTC, ASS1, ASL, ARG1 — or related pathways tied to BH4, glutamate balance, or mitochondrial efficiency — your ability to clear ammonia may be slower.
Add gut dysbiosis on top of that? Certain bacteria produce even more ammonia.
Now your mitochondria are stressed.
And you feel it as brain fog, anxiety, nausea, irritability, or fatigue.
Clearance is the issue.
One Simple Shift
Space your protein intake evenly across your day.
Aim for moderate portions at 3 meals rather than a single massive protein load.
And add fiber-rich plants with each serving. Adding comlex carbohydrates and hydration really helps with the protein load.
Fiber supports the microbiome, so harmful bacteria produce less ammonia in the gut.
Protein supports you. But only when your detox pathways and microbiome can handle it.
