In recent years, the “high protein” label has become a marketing tool for major food and beverage brands to appeal to health-conscious consumers. However, a University of Iowa dietitian has concerns regarding the legitimacy of the products. Students at the university are torn over whether the products can be an aid to their health goals or a hindrance.
According to Towards Food and Beverage Consulting Ltd, a global consulting firm aiding food and beverage brands, the global protein market is expected to increase each year going forward and is expected to grow to $108 billion in 2034.
Katherine Mellen, UI professor of instruction and registered dietitian, said the high-protein diet has been trending for the last few years.
She said the addition of more whole foods rich in protein, such as meat, fish, and plant proteins, is a positive. However, processed foods with high-protein labels are products in which she is not as confident nutritionally.
She said many of these foods, such as Pop-Tarts and chips, have recently added high-protein options, but still remain unhealthy because of the way they are processed and their lack of nutrients.
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“Those guidelines don’t tell us that we should be sprinkling protein powder into everything,” Mellen said. “It’s really about choosing protein in foods that’s there naturally.”
She said these products often cost more than the normal version and are not worth the price tag. Based on prices from the Iowa City Walmart Supercenter’s website, the price of an eight pack of strawberry Pop-Tarts is $2.78 while an eight pack of protein strawberry Pop-Tarts is $3.48.
“I would say save the money and put that towards more whole foods,” Mellen said. “Protein is one of the most, if not the most, expensive of the nutrients, and so we need protein for the benefits it provides us.”
While Mellen said to stick to whole food sources of protein, for those looking to include more protein in their diets, they have looked at high-protein products as that source.
UI third-year accounting student, Max Mho, said the price of high-protein products is worth it because of their versatility for consumers.
“There’s also a lot of low-calorie options, so that helps those that want to lose weight, and then maybe some people that want to gain more weight or eat more protein, it helps them do that too,” Mho said.
When looking to intake high amounts of protein, Mho said he will start his mornings with a protein bar and then later cook up high-protein versions of classic meals, like mac and cheese.
However, he said he always tries to implement whole foods such as meat, rice, vegetables, and fruit into all of his meals and include foods from all food groups.
Faith Klatt, a second-year UI human physiology student, said she dislikes the high-protein versions of foods because they mislead consumers based on their nutritional value.
“I don’t think it does good stuff for the systems in your body,” Klatt said. “We’re seeing a lot of foods being labeled as protein or high protein because they have an extra amount of protein in it, but they’re not high in protein.”
According to online health information resource Verywell Health, dietitians say foods are often considered high-protein if they have 10 grams of protein for every 100 calories.
Klatt said because of the misleading nature of the high-protein labels, she prefers to stick to whole foods because the protein in them is more optimal for the human body compared to the artificial protein in many modern products.
Caleb Westra, a second-year UI economics and statistics student, said because he is lactose intolerant, he has been open to trying alternative high-protein options to meet his daily protein intake.
While Westra said he likes to buy some of the high-protein products, he said most people are misled by the labels because of the hidden additives and the low amount of protein for a high protein item.
“Most people are misled with high protein, but then you’re getting a bunch of extra fillers, you’re not getting proper calorie ratios, and end up hurting you more than the protein you’re getting,” Westra said.
Klatt said people are being misled by the high-protein trend and are neglecting other aspects of their nutritional needs to increase their protein intake.
“We’re leaning into a trend of thinking that protein is the most important nutrient for our bodies,” Klatt said. “There’s definitely a lot of other things like fiber and sources of calcium, other things that we’re missing from our diets because of the hyperfixation on protein right now.”