“30g of protein for breakfast? That’s excessive!”

“30g of protein for breakfast? That’s excessive!”

That’s what people say, right before ordering a 700-calorie bagel with a caramel sugar bomb from the local café. Or eating other forms of high carb breakfasts and that includes just fruit…

Then by 10am, they’re crashing. Bloated, anxious, jittery, and reaching for another hit of caffeine or sugar to survive the rest of the day.

And we wonder why nervous system dysregulation is the new normal.

This post isn’t about weight loss or bulking up. It’s about the importance of protein when it comes to healing, for your hormones, your stress response, inflammation reduction, your energy, and your brain.

Because protein isn’t just fuel. It’s functional medicine in food form. And most people aren’t even close to getting enough.

Why Protein is Nervous System Medicine

When people think about protein, they often reduce it to one idea: muscle gain.
But here’s the truth most aren’t talking about, protein is one of the most crucial tools for regulating your nervous system.

In a world where so many are burnt out, wired but tired, emotionally flatlined, and constantly overwhelmed... this couldn’t be more important.

Protein provides the essential amino acids your body needs to create neurotransmitters like dopamine (motivation, focus, drive) and serotonin (calm, mood, digestion).
Without enough protein, your body simply doesn’t have the raw materials to make them.

You’re not “just stressed” or “just anxious” or “just depressed”, you may be under-fueled. You can’t expect your brain to regulate mood, focus, or emotional resilience if it doesn’t have the building blocks.

This is why skipping breakfast, or starting your day with nothing but caffeine and carbs, might feel good for an hour, but leaves you spiraling later.

The body gets stuck in sympathetic dominance, that wired, anxious fight-or-flight state — without the nutrients it needs to regulate or recover. You feel hyperactive, easily triggered, drained by midday, and constantly craving sugar or a nap.

And it often starts with the very first decision of your day: what you eat when you wake up.

Let’s Talk Mental Health & Tryptophan

This conversation becomes even more critical when we look at the state of mental health today.

In Australia, more than two in five people (42.9%) aged 16–85 have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives, with 21.5% experiencing one in just the last 12 months, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

One intriguing study looked at the impact of following a high-tryptophan vs. low-tryptophan diet on mood. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in protein, is a direct precursor to serotonin — the neurotransmitter most often associated with emotional regulation, calm, and contentment.

What did they find?

Participants on the tryptophan-rich diet experienced fewer depressive symptoms and significantly lower anxiety than those on the low-tryptophan plan.

The catch? Tryptophan can’t be made by the body.
 

It must come from food, and animal proteins like raw milk, turkey, and chicken are especially rich sources.

But it’s not just tryptophan at play here.

B Vitamins, Folate, and Brain Chemistry

Animal-based proteins are also excellent sources of B vitamins, which are critical for mental health.

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and B6 (pyridoxine) are essential for neurotransmitter production, including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.
  
• Vitamin B12 plays a key role in nerve repair and energy metabolism, and deficiency can lead to neurological symptoms, mood disorders, and brain fog.
  
• Low B12 often leads to low folate (B9), and folate deficiency has been directly linked to serotonin dysregulation and brain-cell death. 

In fact, depression is the most common symptom of folate deficiency.

Optimizing intake of tryptophan, B vitamins, and folate can be a powerful tool in preventing and managing anxiety, depression, and nervous system dysregulation.

Foods rich in all three include:
Lean meats, chicken, eggs, dairy, seafood, leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds, and nutritional yeast.

Let’s Not Forget About Zinc

Zinc often flies under the radar in mental health discussions, but its role is profound.

A meta-analysis found that higher dietary intake of zinc was associated with a 28% reduced risk of depression. Even more impressive, zinc supplementation alone (independent of other therapies) significantly lowered depressive symptoms in patients already diagnosed with depression.

This is why, in my work with clients, I always recommend testing for mineral levels, analyzing their oxidation rate, and customizing protein intake to meet their bio-individual needs.

Because not only does protein build your body, it builds your resilience.

Cleanses & chronic depletion

Let’s talk about the wellness trap for a minute. Juice cleanses and other forms of cleanses are everywhere. And these are very important to use strategically to cleanse the body, and these are normally always plant-based which I don’t have a problem with when it’s used short term. 

However, most continue on this dogmatic diet because they feel great. Their digestion slows, their body gets a break, their mind feels clearer, what’s not to love about that. But many stay there too long because it can be dangerously addictive, or they don’t know how to properly transition out of a cleanse, the consequences are serious.

