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?

      • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
        11·
        8 hours ago

        Eat more protein!

        Take these digestive drugs to keep it all down!

        Take Glp1 because you are now fat!

        Visit our cancer centre to get fitted with a colostomy bag!

        This is the US diet in a nutshell.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
      4·
      17 hours ago

      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

      • RobotToaster@mander.xyz
        3·
        9 hours ago

        The RDA issue is addressed in the article I linked

        For adults, the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 g/kg/d.[2] However, a more appropriate statistical analysis of the data used to establish the RDA suggests this number should be higher: 1.0 g/kg/d.[3]

        Note that, contrary to popular belief, the RDA doesn’t represent an ideal intake. Instead, it represents the minimum intake needed to prevent malnutrition. Unfortunately, the RDA for protein was determined from nitrogen balance studies, which require that people eat experimental diets for weeks before measurements are taken. This provides ample time for the body to adapt to low protein intakes by down-regulating processes that are not necessary for survival but are necessary for optimal health, such as protein turnover and immune function.[4]

        An alternative method for determining protein requirements, called the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) technique, overcomes many of the shortcomings of nitrogen balance studies.[5] Notably, it allows for the assessment of protein requirements within 24 hours, thereby not leaving the body enough time to adapt. Studies using the IAAO method have suggested that about 1.2 g/kg/d is a more appropriate RDA for healthy young men,[6] older men,[7] and older women.[8][9]

    • KRAW@linux.communityEnglish
      43·
      18 hours ago

      Gym bros misquote this as a gram per pound, which is just a ridiculous amount of protein.

      • masterspace@lemmy.caEnglish
        32·
        17 hours ago

        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.

        • KRAW@linux.communityEnglish
          1·
          3 hours ago

          I have put on that much muscle. I just refuse to buy any kool-aid that’s being sold to me. Maybe they should bring proof instead of spreading trends blindly?

        • BussyCat@lemmy.world
          21·
          16 hours ago

          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

          • masterspace@lemmy.caEnglish
            2·
            8 hours ago

            1lb of LEAN body mass is still a shit ton of protein to have to try and squeeze in. For your average adult man that’s the equivalent of 5-7 scoops of protein powder, or like ~1.5lb of chicken breast, every single day.

            You’re not getting that unless you’re going out of your way to.