Stop Buying Protein Powder And Eat These Foods Instead

Protein powder has overtaken rows of shelves at grocery stores across the country. Bags and tubs of powder and boxes of bars all tout their macros and flavors. A few aisles over, rows of cereal boxes advertise added protein, and the snack aisle has been consumed by the same protein craze. But are any of these packaged foods actually as life-changing as their protein hype implies?

When the new dietary guidelines arrived earlier this year, there were a slew of headlines pointing out the emphasis on protein. However, many of the new protein-branded products fail to mention the high-quality descriptor the guidelines emphasize. Clearly, Lucky Charms protein powder (marshmallows included) is not a health food, despite boasting 25 grams of protein per serving. And no ratio of macros can erase lists of artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, and ultra-processed ingredients. 

Food scientists have also invented new ways to stack macros in their favor. The popular David’s protein bar was sued for allegedly misrepresenting the calorie and fat content of its bars. The class-action suit centered on the modified plant-based fat that David’s bars rely on for their low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein macros. This fat, esterified propoxylated glycerol (EPG), is non-digestible, so David’s excluded it from its numbers, and though the lawsuit was dropped, it’s worth asking whether a non-digestible, modified fat is really in the spirit of healthy eating — even if it comes packaged with plenty of protein. 

Left out of the equation, too, is what type of protein these products include. Whey protein, as a dairy-based option, brings along all the questions many cautious consumers are asking about dairy products today. Is the dairy farm organic? Are the cows given antibiotics, and are they grass-fed? For non-dairy options, pea protein is common, and when many health-conscious shoppers have spent years buying organic peas, there’s good reason for those same shoppers to seek out organic pea protein. Yet these questions of quality are left out of the grams-per-serving hype.

Beyond the world of protein powder and bars, it seems as though otherwise ordinary products are jumping on the protein trend. It’s worth giving the front-of-package marketing on many of these products some additional scrutiny. Protein honey nut Cheerios, for example, advertise 8 grams of protein per serving, but that same serving offers 12 grams of added sugar for 140 calories. Meanwhile, a serving of oatmeal tops the ultra-processed cereal version with 10 grams of protein and no added sugar, for 140 calories. It’s a nice bonus to have a bowl of Cheerios that is more filling than a cereal box’s typical simple carbs and sugar, but confronted with the marketing on processed foods, I question how often they truly beat out real, whole foods.

And with the focus on whole foods in the dietary guidelines, buying single ingredients such as beans, nuts, meat, and eggs that are also high in protein is far more in the spirit of the recommendations than any pre-packaged and ultra-processed option. Focusing on real foods that already contain protein means that not every food has to be leaden with the latest marketing gimmick. For a 2,000-calorie diet, the new dietary guidelines recommend 3–4 servings of protein: that’s 9-12oz of cooked meat, 3-4 eggs, or 1.5-2 cups of beans. For most people, that’s doable in a day of healthy eating, without needing to seek out added protein on every single label. Simply put, a cookie doesn’t always have to be a protein cookie, fruit still has a place on the menu, and skipping the protein powder is MAHA-approved.

There’s a place for protein powder or bars for those who truly struggle to eat enough protein, need extra protein for health conditions or goals, or simply want an easy way to meet their macros. There are fortunately some better-for-you options that do prioritize high-quality ingredients: Truvani (my personal protein add-on of choice) and Just Ingredients sell both vegan protein powder and grass-fed whey protein powder, and the company Sava offers a grass-fed, bone broth-based protein powder lineup.

These are all add-ons, though, and if high-protein goals are in service of health, then there’s far more to the equation than just grams per serving. Protein is necessary, but it’s not the only key to health. An array of micronutrients and healthy fats are also necessary and present in whole foods such as nuts, beans, and meat.

My own prediction is that the protein hype will be remembered as myopic, the same way we look back on the anti-fat or anti-carb crazes of the past few decades. Yes, protein is important, but the fine print on the quality and type of protein is also important; so is eating a balanced diet of whole foods. And if that’s the goal, the rest of the pieces will fall into place much more easily than if you’re scavenging aisles of processed foods for perfect macros. 

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Jordan Jantz is the assistant editor at IW Features as well as a freelance writer, editor, and website designer.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.