Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hello, it's Hannah Gelbart here. Welcome back to What's in the World from the BBC World Service. Today we're talking about protein because it is really having its moment in the spotlight. I think it works. It's super expensive to get protein powder now. It helps me with
lifting heavier. I do more reps. I am definitely team Whole Foods when it comes to protein. Honestly, I enjoy chewing my food. No hate to the protein shakes and powders. I don't think it's just a fad, but I do think people need to shop around. From cereal bars to porridge, popcorn, even booze, when
When you go into a shop these days, everything seems to be shouting about just how high protein it is. And it's a really important nutrient. We're told that it helps us build muscle, it helps our body to repair itself, helps us keep ourselves fuller for longer. But how much protein is in these so-called high protein foods? How much do our bodies actually need? We are going to be cutting through the hype to find out what high protein actually means and whether it's healthy or just a health fad.
Before we get into it, we asked a few people what they think about the high protein food craze. Things like protein powders, which are taken from plant sources like soybeans or dairy sources like whey, which is the liquid that's left over when you make cheese. So, bon appetit. Hi, my name is Pass. I'm a chef and fitness enthusiast based in Lagos. And when I was in school, I used to
use protein powders right i think it works then like i could see results and stuff and i'm thinking about it now one reason that made it work was because it was more of like supplementing for my food but now what works for me is
like eggs, chicken, you know, especially chicken breasts. For me, I don't necessarily need protein powder, but I see the results just by what I eat. Hi, my name is Caroline Kiambo and I am a digital producer from Nairobi, Kenya. I've never really been into protein shakes, bars or powders. For me, it's all about the real food that fuels me right. I am big on meal prep. Think grilled chicken, some boiled eggs,
beef stew and sometimes fish. I try to include protein in every single meal whether it's breakfast omelets, chickpeas for lunch or dinner a generous helping of nyama that's mostly beef stew. It just works better for my body it keeps me full helps me with recovery so yeah no hate to the protein shakes and powders but I'm keeping it classic with my protein choices.
Joining us here today from the What In The World team is Chelsea Coates, a BBC journalist. Hello, welcome to the show. Hi, Hannah. So you've got a quiz for me. I do. To kind of give you an idea of the scale of how many high-protein foods are out there, I'm going to ask you about a series of foods and then you need to guess if there's a high-protein version. All right. So true or false? Okay. A little quick pop quiz. So first up, we have bread. Yes, I've bought high-protein bread. Really? Yeah, with linseeds in it.
Okay, so this is like a regular, this is your go-to bread now? My go-to. One of, one of. Okay. There's one I've got in the freezer. Next up, Snickers. Yes. Indeed. Because they have the kind of peanutty... Exactly, nuts again. Now it's going to get a little bit harder. Tea. Tea.
I'm thinking of milky tea because the milk would obviously be protein. So if you had tea powder, I could see how tea powder, but tea bags, I don't think you can get protein in your tea bags. Oh, okay.
Oh. In fact, you can. You can. And interestingly, when we searched for kind of high-protein tea, it also had on the label plant-based, which you would assume if it's a herbal tea, it is plant-based, right? So what is it, like pea protein tea? Yeah, I don't know. It was lots of kind of like herbal teas, like fruit teas. Fruit teas with high protein. And they kind of add powder, protein powders in them. Interesting. And then lastly...
Water. Protein water. Look, if you can get protein tea, I'm going to say you can get protein water. And you would indeed be correct. There is a protein water brand. So as you can see from that quiz, there is a huge and growing amount of high protein or added protein products. And why is that? Why are we so obsessed with it?
Well, it's because there's such a growing industry behind high protein products. It's the fact that the protein powder market alone is projected to be around $19 billion worth by 2030. So it's only set to grow from where it is now. And
It's really fascinating when you consider the fact that high protein products used to mostly be targeted towards bodybuilders or people that are really keen on going to the gym. And you could only really find them in, say, like specialist nutritional food shops.
But that's all changed now because protein isn't just associated with extreme bodybuilding. It's also associated with having a healthy, balanced diet in general. And a lot of that has to do with clever marketing techniques by the food industry. But it also has to do with our changing attitudes towards diet culture and being healthy in general.
So a lot of people are chasing a kind of toned but also skinny body. And because protein is associated with building muscle, it kind of has this halo effect. So when people hear the word protein, they think of not just being healthy generally, but having that ideal body. And so when we add it on to the names of all of these snacks that we were mentioning earlier, they immediately take on an appeal. And so that's why we're seeing such a growth. Chelsea, I've totally fallen for this.
I feel very guilty right now because I'm a bit of a gym girly. I want that toned, slim body and I try to have protein in every single meal. How much protein do I actually need to eat versus how much am I being marketed for?
So the amount that you often hear quoted by experts is around 55 grams for men in a day and then around 50, 45 grams for women in a day. But there's not really a one size fits all for how much protein that you need. So really, it depends on how much you weigh, how old you are and also how active you are. So the World Health Organization says that for every kilogram of your body weight, you need around 0.8 grams of protein in a day.
