Every food commercial, advertisement, and packaging in the US is currently protein obsessed. I just bought 3 burritos, and the most noticeable thing on the entire package is its protein content. TV commercials about waffles are advertising that they have X amount of protein per serving. The products in my jobsite's vending machine have protein all over every package.
Did America have a protein thing recently?
84 Comments
violentfart@lemmy.world · 105 pts · 9h
Congratulations, you’ve discovered the nature of advertising.
A while back during the gluten-free craze my laundry detergent proudly had “gluten-free” on the packaging.
EDIT: I learned it’s possible for plant-based detergents to have contact with gluten, so for those with zero tolerance it can be a concern.
joekar1990@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 8h
fireweed@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 8h
So while it sounds insane for detergent to label itself gluten-free, for people with severe gluten sensitivity toiletries, cosmetics, and other non-consumable items can still cause them symptoms with exposure, or so I've been told by someone I know with gluten intolerance. Whether this is an exaggerated concern or not, there is demand (albeit small) for such products.
violentfart@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 8h
I stand corrected.
The detergent I used was supposed to be eco-friendly so its target audience might be looking at plant-based cleaners.
terraborra@lemmy.nz · 11 pts · 7h
I only just found out that I have a severe gluten intolerance, but not coeliac.
My wife and I used to make fun of all the random products that had GF labels, but now we understand the reason for them. There’s so many household items that just contain gluten as a thickening or binding agent and the labels are actually a huge help.
RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 29 pts · 7h
GMO free water is my favourite
lolrightythen@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5h
I would very much like to know if that's true. Removing every pollutant from water isn't easy.
PetteriPano@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 8h
My dog shampoo proudly states that it has not been tested on captive animals.. so I'm left wondering if they've tested it on free animals, or if I should think twice about using it on my dogs.
Funkt4st1c@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 5h
Animal testing typically involves injecting chemicals or rubbing directly into purpose-made abrasions or the eyes of animals. It is MUCH more brutal than it sounds.
Im sure they washed dogs with the final formula.
sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 2h
Man...why are we like this...
Animal testing doesn't even guarantee that it'll react the same way in/on humans. We have so many other options and yet we continue cruel practices because tradition. Ugh.
technobyte@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 7h
Or they're taking the approach of software companies nowadays: don't test, just make the users test in production
PetteriPano@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 4m
Although my dogs have protested loudly about being bathed with this shampoo, I can confirm that they survived and were cleaner as a result.
MrOtingocni@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3h
I just had a great mental picture of some scientists chasing down and tackling a wild dog to try and shampoo it.
OldChicoAle@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2h
I always thought this meant "this specific product was not tested on animals but the research it is based on maybe probably involved animal testing." Like there's some foundational knowledge that forms the basis of "how to make a shampoo", and that knowledge may be gotten through some unethical means.
Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 8h
I wonder if this has anything to do with Tide Pods and tiktok... Lmao
SimpleMachine@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 3h
From Celiac.org
Do I have to use special gluten-free soaps, shampoos and lotions if I have celiac disease? Can gluten be absorbed through the skin?
No. Gluten cannot be absorbed through your scalp or skin. It must be ingested to affect those with Celiac disease.
https://celiac.org/2016/05/20/9-questions-about-celiac-disease-answered/
OldChicoAle@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2h
I drink my laundry detergent so this is important for me.
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 8h
Is that even a concern for people with celiac disease? I know you’re not supposed to spend a lot of time in a bakery just because of airborne flour, but how much fucking gluten were they putting in detergent to begin with??
Hond@piefed.social · 36 pts · 9h
GLP-1, Ozempic or weightloss drugs.
heres a youtube video about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4y3r5vyac8
havent watched it. this discussion just popped up in another forum a few hours ago.
probably something about the lower calories intake while still getting enough proteins or smth like that.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 9h
It's this, the weightloss drugs. Protein AND fiber products are being pushed everywhere.
Elting@piefed.social · 11 pts · 8h
Fiber atleast you cant get too much of, and the majority of people don't get enough to begin with.
applebusch@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 8h
thats... not true. as always, the dose makes the poison.
Elting@piefed.social · 1 pts · 7h
I was referencing mostly that people already by and large get more protein than they need, and that it is easier to get to an amount of protein where it starts being bad for you (at least if you eat a regular western diet). Of course anything in excess is bad for you.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 8h
For sure! Especially millennials - there's way too many of us dying from colon cancer these days.