When cleansing, you’re flooding your system with sugars and carbs, even if they’re from fruit, and denying your body the amino acids it desperately needs to rebuild.

That “cleansed” feeling quickly turns into depletion, weakened detox pathways, unstable blood sugar, and a nervous system left starving for raw materials to feel safe again.

This is where most will jump back into a juice cleanse again because of the above feelings and they get stuck in this vicious cycle of what I call - ‘Yo-Yo Cleansing’

The most overlooked part of healing is the nourish and rebuild phase. This is where protein becomes non-negotiable. 

You must nourish the body before cleansing, then after cleansing rebuild it again. Without it, you can’t restore hormones, rebuild your gut lining, or regulate stress.

Protein and your hormones: the hidden connection

Here’s what no one tells you: your hormones are made from protein too.

Without enough amino acids, your body can’t make estrogen, progesterone, insulin, cortisol, or testosterone. This can affect everything from your metabolism to your cycle to your ability to manage stress.

And this isn’t just about women. Men are chronically low in protein too, and the result is often low libido, unstable energy, poor sleep, and emotional dysregulation.

I’ve seen this in client after client. They’re doing “all the things” meditating, journaling, supplementing, detoxing but they’re still tired, flat, or struggling with mood. And the missing piece is often shockingly simple: they’re under-eating protein. Sometimes by 50% or more.

So what does healing look like? It starts with 30g of protein for breakfast.

Not 10g. Not a sprinkle of oats and almond milk. A real, nutrient-dense, wholefood breakfast anchored in protein. It’s the simplest, most effective way to stabilize your blood sugar, support your brain, and give your nervous system what it needs to operate in a state of calm.

It looks like:

• Three pasture-raised eggs with avocado and greens.
• A cup of organic Greek yogurt with walnuts and organic berries.
• Leftover wild caught salmon and roasted veggies.
• Organic cottage cheese with seeds and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Even free-range chicken and rice if that’s what feels good.

This isn’t about rules. It’s about rebuilding your body with the ingredients it’s truly craving.

The Silent Damage of Protein Deficiency

Chronic low protein intake doesn’t just mean less muscle. It means less resilience.

Less detox capacity. More hormonal chaos. Bigger blood sugar swings. Heightened inflammation. Unstable moods. Stronger cravings. And fatigue that clings no matter how many supplements or smoothies you throw at it.

Hair begins to shed. Nails become brittle. Skin dries out. Recovery slows. Anxiety heightens.

And when protein deficiency becomes more severe, the symptoms cut deeper:
Muscle wasting, anemia, fertility challenges, lowered immunity, and total burnout that no nootropic, adaptogen, or green juice can fix.

This is happening every day, especially in the wellness world.
 

Not because people are lazy or uninformed.
 

But because many have been taught to fear protein... skip meals... live on fruit bowls, powders, and plant-based "cleanses" and call it healing.

Let’s be clear: chronic protein deficiency fuels inflammation.

And that matters, because inflammation is at the root of almost every chronic disease.

Protein & the Inflammatory Response

Protein isn’t just for recovery or aesthetics, it’s essential for keeping your immune system functioning and your inflammation in check.

When the body faces an inflammatory trigger, whether from stress, toxins, infection, or injury, the immune system activates. This sparks an immediate increase in the demand for protein.

Here’s why:

• Protein is required to make cytokines, messenger molecules that tell the immune system where to respond.
  
• It’s needed to produce antibodies, which help neutralize pathogens.
  
• It supports the production of white blood cells, which are the first line of defense in fighting infections.
  
• And crucially, it provides the building blocks for new tissue synthesis, helping the body repair what inflammation may damage.
  

In other words: without enough protein, the immune system cannot do its job.

Your body becomes less able to recover from stress, infection, or injury. Inflammation lingers. And healing slows to a crawl.

If you’re dealing with persistent fatigue, brain fog, poor immunity, or chronic inflammation, one of the most overlooked questions might be:

Are you eating enough real protein?

Because food isn’t just fuel, it’s structural medicine.

And protein, more than any other macronutrient, is what your body uses to rebuild, regulate, and restore.

Not All Protein is Created Equal

Let’s clear something up.

I’m not here to push a carnivore agenda, nor am I interested in demonizing plant-based diets.

Extreme, dogmatic views rarely serve healing. What does matter is bioavailability and dose, especially when we’re talking about rebuilding a depleted nervous system and hormonal terrain.

There’s an ongoing debate around whether animal proteins are “superior.” While I don’t believe in black-and-white thinking, we do need to acknowledge a few key truths.

