Protein - Are You Getting Enough? Probably.

Protein has colonized almost every category of food. Everywhere you look, you can find products with added protein: coffee, cereal, popcorn, bagels—there is even protein water. Getting more protein into people’s diets has become a rallying cry for personal trainers, nutritionists, and wellness influencers. But this modern obsession with protein is not new.

In the 19^th century protein came to be seen as the “one true nutrient” that was needed to build bodies and provide energy. Since protein was seen as providing fuel and as having strength giving properties, the thinking became: less protein = weaker bodies and weaker societies. Meat was considered the best source but it was too expensive for most people. Authorities started worrying about “meat famines.”

influential chemist, Justus von Liebig, capitalized on the fears of wide-spread protein deficiency by founding the Liebig Extract of Meat Company in 1865. He marketed his products as a meat substitute, having all the essential nutrition of beef, condensed down into a molasses-like spread. Thanks to Liebig and his meat extracts, protein became associated with strength (particularly the masculine variety) and vitality, a perception that hasn’t ever gone away.

While it is true that protein is essential for maintaining the function and physical structure of our bodies, there isn’t a lot of good evidence that more is necessarily better when it comes to dietary intake. The Recommended Daily Allowance (now the Dietary Reference Intake) was determined from nitrogen balance studies done in the mid-twentieth century. The recommended intake is 0.8g per kg of bodyweight. This number represents a baseline that keeps most people from developing a deficiency. In the developed world, this number is easy to hit and clinical protein deficiency is rare. However, the marketing around protein has shifted from getting enough to getting the optimal amount.

Some people do need more protein but it is context-dependent. Young children, senior citizens, athletes, pregnant woman, and people who are sick or recovering from injuries, all may need more than the daily recommended amount. For everyone else, you’re probably getting enough. What the ubiquitous messaging about optimal protein intake does do is create a feeling of deficiency. It introduces an element of anxiety around food that doesn’t really need to be there. Protein becomes something we need to track and plan for. 

If you feel good eating a certain amount of protein every day, then by all means, carry on. But don’t fall prey to the deficiency-mantra of marketing that tells you you are falling behind. It’s probably not true.