I’ve been taking (miniscule) steps towards being healthier this year… mostly in the form of information gathering. Hey, it’s a start! Anyway, I don’t ever remember hearing the word “protein” so much in my life. I’ve been out of the dieting world for a (long) spell, and I guess I was expecting to pick back up with “more fruits and vegetables!” and “for the love of your arteries, Kismet, put the french fries down!” Instead it’s all about protein. Even my beloved Dunkin’ kicked off the year with a big “protein milk” roll out (which they swear does not taste chalky, a claim I cannot verify from direct knowledge). But as is often the case, a general idea can be true (that protein is good for you), yet become unhealthy if taken to an extreme. Some nutritionists are worried the latter is happening with the current protein craze, dubbed protein maxxing. Their biggest concern? That overdoing it on the protein stresses out the kidneys. From People Mag:

“Increasing dietary protein to extreme levels cannot be acceptable,” Dr. Penny Stern, Chief, Preventative & Lifestyle Medicine at Northwell Health, tells PEOPLE. The primary health concern, she tells PEOPLE, is that too much protein can harm the kidneys.

It’s also not necessary for most people, she says, explaining that the average adult needs 0.8 – 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. While athletes and older adults might need more to help repair muscle, the majority of people get plenty of protein throughout the day, she says. An exception might be someone on a calorie-restricted diet.

And the health risks are real.

“You can really overdo it as far as the kidney is concerned,” Stern says. “You’re forcing the kidneys to do things that can really strain it over time.” As she points out, people with renal disease are advised to limit their protein intake: “You don’t want to stress the kidney.”

“The kidneys have to filter excessive amounts of material coming from proteins, specifically things like nitrogen. The kidney gets stressed, it gets strained,” Stern says.

Stressed kidneys can lead to other problems as well, Stern says. “You can have higher blood pressure, have higher rates of inflammation … The body is not like, one organ does something and the rest just kind of sit around. Everything is connected. You don’t want to do things that will not keep the entire body as much in equilibrium as it needs to be.”

She likened protein maxxing to the Atkins diet, a low-carb, high-fat and high-protein diet that was popular in the early 2000s and counted Kim Kardashian among its fans. But some experts believe it increases your risk of heart disease and some cancers.

“Protein is an essential. It’s necessary, but anything excessive is potentially negative,” Stern says. So while she says there’s “good things to say about it,” the average person doesn’t need a diet that is ultra-high in protein.

“Moderation is the key. If you’re an elite athlete, that’s one thing, but most people, I’m sorry to say, are not elite athletes,” she said. What most people are lacking in their diet, she says, is fiber. “Most people in this country don’t get enough fiber. And that’s a huge problem. And when you load up on protein, you often crowd out other vital foods: vegetables, whole grains, fruits.”

Before embarking on a protein-maxxing journey — or any diet plan — Stern says, “talk to a medical professional.”

And overall, avoid extremes. “Extremes are not good. You want balanced. You want moderation,” Stern says. “You want people to do things that are sustainable for a lifetime.”

[From People]

That last quote rings true to my ears, that the goal is for balance, moderation, and sustainability. And obviously I’ve been scientifically proving the point through practical experience… by indulging in the other direction, lol. No, I really want to do better! And luckily for me, I have zero ambitions to be an elite athlete (no offense to those that are, I just know my limits), so I won’t get caught up in a fad. I think with dieting, one of the areas that needs the trifecta of balance, moderation, and sustainability is not just the food itself, but our own pronouncements of what program we’re doing, if that makes sense. I’ve personally had a hard time with strict approaches, or declaring things entirely off limits. In fact, a strict approach is usually what has made previous diets unsustainable for me. So maybe it’s protein-focused one day, and something else another (that may or may not rhyme with wrench wries). We’re all just doing the best we can! But definitely make sure to give your kidneys a break.