VibeSurgeon@piefed.social · 1 pts · 1h
On the contrary, getting too much fiber is quite easy, especially if supplemented, and getting too much of it can have highly negative consequences.
Aquila@sh.itjust.works · -4 pts · 8h
Im guessing it also has something to do with all the noise around lowered testosterone in men lately. Protein dude bro think
Praxinoscope@lemmy.zip · 34 pts · 8h
As a vegan, it's annoying. This obsession makes everyone concerned "where I get my protein."
But no one seems to track their fiber, sodium, iron, riboflavin, etc. and would be miffed if I constantly asked people about it.
Zachariah@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 7h
“Oh, I’m good on protein intake. Thank you. But now that you mention it: I have been wondering how to bring up my concern for your possible riboflavin deficiency…”
MunkyNutts@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 8h
Fiber was the latest crazy a long time ago.
Remember Colon Blow? https://youtu.be/Ku42Iszh9KM
searabbit@piefed.social · 8 pts · 4h
Beans. The answer to all of the above is beans.
Trilogy3452@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2h
Wouldn't you get most of the other nutrients fairly easily as long as you eat a varied diet? Accounting proteins/carbs/fats (and their sub-category types) seems harder
Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 38m
A varied diet provides protein as well.
Science time! Proteins are made up of amino acids. Certain chains of amino acids form "complete proteins," which are what most people think of as "protein." However, the constituent amino acids connect with each other in our bodies even if they're obtained from different sources. So two sources of "incomplete" proteins can still provide "complete proteins" if both are consumed. Which means it's a lot easier to get your protein from a varied, vegan diet than most people might think.
Incomplete vs complete proteins on WebMD.
masterspace@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2h
Its not because of obsession, it's because it's literally the starting point for nutrition knowledge, and it's the most obvious thing that would be lacking in a vegan diet. When people think substantial protein they think meat first and dairy and eggs second.
dektep@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 8h
i assumed it was the popularity of gym culture moving into every day life
OfCourseNot@fedia.io · 6 pts · 8h
I also think this is it. I have a couple of friends that buy these kind of products, and they are also the only gym goers I know. So for my tiny sample it's an absolute one to one correlation.
DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 6h
Aside from people working out protein isn’t really going to make a difference.
Pelicanen@fedia.io · 1 pts · 1h
It does, it makes your farts smell way worse.
blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works · 23 pts · 6h
Macho culture -> bulking-> protein
nalinna@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 9h
A lot of people have gone on GLP-1's recently. You're advised to eat a lot of protein when you go on those.
marzhall@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 9h
The US secretary of health, RFK Jr., pushes an uptake in protein as part of his "MAHA" - "Make America Healthy Again" - messaging. See example tote bags for an event here.
It's the reason you can buy protein poptarts.
silly_goose@lemmy.today · 14 pts · 5h
Because you can slap on a '30g protein' label on junk food and charge double for it
sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today · 13 pts · 7h
Interesting question and answers here. The GLP1 stuff makes sense.
They don't tell you about the bioavailability of the proteins though. Waffles or plants among others don't get utilized by the body as well as protein from meat or whey.
impairedimperator@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 5h
It's the fad of the day (decade).
If you look closely, you might start seeing "high in fiber!" creeping in. You know how the last ten years there were articles about how Americans don't eat enough fiber? Well, now fiber is the new selling point...
RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 9 pts · 7h
It's not entirely pseudoscience. I imagine a lot of people don't normally get the recommended 1.2g per kg per day https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/
magiccupcake@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3h
That seems high per https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/are-you-getting-too-much-protein
Which quotes 0.8 g/kg
Ephera@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 2h
Just to note 1.2g per kg per day is a highly contested number. To my knowledge, the usual recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of most countries sits at around 0.8. As it says in that link, this was the RDA in the US, too, before the Trump bros recently increased it.
And the RDA covers the needs of 97.5% of the population. So, per definition, most people need less than that.
At the same time, with an average Western diet, you can easily get 1.5g per kg bodyweight per day. There's cases where folks can't deal with excess protein due to a kidney failure, and actually getting them to not eat excess protein can be quite the challenge.
