Protein consumption is a hot topic on social media — and in real life — with influencers encouraging viewers to add protein staples to common meals.
Stephanie Parker is a nutritionist and a BYU adjunct professor teaching Nutrition and Dietary Food Systems. She said she has noticed a rise in protein’s popularity in the past couple of years.
“It does seem like it’s the latest new fad all over social media and food marketers promoting how much protein they have,” Parker said.
She’s noticed people add protein and protein-dense foods to recipes that don't need it.
“It seems a little bit silly cause we’re taking away some of the joy of just enjoying the treats how they are,” Parker said.
The main rise of this protein “fad” is rooted in Gen Z’s current pull towards gym culture. Isaac Vance, an employee at a local gym in Orem, is working on getting his personal trainer's license.
“It’s a social media thing because social media hops on what’s popular and what’s popular right now is going to the gym,” Vance said.
Jonah Ho grew up as a competitive swimmer and is actively working to walk onto the BYU swim team. Food, and consuming lots of it, is an important aspect of his life and athletic journey.
As an endurance-based athlete, protein doesn’t take up most of his diet. His diet is made up of “lots and lots of good food,” but he still finds it interesting to understand his protein intake and understand what he’s putting in his body.
“I think it’s a fun psychological effect,” Ho said.
Protein is one of the main nutrients that helps with muscle growth and helps the body feel satiated. These factors are why it has been marketed and popularized with those attempting to lose weight or gain muscle.
“I do get my protein, and if you saturate your body with enough protein, muscle growth naturally happens,” Vance said.
As a missionary serving in France, Ho was surrounded by fellow missionaries who were involved in gym culture and would take precautions in their diet to maintain their protein intake.
Ho explained that they would eat "six small meals a day versus three meals so you can just constantly have protein synthesizing in your body."
Parker said that some people take this information and increase their protein intake to a point where it is no longer beneficial — it could even cause deficiencies in other areas.
“People don’t realize that maybe they’re consuming more protein than they need, with the biggest harm being not getting enough of the other nutrients,” Parker said.
College-aged people are the main target of high protein consumption because they often find their nutrition information through social media.
“I think that some of it is great, that college students are wanting to be healthy and eat their best and feel their best, but it is also an important stage to be turning to the right sources and getting accurate information,” Parker said.
Because Vance is involved in the gym culture world, he understands the draw towards high protein intake, but he also thinks it’s important for people to understand how they are consuming their protein.
“I don’t think that it’s wrong, I just think you need to be careful with it,” Vance said.
According to Vance, processed high protein foods with added sugars and fats, such as expensive protein bars, are not going to be healthy for you. He instead recommends consuming natural high sources of protein such as chicken and eggs.
Parker also recommends quality over quantity when it comes to protein intake. She says that balance is the key to ensuring other essential nutrients aren’t left out when high protein intake is the goal.
“A big recommendation I would give is instead of trying to see 'how much protein I can pack in my day,' instead looking for balance and trying to incorporate protein in each meal and snacks in addition to other healthy fats and carbohydrates,” Parker said.
Nutrition can be very nuanced, and varies based on each person and their individual health goals. The protein fad is not a negative trend, but can't be fully beneficial unless it is understood and used correctly.
“With a lot of things in nutrition, there’s a nuance to it and there are aspects to it that are positive and aspects that people take too far,” Parker said.