Yes, animal-derived proteins (like meat, eggs, fish, and whey) are considered complete proteins, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids in the ratios your body can use effectively. Most plant-based proteins, with the exception of soy, quinoa, and a few others, don’t quite hit the mark on their own and often need to be combined strategically.

On top of that, plant proteins are often bound up in fibers and anti-nutrients that reduce protein digestibility and absorption. In practical terms, you may be eating 30g of protein from beans, but your body isn’t absorbing and utilizing that full 30g. This is where bioavailability matters.

Leucine: The Unsung Healing Hero

One of the major differences between plant and animal proteins is the presence of leucine, an essential amino acid that exists in significantly higher concentrations in animal sources.

Now, most people know leucine as the “muscle-building” amino acid. It plays a central role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, which is why it's so valued by athletes and bodybuilders.

But here’s what they don’t tell you:

Leucine is also deeply involved in regenerative and protective functions far beyond the gym floor.

• Leucine activates the mTOR pathway, a key signal for growth, repair, and cellular regeneration. mTOR is not just about building muscle, it plays a critical role in immune response, healing after stress or illness, and tissue repair post-detox or fasting.
  
• It supports the preservation of lean mass during weight loss, chronic illness, or stress states, helping protect your metabolism and structure.
  
• Leucine also has implications for glucose regulation, neurotransmitter support, and cognitive function, making it relevant for blood sugar stability, mental clarity, and mood.
  

In times of stress, illness, or depletion, your body prioritizes survival, and will catabolize muscle tissue if it isn’t getting enough leucine and other key aminos from your diet. This means slower healing, hormonal chaos, and longer recovery times.

So no, leucine isn’t just about the gym. It’s about resilience.

How Much Protein Do You Really Need — And Does Timing Matter?

One of the most common questions I get after talking about protein as healing medicine is:
“Okay, so how much should I actually be eating?”

Let’s get something clear first, the standard RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight isn’t designed to help you thrive. It was developed simply to prevent full-blown deficiency symptoms like brittle nails, hair thinning, fluid imbalance, or muscle wasting. 

In other words, it’s the bare minimum to survive, not to heal.

If you’re trying to rebuild your nervous system, support hormone production, stabilize energy, and repair after stress or illness, you’re going to need more.

A more therapeutic and optimal range is 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, per day. That’s what we consistently see in functional nutrition, performance research, and recovery protocols. For someone weighing 80kg, that’s about 128 grams of protein daily.

Now before you panic, that’s not as intense as it sounds.

In real food terms, it might look like:

• Two palm-sized servings of free-range chicken or grass-fed, grass finished beef
  
• A couple of pasturaised eggs
  
• A scoop of quality Organic Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
  
• A handful of activated nuts or seeds
  
• Some wild-caught fish at dinner
   

If you're plant-based, you'll need to be a bit more strategic, a mix of lentils, tofu, oats, tempeh, and plant-based shakes can help you hit your targets, though you may need to eat more volume due to lower bioavailability.

But What About Protein Timing?

Let’s address the myth that you need to eat protein every 3 hours to “build muscle” or “optimize absorption.”

This advice mostly comes from research on fast-digesting protein powders consumed in isolation, without fats or carbs.

But most of us don’t eat in a lab setting. We eat real meals, which include fats, fiber, and carbohydrates. These naturally slow the digestion and absorption of protein, allowing your body to draw from it over time, rather than needing constant refueling.

That said, front-loading your day with a high-protein breakfast (like 30g or more) can have a profound impact on how your body handles stress, regulates blood sugar, and builds resilience.

Skipping protein early in the day means playing catch-up later, and that often shows up as afternoon cravings, mood swings, and fatigue.

The Bottom Line?

You don’t need to count every gram or obsess over timing. But if you want to feel stable, grounded, hormonally balanced, and mentally sharp, aim for at least two protein-rich meals a day, ideally hitting 1.2–1.6g/kg of body weight across the day.

Protein is not just about building muscle.
It’s about rebuilding YOU.

Let this be your RESET

If you want to regulate your nervous system, heal your hormones, and recover your energy, don’t start with another cleanse.

Start with a plate of real, wholefood protein. Eat it within the first or second hour of your day. Anchor every meal around it. Build your healing on nourishment, not restriction.

You’ll be amazed at how your body responds when it finally gets what it’s been missing.

And if you’re not sure where to start, I encourage you to book a FREE strategy call with me in the link below, and I will show you how I help my clients optimise their diets using testing that helps them detox, rebuild and heal from the inside out, without extreme cleanses. 

https://calendly.com/mitchvillani/strategy--call-with-mitchell