It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of an active gym membership must be in want of more protein.
At least, that’s what my social media accounts seem to say ― since I’ve started ramping up my workouts, I’ve seen ad after ad for £3-a-pop protein bars and huge tubs of whey powder.
I’ve thought about getting on the supplement bandwagon before but baulked at the cost.
But speaking on gut health company ZEO’s podcast along with cofounder Jonathan Wolf, Dr Federica Amati, the company’s head nutritionist, had strong thoughts about whether or not they’re worth it.
And?
The doctor explained: “The daily recommended amount... by the WHO, and lots of intelligent governing bodies... is 0.83 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for adults.”
That’s about 65g per day for the average UK citizen.
If that sounds a little meagre to you, well, that’s because most of us are going well over that level.
“In the UK, one analysis actually found that people’s protein intake was 75% higher than the recommended amount,” Dr Amati said.
“So most people don’t need extra protein, so long as they’re eating enough food throughout the day. That’s really critical.”
Kids, pregnant women, those over 70, and elite-level athletes may need more, she added.
If you’re wondering if your marathon prep counts, Dr Amati adds: “We’re really talking about athletes who are training eight hours a day.”
So... are protein bars and shakes bad?
The doctor says they probably shouldn’t be your first port of call.
“We’ve seen protein supplements have exploded in popularity,” she shared.
But she thinks that “these are foods that you don’t need. They’re not supposed to be a source of protein in our diet. They’re not designed to be a really good source of protein.”
That’s because while protein is added to certain foods, many of the highly processed items are also rammed with additives, emulsifiers, and more.
“So you might be spending this additional 20% of your money to buy high-protein ice cream, which actually only has 10 grams of protein,” Dr Amati explains.
“But you have to eat a third of the tub to get that. So you can get 18 grams of protein from one cup of edamame beans, and it’ll be a lot more nutritious than the ice cream.”
“This obsession with adding more protein to our diet has moved us away from adding more real foods to our diet and towards adding foods that we really don’t need to be eating.”