https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/06/protein-supplements-too-far/683239/ Americans are taking their obsession with supplements to new extremes. In the early 1950s, “Hi-Proteen” powder, one of the first modern protein supplements, hit the market. Initially, it tasted awful. But after its creator, Bob Hoffman, added in Hershey’s chocolate, the flavor improved. (He used a canoe paddle to stir his mixture in a giant vat.) Protein products have come a long way since then. Perhaps, they have come too far: Last weekend, at the gym, I was offered a can of lemon-flavored “protein ice tea.” The summery, yellow-striped packaging advertised 15 grams of protein per can, or about the same as what you might get from three eggs. Apparently protein shakes and protein bars don’t cut it anymore. Americans are so obsessed with protein that even an Arnold Palmer comes infused with it. Perhaps protein iced tea was inevitable. Whenever something is trendy, the food industry can’t help but push things to the extreme—consider “plant-based” peanut butter (as if the spread was not already vegetarian) and gluten-free pumpkin dog biscuits. But even compared with other food trends, the protein situation has gotten out of hand. Just last week, Starbucks announced that it’s piloting a high-protein, banana-flavored cold foam. There is protein water, Kardashian-branded protein popcorn, and “macho” protein pasta sauce. If you want to get drunk while bulking up, consider a protein-fortified pale ale or a “Swoleberry” spiked protein seltzer. Nothing is safe from the protein pandemonium. Name a food, and the protein version of it probably exists.
So is this a problem or is this good because Americans want to be healthier and beefier? Inquiring minds want to know...
We consume too much protein, even your idol Mike Mentzer spoke to the issue. All of that excess protein either gets pissed out, or worse, converted to and stored as fat.
My goodness! Those are ultra processed food with tons of FLAVORS (synthetic denatured unnatural food)... Always check the Ingredient list. If you can't memorize it within 5 seconds, and if you can't make it at home, it is UPF. Every time to see words like plant-based, flavored, fortified ..... run away from it Better to eat natural protein rather than man-made high concentrate denatured protein
OK, so how one can figure out how much protein they should take??? Is there like a daily maximum what the body can use? Nevermind, I asked AI: "While the body can handle a wide range of protein intake, there's a point where consuming more protein doesn't offer additional benefits and could even be detrimental. For the average healthy adult, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. However, many people, especially athletes or those aiming to build muscle, consume more, often around 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram. While it's generally safe to consume up to 2 grams per kilogram, exceeding 2.2 grams per kilogram daily is considered excessive for most healthy adults" I looked it up, if I eat a dozen chicken wings I would reach my 1 gram per kg limit for the day.
It seems like this AI is not well trained. It didn't consider many factors : natural healthy protein vs unnatural denatured UPF protein food addiction. When people eat UPF, you will have cravings because the food is very tasty. So people eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and .... hence exceed the limit