The analysis of 229 hunter gatherer societies by Loren Cordain revealed that 73% consumed more than half of their calories from animal foods while only 13.5% consumed more than half of their calories from plant sources. Either way, this was estimated to be about 19-35% of calories as protein.¹ By today’s standards, the upper end of this range could certainly be regarded as a high intake of protein.

There’s no doubt that not every hunt was successful. However, many cultures, including a number of those studied by Dr. Price, preserved meat and fish by drying it. As such, even during times when wild game was limited, animal protein was still available.

Although each culture is obviously different, if you were to read My Life with the Eskimo by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, you’d quickly realize that some native cultures do indeed eat meat on a daily basis, and plenty of it.

1. Cordain L, Miller JB, Eaton SB, Mann N, Holg SHA, Speth JD. “Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2000. 71(3):682-692.

I’m not sure why the protein powder causes you heartburn, but if you’re using dairy based powders, maybe that’s the problem. Perhaps you could try powder made from other sources such as goat milk (Goatein by Garden of Life would be a good choice to try). You could try seed or vegetable sources as well such as hemp, but keep in mind that most non-animal sources of protein will lack some essential amino acids. It would also probably be in your best interest to avoid soy based powders due to soy’s potential to alter hormonal balance, mineral absorption, and protein digestion in addition to most soy being genetically modified.

In my opinion, the best option would be to skip the powder altogether and simply eat a nutritious meal consisting of whole foods after a workout.

Thanks so much!

To expand on them, I would recommend letting your appetite be your guide for increased calories. Most people can attest to having a much bigger appetite when they increase their exercise. When you eat whole foods, especially if you’ve been doing it for a while, your appetite is usually the most reliable indicator of how much your body needs.

While limiting cardio is a good idea, eliminating conditioning altogether probably isn’t. Interval training is a great way to keep your cardiovascular system healthy and control weight gain without incurring the disadvantages of cardio.

Perhaps I should write an article about the lifestyle factors involved with building muscle that goes beyond nutrition?

I would recommend the following:

1. Eat an additional 300-500 calories/day. These should be from healthy foods based on
your metabolic type as Vin suggests.

2. Get plenty of sleep, at least 9 hours/night. You need to sleep to grow muscle.

3. Cut out the cardio and concentrate on weight-lifting.

Thanks!