Protein is everywhere: in breakfast cereals, snacks, dairy products, drinks and even bread. What began as part of a broader shift toward healthier living has become a vast industry of fortified products, influencers and nutritional anxiety.
But how much protein do we really need? According to Dr. Sigal Frishman, chief dietitian for Clalit Health Services hospitals, the answer is less dramatic than the marketing suggests.
“The recommendation to consume a 25-gram serving of protein after training is mainly intended for athletes who are trying to build muscle mass for their athletic performance,” Frishman said. “Everyone else certainly needs to consume protein as part of their diet, but not necessarily right after that workout.”
The idea of a narrow “window of opportunity” after exercise, she added, has been shown to be inaccurate, even for athletes.
“Protein should be consumed according to a daily amount, not necessarily after a workout,” she said. “The hype right now is around protein. Once it was around fiber, before that it was around all the colors of vegetables. We need to understand that our body needs everything in a balanced way.”
For healthy people, consuming more protein than necessary is unlikely to cause major harm, Frishman said, but it is also usually unnecessary.
“Nothing will probably happen to a healthy person if they load up on too much protein beyond what they need,” she said. “But there is no reason to overload on protein because in the end, the body will take the protein it needs and excrete the rest. For people with kidney problems, it could be unhealthy.”
The body, she explained, does not store excess protein in any useful way. What it can store are excess calories, as fat.
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The body does not store excess protein in any useful way
(Photo: Nina Firsova/Shutterstock)
“So there is not much point in consuming more protein than the body needs,” she said.
Frishman also cautioned against assuming that all protein-rich products are equally valuable nutritionally.
“The body does not distinguish where the protein comes from, whether it is protein from processed food, like protein bars, or from steak or an egg,” she said. “However, when we consume lentils, for example, the body gets so many other good things. When we consume protein bars, we do not get anything good from them apart from the protein, so they are not recommended. It is better to get protein from other sources.”
Prof. Danit Ein-Gar of Tel Aviv University said protein has become one of the most competitive categories in the food industry.
“Protein is a category in crazy competition,” she said. “It is an evolution. At first we had no preservatives, then probiotic bacteria, no sugar, no sodium. Now we are in protein.”
According to Ein-Gar, the trend has moved far beyond yogurt and protein powders and into cereals, snacks and other everyday products.
“It allows competition, and it is another way to attract consumers to a product because of the added protein,” she said. “We see how the amount of protein in products keeps rising. At first it was 10 or 15 grams of protein, then 20 or 30, and now we have reached 40 as well.”
The appeal, she said, is tied to a growing consumer market interested in fitness, wellness and longevity.
“The wellness industry does represent a certain status, but I actually think it is moving in a positive direction,” Ein-Gar said. “It is not only a status symbol. It is a change in perception. People look at their body as a system that needs to be preserved and maintained, and that connects with longevity.”
Longevity, she said, is the idea of taking action to extend life in good health.
“The most positive thing here is that the consumer has gone through a kind of education,” she said. “People understand that what they put into their body has long-term consequences.”