Source for that second block is this podcast/video where a nutrition professor is interviewed: https://zoe.com/learn/podcast-should-i-eat-more-protein
KRAW@linux.community · -1 pts · 3h
Gym bros misquote this as a gram per pound, which is just a ridiculous amount of protein.
masterspace@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2h
That's how much you need to eat when you're trying to actively gain muscle, not just maintain your current amount.
And quite frankly, either put on that much muscle or kindly accept that they may have a point.
BussyCat@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h
It’s 1 gram per pound of LEAN body mass not overall body weight
Just because a person is in good shape doesn’t mean they actually understand what is required to train and it’s very common for top athletes to use a ton of pseudoscience garbage because they want anything that could possibly improve performance
thesohoriots@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 9h
Saw an ad for a protein soda. I am vomit.
masterspace@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 2h
Lmfao at this whole thread of nonsense answers.
It's not a weird obsession.
If you want to be muscular, then you need to eat a lot of protein.
If you want to be muscular and have a low body fat percentage, then you need to eat a lot of protein, and eat a lot of protein / calorie you eat.
If you're old and want to slow down how quickly your muscles waste away to maintain your physical health, you need to eat a lot of protein.
And protein is generally one of the more expensive parts of food, so companies constantly try and cut back and replace it with carbs and sugar instead... All leading to people seeking out food with high protein content
BussyCat@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1h
It’s a weird obsession because people are trying to eat significantly more than they need.
People misunderstood grams per kilogram and just switched it to grams per pound without actually converting units
BradleyUffner@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 7h
It's got what plants crave
driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br · 4 pts · 8h
Isn't the US, it's everywhere. The next trend is fiber.
Drusas@fedia.io · 5 pts · 8h
Fiber, at least, is one people are actually short on (most people). Unlike protein.
jerkface@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 8h
lol that will never happen, not in the way you mean it. not unless the next trend is "cooking for ourselves like actual human beings"
driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br · 1 pts · 7h
They're are, not synthetic, but kinda, fiber that is starting to being used as ingredient that can be easily added to processed food.
amio@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 8h
It's not just the US even. It's been a trend for many years already, both aimed at gymbros with gymbro nutritional science ("more protein is betterer") and also selling that idea on to the general public because of the gymbro association.
I think the dumbest fucking thing I saw was a bar of chocolate I bought that proudly advertised that it had "high protein crisps" in it, and it was like 2% in a slab of milk chocolate.
Can't explain that
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 2 pts · 7h
It used 2% milk.
evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 7h
In addition to what others people have mentioned (studies showing legitimate benefits to increased protein, greater need to ensure adequate protein intake for those with artificially reduced appetite, and just general dude-bro carnivore keto fads), a huge thing that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is the massive dairy surplus.
Very few people drink milk as a beverage compared to 15 years ago, so the dairy industry (with the aid of the government) is trying to get as many alternative uses for dairy going as possible.
cRazi_man@europe.pub · 3 pts · 8h
Trends are trending.
Levi makes good videos about these things. I enjoy following his channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ZjMXZYq_Y
xylogx@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 5h
Nutritionism sells more food. If you really want to be radicalized go read Michael Polan’s In Defense of Food
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Defense_of_Food
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 2 pts · 7h
I only see an obsession with protien from gym bros and health influencers that say shit like seed oils are posionous. 🤷♂️
jet@hackertalks.com · 1 pts · 2h
You mean the industrial oils that didn't exist 150 year ago, and thus are brand spanking new to the human experience?
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 0 pts · 6h
Anything wrong with seed oils would be from chemical used in their production or contamination of the soil and air where it's grown.
The fact none of them have mentioned that, shows they are acting cynically and in bad faith, refraining from calling out the real culprits of problems as they play the sheep for their own benefit.
That said, the protein thing is way bigger than gym bros and health influencers. For over 15 years seemingly half the population is ocnvinced they are one high carb meal away from protein starvation.
aesthelete@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 4h
We're idiots
DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth · 2 pts · 7h
Probably the whole shitty influencer "wellness" trend, but too much protein is actually pretty bad for you.
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 6h
The US has been obsessed with protein for at least 15 years, longer though.
Baby boomers have long been convinced they are one bowl of pasta away from protein starvation. But every other person elsewise now too.
AmidFuror@fedia.io · 2 pts · 7h
These health fads come in cycles. Once everyone realizes the last fad didn't do everything it claimed, a new fad must replace it.
TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 9h
it also has to do with FDA requirements for nutrition labeling. FDA has been bumbling around with FOP (front of package) labeling for almost two years now; some food companies are getting a jump on future requirements by putting some of that info on the front early. Just grabbed something at random:
https://www.goodnes.com/lean-cuisine/products/baked-chicken-frozen-entree/
mrdown@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 8h
Muscle loss
lennybird@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 8h
Same reason they're obsessed with carnivore diet. It's about identity projection, macho manosphere bullshit, spun up by a very high amount of money injected by corporate propaganda.
jet@hackertalks.com · 1 pts · 2h
I'm obsessed with the carnivore diet because it works, you can evaluate its effectiveness in just a few days/weeks - it's the single simplest diet for maintaining health. It's biggest super power isn't meat, its removal of all the variables that could be hurting you - It's an amazing elimination diet tool.
And, its quite inexpensive, i'm saving so much money. I can't see how a corporation makes money from promoting zero carb, the strict carnivores don't each much, they don't spend much, and they like to buy locally produced meat anyway... they are very bad customers.
lennybird@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h
Just to give an example to make a point, smoking cigarettes achieve similar results: more energy, lower weight, better cognition in the short term. Doesn't mean it's better for you!
I can give you diet instructions proven to do the same not only in the short term but the long term as well. Most carnivore benefits share some benefits with many other scientifically proven better diets, but the benefits subside drastically after mere months to a year typically.
The nutritional deficits and anti-nutrients associated culminate to exacerbate health issues in the longterm.
There is no scientific peer reviewed consensus support for carnivore diet. If you need an elimination diet there are also better diet. If it's temporary and works for you to figure out sensitivities, just exercise caution!
ji88aja88a@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 8h
ozempic, and it's global.
in my country there is a "shortage" of protein and the cost of protein powders has almost doubled. i'm not sure there actually is a shortage, there are bulk supplement shops fucking everywhere and countless online retailers. the market will bear what people are willing to pay. more gouging in tough times.
incogtino@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 8h
https://crust.piefed.social/c/positive_rss@crust.piefed.social/p/127368/scientists-recycle-plastic-bottles-into-protein-rich-cookies-would-eat-in-a-dire
yool_ooloo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 48m
I thought protein was last year and fiber was this year
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 7h
You're like 30 years behind the protein train.
It's been a thing since the mid 90's.
teebeutel@feddit.org · 1 pts · 8h
This video is the only reasonable answer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8XKFfzBjS4
dreksob@feddit.online · 0 pts · 1h
Its another fad/advertising thing.
At another point, when the Keto Diet was everywhere, there was a restaurant near me that proudly announced that 100% of its menu was "Keto Diet". There where Keto diet snacks and Keto diet frozen meals etc.
Then there was the fat free phase, I dunno if you remember the fat free cookies that you could buy, or fat free salad dressing, or fat free bread etc.
This trend seems to come from the rise of fitness influencers, and in this case its based in some kind of truth. You need protein if you are working out a lot, you cant built real muscle without it. And so fitness influencers started making videos about the food they ate, and the big thing about it was how much protein it had because that's what they cared about.
And since influencer driven sales are huge now, you see a lot of companies wanting to cash in on the protein craze, so the packaging shifts towards showing off the protein content, because thats what everyone (or enough people) are tracking right now.
aramis87@fedia.io · -3 pts · 8h
Manosphere dudebros.
Tiral@lemmy.world · -7 pts · 5h
I think because proton can't be stored as fat, and A LOT of shit has fillers that are basically just carbs. So by saying 'high protein" it means you're actually buying meat, not some soy mixed crap.
janus2@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 5h
protein molecules can't be stored as fat, but their energy can be.
jet@hackertalks.com · 1 pts · 2h
not really; people eating only high protein don't gain weight, they starve and die. Rabbit starvation i think its called.
eating protein by itself cannot meaningfully be stored as fat.
Yes, there is a process called gluconeogenesis that can use a tiny amount of protein to create the bodies background blood glucose target, but that isn't relevant here. This is very easy to demonstrate, put a CGM on and only eat protein (no fat, no carbs) and you wont see a rise in blood glucose. Without a rise in blood glucose there is nothing for the fat cells to take up (they don't take up protein)