I found myself with two dilemmas one morning on my fall break road trip: I hadn’t gotten my caffeine fix, and I hadn’t hit my protein goal for breakfast. Enter the new Starbucks protein latte. With 29 grams of protein in a venti vanilla latte, I was set for a few hours. It might’ve been good in a pinch, but the protein takeover of the American diet needs to stop.
Protein is a macronutrient that extends the feeling of fullness, boosts metabolism, balances blood sugar, and repairs muscles. As more people have discovered the health benefits of protein, food companies and restaurants have scrambled to add protein to their products. On grocery store shelves, you’ll find protein tortilla chips, protein pancake mixes, and protein pasta — heck, I even found a jar of protein peanut butter the other day.
But as much as we need protein for a balanced diet, we’re definitely overdoing it.
The recommended dietary allowance for an individual’s daily protein intake is 0.36 grams per pound — for a 150-pound person, that’s about 54 grams of protein. This is likely too little, especially for someone trying to up his metabolism and muscle gain. But as we Americans become more aware of our protein deficiencies, we’ve swung to the opposite extreme. As with all things, protein should be consumed in moderation, that is, in the amount that suits an individual’s needs and fitness goals. Excess protein intake can cause digestive problems and even kidney damage for certain individuals. And if not properly supplemented with a healthy amount of carbohydrates, it’s more difficult to build muscle on a high-protein diet.
Just because it’s beneficial to increase protein intake doesn’t mean it must be an all-or-nothing pursuit. Not every food needs to have 20-plus grams of protein per serving. A chocolate bar can just be an ordinary chocolate bar, and a slice of bread can just be an ordinary slice of bread while still serving a valuable purpose in one’s diet. Carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and micronutrients are also necessary for proper energy levels, satiety after eating, metabolism, and overall joy in life.
Bodybuilders aside, most of us don’t need 150-plus grams of protein daily to have balanced, healthy diets. We especially don’t need them in the form of highly processed corn puffs and cookies. If we increase our protein consumption, natural protein sources like cheese, eggs, Greek yogurt, meat, and quality, grass-fed whey powder are much better choices than a highly processed, pre-packaged snack.
Busy college students sometimes need to fuel themselves by whatever means possible, and not everyone’s schedule allows them to make or grab a whole foods-based meal with 30 grams of protein. Pre-packaged protein sources, in moderation, are not going to destroy your health — and some are definitely better than others. But they still do not replace the real foods that should make up the majority, if not entirety, of our diets. A Starbucks protein latte can be a great occasional supplement, but it shouldn’t replace real food.
If you catch me drinking a protein shake from the sports complex cart on a Tuesday, I’m probably just in a hurry to meet my fitness goals. But if you ever catch me with a “protein brownie,” please throw a dumbbell at me.
Adriana Azarian is a senior studying politics.
