BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) – It seems like they’re putting protein in just about everything–from coffee to tortilla chips.
PepsiCo announced in February the launch of Doritos Protein, boasting 10 grams of protein per 1-ounce serving.
Are those chips making you thirsty?
In January, Dunkin’ released a line of drinks featuring new “Protein Milk,” calling them “a creamy, delicious way to supply your favorite beverages with 15 grams of protein.”
You can also get your protein in with a bottle of ISOPURE’s Protein Water–it’s only 60 calories and has 15 grams of protein per bottle.
According to Jarrod Boyle, a registered dietitian at One Bite at a Time Nutrition, protein is important for a lot of reasons.
“Protein is amazing for a multitude of reasons,” Boyle said. “It helps us with the building blocks in our body, the amino acids that allow us to grow our muscles, repair our muscles after workouts or any time during the day and keep the energy stable and digest food better.”
But how much is too much?
“It’s really, really hard to overdo it with protein,” he added. “I love the general rule of thumb of 30 grams a meal. If we can hit 30–even up to 40 would be really, really nice–and then we look into someone’s height, weight, metabolic factors we need to consider, any activity level they have, and then we get a much more personalized number.”
While it’s an important part of a balanced diet, Boyle says it’s probably a good idea to put the protein chips down because you’re better off getting your 30 to 40 grams per meal through healthy options.
“The better approach is always whole foods for a lot of reasons, but it’s very easy to justify the junk food if there’s more protein in it, so we just want to watch out for that,” he said. “I think companies are picking up on the fact that people are being more health-conscious, and as dietitians, we love that. At One Bite at a Time, we focus on a good change, but we don’t want to replace chicken, turkey and tofu for Dorito protein options.”
If you’re prioritizing protein, there’s a good chance you might be neglecting other essential nutrients–including fiber.
“I think it’s our secret weapon at the practice. If we can get someone eating enough fiber, the whole game changes. Their life changes,” Boyle said. “We want to make sure that everything coming in is coming out, and fiber is such an instrumental tool to be able to get them to do that.”
Boyle actually thinks fiber will be the next nutrient those companies will target–but he still thinks whole foods are a better option over hypothetical fiber chips or fiber water.
“I think fiber’s up next with the companies, but we always focus on seeds and skins,” he said. “If there’s a food with a skin on it or some seeds in it, it’s probably a good source of fiber. Something like blackberries, something like apples, sweet potatoes… we want to make sure we’re eating the skin on our potatoes.”
The Cancer Research Institute found that colorectal cancer is on the rise in people under 50–in fact, it’s rising 3% per year in that age group.
Though numerous things can cause colorectal cancer–and any kind of cancer–fiber has been linked to reduced colorectal cancer rates in clinical studies.
So, how can you get enough protein, fiber and everything else your body needs in your diet?
Boyle says it’s all about balance–and you don’t need to overcomplicate things.
“I think it’s very easy for people to overcomplicate what they’re taking in. So, the more that we can add into their day that has simple ingredients and helps them understand what they’re consuming makes it very easy for us to say, hey, this is linked to positive outcomes,” he added. “We never want to overcomplicate what’s on their plate or in their shopping cart so that they don’t get overwhelmed and just drop out from working on their health altogether.”
If you’re looking to improve your diet, you don’t need to take drastic measures. Boyle says that small changes will be worth it in the long run.
“We want to make sure we’re making these changes one bite at a time.”
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