But that can be even higher if you have a really active lifestyle, so you go to the gym really regularly. Or if you're a professional athlete, for example, that amount could go up to 1.5 grams of protein for each kilogram of your body weight every single day. So it varies. However, the thing is, most studies show that most of us, especially in the US, in the UK and in Canada, are actually already eating more protein than we need. So I said that figure of around 50 grams of protein a day.
most of us are actually getting around more like 100 grams of protein a day. So already double the kind of minimum requirement that you need to be healthy. So are there any side effects or risks of eating these high protein foods? Yes. So a lot of high protein foods or ones that are marketed as being high in protein can also fall into the category of ultra processed foods. So those are foods that contain additives or ingredients that you wouldn't typically find in your kitchen at home or use in cooking.
And those foods have been associated with heart problems and also the development of diabetes. So if you're eating a high protein snack like the ones we mentioned earlier, we're seeing it added to pizza and ice cream. If they also have added sugar or kind of added really long chemicals that you've never heard of, they might be high or ultra processed foods. And so it's best to kind of look carefully at the label.
Also, we mentioned protein powder earlier is a really lucrative business for those. However, studies in India last year and also in the US showed that sometimes the labels can be misleading. So they say they contain a certain amount of protein, but actually the actual contents might be high or lower. And that can lead to kind of a spike in your protein, which you want to spread it out through the day. So that's not actually quite healthy for your intake.
And then on top of that, some of them are also found to contain heavy metals and other harmful toxins. So it's best to kind of...
Be really careful with which high protein foods you're eating. And go back to basics if you're in doubt, right? Exactly. Yeah. And you've also been speaking to a nutritionist to get some of the science behind protein. Yes. So I've been talking to Cara Harbstreet. She is the dietitian behind a YouTube channel called Street Smart Nutrition. And she explained why protein is so important for our diet.
Well, protein is one of our three macronutrients along with carbohydrates and fat, which means that our body can use them for a number of different functions. They provide energy, but protein is especially important because they are the building blocks for lots of other things in the body. So everything from, you know,
enzymes to muscle, you know, supporting our immune system. We utilize protein in so many different ways. And because we source protein from our diet, it is one of the most important nutrients that a lot of people are focusing on right now. And would you say that the source of protein changes how well your body can absorb it? So are plant-based proteins, for example, better than meat-based proteins, the ones that you get from like
animal sources like eggs or fish? The most important thing when differentiating between animal-based proteins and plant-based proteins is the amino acid profile. So a protein is a rather complex molecule. It's made up of many different individual amino acids, and each protein source has its own unique amino acid profile.
Those different amino acids are each absorbed in the small intestine. That's where our body kind of unpackages these complex proteins and puts them to use in the body. So when it comes to differentiating between animal-based and plant-based, it's really difficult to determine if one is necessarily quote unquote better than the other. When it comes to digestion, it's really about those individual amino acids and looking at are we getting the ones that our bodies cannot make themselves.
That's where animal-based proteins are often deemed higher quality because they are providing those essential amino acids that our bodies can't make on their own. But that's not to say that we can't get all of our protein needs met through plant-based sources only. Can you give us your three top tips for getting enough protein in your diet? Well, first and foremost, I recommend not skipping meals, and this really includes breakfast. I
I see this trend among many of my clients and patients that I've worked with. And so simply adding a high protein or higher protein meal at the beginning of the day can be a very easy way to boost your total protein intake. Another option that I would recommend is looking at your total meal and really determining what is the highest protein option you have. It may just be a matter of
adjusting the portion sizes to ensure that you are hitting your protein needs, a slightly larger serving of even a whole grain option or a dairy option, something that you may not typically think of as being the highest protein can still provide a few extra grams. And then my third and final tip is not to overlook or discount those plant-based options.
As we were saying earlier, it really comes down to that amino acid profile for determining the quality of a protein. But there's many great options in the plant-based category that carry additional benefits. So adding things like those whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds. None of these foods are exclusively protein-based, but they're also delivering fiber and fat, which are two other factors that can help you feel more full and satisfied after you eat.
So Chelsea, there's all this hype around protein. Is it distracting us from any other products, ingredients or nutrients that we might not be paying as much attention to? So one nutrient experts say that we really need to be paying more attention to is fibre.
So it's not as appealing, maybe, as protein. It's not as sexy, is it? It's not as sexy. It's not like build muscle with this fibre. Exactly. So experts say that we should be eating around 25 grams a day, but most of us are eating less than 20 grams of fibre. And so fibre foods are usually plant foods. So those are seeds, nuts...
Anything that kind of, like we mentioned earlier, helps your digestive system, but it also helps to even out your blood sugar levels. It has a whole myriad of other benefits that we might be missing out on if we're not maximizing the amount of fiber that we have. So we might be seeing a fiber fad in the future as more people...
gain awareness of the fact that it has a lot of health benefits. Great. So next time I go into the shop, I have to choose between the high protein and the high fibre. I'll get one of each. It's my name. I'm just going to go to the fruit and vegetable aisle. Yeah, go back to basics. Exactly. That's what I say. Chelsea, thanks so much for coming into the studio. Thank you, Hannah. And thank you for joining us. I'm Hannah Gelbart. This is What In The World from the BBC World Service. We'll see you next time. Bye. Bye.