By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
The new emphasis on protein intake and continued popularity of gym culture have led to food companies hopping on the train of creating “protein” versions of their existing products.
While there is a difference in protein intake between the two versions of the same product, the actual nutritional value remains mostly the same, regardless of what marketing departments try to tell you.
Regardless of the protein amount, these are still highly-processed junk foods. While they might help someone reach their daily protein goal more than the regular product, it is not a food that has a good protein-to-calorie ratio and does not make someone healthier when eating it.
Two protein Pop-Tarts are still 400 calories, like the original version, but include 10 grams of protein instead of five. A serving of both protein and original nacho cheese Doritos is 150 calories with 10 grams of protein while the regular version has only two.
From protein Pop-Tarts to protein Doritos, it seems like many companies that are known for producing unhealthy junk food are now better for you because they add a couple of grams of protein into the products.
Professionals in nutrition and wellness point to a 1:10 protein-to-calorie ratio for looking at whether a food provides a good amount of protein. The method suggests that if something has one gram of protein per 10 or less calories, it can be classified as a protein-rich food. While this method is not scientifically proven, it has been used as a shorthand in sports nutrition.
For those who want to prioritize including more protein in their diet, they should look to more natural and less calorie-dense options, like lean meats, instead of finding extra protein in a bag of Doritos. And if they really want to eat something that is not as healthy, eat the original version mindfully within their health goals.
In April, WIRED reporter Miles Klee wrote an article recounting what happened when he ate nothing but “high protein” products for a whole week, while also recording the experience for social media.
He conducted the experiment to test the new suggested daily protein intake, as recommended by Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Americans are now recommended to consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, up to double the previously recommended daily allowance.
Klee started out his video saying he was “barfing” in the bathroom during the week. The first items he shows were protein Pop-Tarts and Protein Pints protein mint chip ice cream.
The first products he actually consumed were Nutter Butter-flavored whey protein powder and maple bacon-flavored Man Cereal, which is labeled as a low-sugar, keto cereal with 16 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of creatine per serving. Klee said the cereal was the “worst food” he ingested for the whole experiment.
While Klee was trying to display the shortcomings of Kennedy’s new diet suggestions, he shed light on a different issue with food products. There is no need for people to spend more money on a product that is just as unhealthy as the original but is labeled as a real macro-friendly option.
