It might be the algorithms I’m getting (I follow a lot of cooking and some exercise channels) but I’ve never seen a similar obsession about getting enough fiber (something the average person actually undereats.) Is it just less sexy than meat? How important is it nutritionally compared to other things if you’re not an athlete or a vegan or something? Why is a meal that’s “high in protein” often positioned as good and why do you need to “boost” your meals?
Source: https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/too-much-protein-health-risks
In: Biology
Generic American overeat fat and carb. When people overeat protein and does not do exersises they pretty much dieing from protein poisoning.
Where do you hear this? I generally only see emphasis on protein in ads relating to exercise supplements or things like that.
It varies from people to people, look at your diet and how much protein per pounds the OMS recommends and it will give you an idea
I know that for myself I have to think about my protein intake because I’m more used to mostly eating vegetables
Also, caloric intake aside, it’s better to eat too much protein than too little so you probably hear “about getting enough protein” online because it can be an issue
Many of the eat-right enthusiasts are going to the gym and working out. They’ll be focusing to protein to build extra muscle.
There’s definitely some long lasting confusion that extra protein equals extra muscle mass output, in the same way that people confuse excess fat consumption to equal excess fat output.
In reality, your body has an upper limit to how much protein it can actually absorb and put to use.
You’re also correct that most people consume far less fiber than they should.
This essentially boils down to the fact that your primary food sources should be made up of meat and vegetables, which both have nutrients that can be more directly absorbed than things like fat and carbs, which exist primarily as calorie dense foods, which are still necessary, but require more work to burn the excess calories and turn into something like muscle.
But yes, at the end of the day, most people, even athletes, will naturally consume enough protein to not have to supplement it.
Because the internet is dominated by American culture and for some reason Americans are obsessed with protein.
I was there for two weeks and three people talked to me about protein in food. One asked my wife if she was sure she was getting enough protein.
I’ve been on this planet for 40 years and those were the three only times someone talked about protein to me. It’s like a made up problem or something.
Two reasons:
1. Not getting enough protein is something vegans have to worry about. Its not unsolvable but a lot of the protein comes from animal products. If you eat cheese, eggs, meat, etc you dont have to worry.
2. Protein is what saturates the hunger feeling. If most calories are in form of fat or carbs (esp sugar) you will get nausious before you stop being hungry while eating. This will lead to you eating way more calories than you need, getting obese. You dont have to go full low-carb but including protein in meals will help you stay healthy.
That being said its never black and white and while having a protein deficiancy can be dangerous (also relying only on one source of protein that lacks some essential amino acids is also dangerous), overeating proteins with lots of essential amino acids (i.e. mostly animal proteins like from meat or milk) has been linked to increasing the cell aging process, which is why some experts suggest a diet where you dont eat meat every day.
It is fairly easy and common to have a bad diet and still be short on protein.
However I think the advice to get more protein is focused on people who are trying to eat better and people who are trying to eat better will often think, salad, fruit and veg.
Now salad fruit and veg are a great start, but if you build your diet around those you’re almost certainly going to be short on protein if you don’t make a conscious effort.
If you eat a western diet and aren’t vegan you probably already eat enough protein. If you’re trying to change something about your body- e.g. grow muscle, train for a sport, it’s worth trying to get more. Also if you’re trying to lose weight it’s worth upping protein (as a percentage, while decreasing calorie intake overall) since it helps retain muscle as you drop mass.
Like someone said, ppl into healthy food and who also work out agree that protein is the best macronutrient – builds muscle, helps you lose fat instead of muscle, keeps you full longer. Protein and fiber the best combo.
The average westerner (if unhealthy) may be getting a lot of protein that’s also mixed with a ton of bad carbs and fats and sugars – meaning fried foods and white bread instead of idk, brown rice and olive oil on a salad.
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