07/14/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/14/2025 17:56
Protein seems to be everywhere these days. Even cereal, once the purview of children's breakfasts, now prominently advertises the macronutrient. Unlike other food fads though, this one may not fade away, says BU nutrition expert Joan Salge Blake. Photo via Alamy/David Tonelson
If you've been inside a grocery store lately, you may have noticed something curious. Cereal, once the purview of children's breakfasts, is now "packed with protein!" The small refrigerators at the checkout line, designed to entice shoppers with last-second impulse purchases, now stock drinks such as Muscle Milk (containing 40 grams of protein!). Even the snack aisle, that holy grail of chips and treats, has not been spared-new brands of so-called "protein chips" boast 18 grams of protein in every nacho-, ranch-, and chili-lime-flavored serving. Under the bright fluorescent lights of grocery stores across the country, protein has become the lingua franca.
"It's always something," says Joan Salge Blake, with the resigned tone of a nutrition expert well-versed in the ever-changing food fads of the day. "First it was calories: everyone was counting calories. Then it was low-carb, then no added sugar in the diet. There's always a trend that gets people talking."
But, says Salge Blake, a clinical professor of nutrition at Boston University's Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, this one may just stick around.
An essential macronutrient, protein is a key building block of so many parts of the body: it's found in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. Proteins "are critical to most of the work done by cells and are required for the structure, function and regulation of the body's tissues and organs," according to the National Institutes of Health.
Protein has always been good for us and an important part of a balanced diet. But the recent emphasis on it-from social media influencers to food marketing tactics, seems to have coincided with the introduction of specific weight-loss medications such as Wegovy, Salge Blake notes.
Once merely a fixation among bodybuilders, protein intake is now also especially important for the millions of Americans taking semaglutide weight-loss drugs. The drugs can drastically reduce appetite and often spell intense nausea for people taking them-making food even less appealing.
"So this is not just a fad; there really are subsets of people now that have to make sure they're getting enough protein and that they're getting enough of it throughout the day," Salge Blake says.
For most people without specific health or diet needs, however, getting enough protein just isn't something to worry about, she says. Lots of foods that people already eat regularly-meat, of course, but also eggs, grains, seafood, beans, tofu, yogurt, milk-contain protein. Eating enough protein helps your muscles rebuild and also increases the satiety-the feeling of fullness-of each meal.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day, or just over 7 grams for every 20 pounds of body weight. So, for a 140-pound person, that means about 50 grams of protein each day. For a 200-pound person, that means about 70 grams of protein each day.
The challenge, Salge Blake says, is when a person's intense focus on one macronutrient starts to displace the rest of what makes a balanced diet-well, balanced.
"Let's talk about the carnivore diet," she says. "That's a diet that is heavily, heavily based on animal protein. There have been instances where people are eating just meat, and they're actually developing scurvy because they're not having any fruits or vegetables. Obviously, that's extreme, but it does happen."
The best food advice, of course, is relatively boring: eat a variety of foods, including nutritious fruits and vegetables, Salge Blake says.
See ya later, protein-jacked nacho chips.
Why Is Everyone So Obsessed with Protein? BU Nutrition Expert Has Some Answers
Molly Glass began her career at a small, family-owned newspaper where the newsroom housed computers that used floppy disks. Since then, her work has been picked up by the Associated Press and recognized by the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2016, she moved into a communications role at Northeastern University as part of its News@Northeastern reporting team. When she's not writing, Molly can be found rock climbing, biking around the city, or hanging out with her wife, Morgan, and their cat, Junie B. Jones. Profile
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