How much protein do we actually need? Here’s another food we should be maxxing instead

Everything from cereal to bread, milk to beer, and even treats like candy, chocolate bars and chips now have protein-infused versions.

The protein obsession has been trending for a while and shows no signs of abating as the food industry seemingly finds a never-ending list of foods it can inject with extra protein. But how much protein do we actually need? And is there another food we should be reaching for instead?

Fibre has emerged as an early favourite for the next big food trend. But unlike protein, experts say there is truth to the average person needing more of it.

Samantha King, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University and co-author of the book “Protein: The Making of a Nutritional Superstar,” first noticed the emphasis on consuming more protein at her local gym a decade ago.

“I just thought that was really strange, given that we are all fairly privileged, well-fed, clean-eating fitness practitioners, and people were talking about picking up these huge plastic tubs of powdered whey and adding them to the food,” she said.

It inspired King and her research partner, Gavin Weedon, to look into its rise.

“We kept thinking over the last 10 years that the fad would soon diminish, and it hasn’t,” King said. “It’s just kept growing.”

Protein is a macronutrient needed for building muscle, repairing cells and supporting immune and metabolic functions. Toronto-based registered dietitian Melissa Koch said if you think of our bodies as houses, then protein acts like the bricks.

“Eating the protein adds bricks to our house to maintain and repair it if there’s any damage,” said Koch, who owns Bloom Nutrition Services. “We need to get enough bricks daily to keep our house strong and keep it in a good state without having to repair it.”

But between the rise of diet and fitness culture, online trends and a savvy food industry, consuming more protein has become associated with a healthy lifestyle, even if that’s not what the science says.

“You buy your high-protein bag of Doritos, and that suddenly somehow will magically translate into a more toned or strong body. But you have to have resistance training to build muscle,” King said. “That’s an example, I think, of how people are probably thinking about it. ‘Oh, high protein equals good.’”

The protein preoccupation dates as far back as the mid-19th century. It has waxed and waned as other nutrients — like carbohydrates in the 1980s and ‘90s — took centre stage, but the protein fad has endured. One reason is an economic one.

King details in her book that during the post-Second World War era, milk consumption declined, so the dairy industry pivoted to producing cheese. That led to surplus whey, a byproduct of the manufacturing process. One solution was to make it palatable, digestible and scalable for mass consumption.

“That’s really key to this because most of the high-protein products, especially the stuff that protein is added to — potato chips, ice cream, beer, etc., that’s whey. It’s almost always dairy,” said King.

Other factors could explain why protein is so popular right now. For one, it offers a solution to multiple, seemingly contradictory dietary questions. Want to lose weight? Eat more protein. Want to gain weight in the form of muscle? Eat more protein.

“It’s this win-win proposition in a diet and anti-fat culture,” King said.

We also live in a largely nutritionist culture, where food is reduced to its biochemical components as a route to health, rather than purely a means of pleasure, sociality and community.

Combined with the flood of health and fitness inspiration on social media, the obsession to optimize our bodies has only intensified, King said.

The truth is, the average Canadian gets enough protein without even thinking about it. The recommended daily amount is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Some populations may benefit from additional protein, such as older adults, elite athletes or people recovering from illness.

But “most people don’t need as much protein as social media would have you believe,” according to Amy Symington, a nutrition professor, researcher and chef for Forward Food Canada.

Symington said what we mainly see in Canadians is a diet-quality deficiency.

“Protein is important, very important, but more isn’t always better,” Symington said. “The bigger nutrition story isn’t simply just eating more protein. I think it should be more about choosing healthier sources of protein while getting enough fibre.”

That means avoiding processed foods disguised as healthy because they have added protein.

“A chocolate bar is not necessarily the most nutrient-dense food, although it has protein in it,” Koch said.

Instead, reach for whole food sources of protein, such as meats and fish, eggs, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, or plant-based foods like tofu, soy, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole-grain breads and oats. Not only are these foods high in protein, but they also include fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

“As a culture, we’ve been very good at counting grams of protein, and just have completely forgotten about the fibre,” Symington said.

“We’re not protein-deficient as a population, but we are fibre-deficient, and fibre has been shown to reduce our risk of all of the major chronic diseases.”