Why does everything in your grocery cart seem to suddenly be so high-protein? You’re not imagining it; a booming protein business is cashing in on your well-intentioned swaps.
The protein propaganda in more recent times has taken an absurd turn, with almost every imaginable food item being engineered to promise a massive boost in protein content, including items inherently rich in natural protein, such as ‘extra protein’ yogurt. This excessive emphasis on protein is unnecessary; it is a revenue model inspired by long-standing misconceptions about health and nutrition.
By emphasizing protein so much, we fixate on just a single macro-nutrient rather than ensuring a holistically balanced diet. At best, this can cause nutritional deficiencies, digestive issues and fatigue. At worst, this breeds disordered thinking and guilt about food, which unfortunately, companies are thriving off of. The solution is nutritional literacy, understanding how to interpret labels, learning to respect our hunger cues — whether or not they entail obscenely high-protein food choices — and implementing balance in our diets.
For adults 18 years or older, the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight — which is, of course, a basal requirement and not an absolute limitation. But a UCLA Health publication notes that outside of athletes, older adults, or people with clinical needs, the average American already meets or exceeds that amount. This means typical consumers are haunted by a problem that most likely doesn’t exist for them.
We have spent decades vilifying two other essential macronutrients: carbohydrates and fats, as if they are not absolutely necessary for optimal health outcomes no matter the person or lifestyle. The diet culture gospel has long preached carbs and fat as unhealthy and automatically equal to weight gain. With two-thirds of a balanced plate eliminated because of its perceived threat, the only safe refuge that seems to be left is protein. And the protein supplement industry is thriving off of this propaganda.
We as a society should not be so adverse to carbs and fats. Instead, we should focus on consuming the carbs and fats that are best for optimal health outcomes. The medical advice is clear: avoid industrial trans fats, limit saturated fat and prioritize mono and polyunsaturated fats — think olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds — and be sure to pay attention to fiber. Similarly, carbohydrate quality matters: unprocessed or minimally processed carbs from whole grains, beans, fruit and vegetables are rich in nutrients, whereas refined starches and added sugars are connected to higher risk for heart disease.
There is a reason the food pyramid is taught to young kids in elementary school. At the end of the day, diet choices come down to being educated and doing your homework. When we don’t do that work ourselves, someone else will gladly sell us the answer key and, right now, that’s the protein industry. The global “protein market” is estimated to be at about $13.2 billion in 2025 and projected to be $27.5 billion by 2034.
Of course, companies are going to tell us to eat more protein if they know their money is riding on it. Influencers are offered big brand deals to promote not just the product, but a supposedly superior lifestyle. A Bain and Company survey found almost half of U.S. consumers now “want to eat more protein.” 61% of participants reported boosting their protein intake in 2024, and it seems the demand is only increasing. The Consumer News and Business Channel states that brands are going to continue experimenting with the introduction of high-protein food, motivated by the financial success of it. General Mills’ protein cereals have become a nine-figure business in 2024, while Premier Protein accounts for about 85% of BellRing Brands’ net sales. When the word ‘protein’ accounts for so much revenue, shareholder pressure is bound to turn what should be a nutrition guideline into a growth strategy — meaning greater focus on the number of grams on the label, rather than its quality or necessity.
Protein-snack aisle sales have reached $24 billion, estimated to grow three times faster than snacking overall. And it doesn’t stop at the grocery shelves, protein cold foam at Starbucks and protein coffees at Dutch Bros, as well as other fast food chains are not far behind.
The fix isn’t to fear protein, it’s to evaluate it like fats and carbs. Scrutinize those fancy labels heavily. Under FDA rules, the Daily Value recommendation for protein isn’t required unless a product makes a protein claim, and even then that number must reflect how well your body can use that protein. Many of these high-protein products are heavily processed and excessive intake of ultra-processed foods is linked to worse health-outcomes such as higher all-cause mortality and cardiometabolic risk.
The notion that as long as the label says protein, the item is bound to be healthy is both misleading and dangerous. It’s not health advice, it’s diet culture and marketing tactics in disguise. Don’t feel pressured to opt for a chalky protein bar if you’re craving chocolate. Studies link clean-eating obsessions and an unhealthy fear of certain food groups with restrictive eating disorders like orthorexia — a pattern of protein-obsessed eating habits recently termed as “protorexia.” Affected individuals attempt to swap meals and entire food groups for protein bars and shakes, perpetually riddled with anxiety to supposedly cut fat and build muscle to the point it damages both their psyche and physical health.
So yes, eat enough protein to sustain an optimal quality of life, but at the same time, rid your panic of vital carbs and healthy fats. Consuming protein above the recommended amount to suit your lifestyle is not the issue, developing unreasoned anxiety around not doing so is.
Sara Khan is an Opinion Staff Writer for the fall 2025 quarter. She can be reached at skhan7@uci.edu.
Edited by Casey Mendoza