Why is everyone obsessed with eating as much protein as possible?

[Korner]

Is it due to weigh training, trying to stay satiated?

All of a sudden everyone is trying to maximise protein.

Because it's the only way to eat fewer carbs and not be hungry all the time.

I’m under the tier 3 weight loss service at my local hospital. They say to aim for high protein within a limited calorie diet, and that the target protein reduces muscle wastage as you lose weight and stops you feeling hungry.
I’m on 60g of protein and 1200 kcal per day.

Teenager son snacking, eating crap all the time. Couldn’t fill him up. Increased his protein and it’s definitely helped.

Apparently people on weight loss injections are being advised to aim for 100g of protein a day alongside exercise to minimise muscle loss. I'm not convinced about this but people are trying to hit that target (which is a lot!)

Because it fills you up for longer

Does anyone know if one can eat too much protein - can it affect kidneys etc?

This is not "all of a sudden." Minimising intake of carbs, especially empty ones, has been advised for a very long time.

Excess protein is stored as fat once what is needed is used up.

It’s just current dieting fashion
Personally carbs fill me up the most
I eat bread, pasta etc but not too much
I am not overweight

It is only an issue if you have an underlying problem with your kidneys. There is some debate however about the impact of high levels of animal protein in middle age on longitivity (it is of more benefit when you are over 65 as it is not so readily absorbed)
www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/protein-consumption-linked-longevity#:~:text=A%20high%2Dprotein%20diet%20during,increases%20longevity%20in%20many%20animals.

I weight train aim for 1.6g protein per kg of body weight which seems to be a compromise between the amount needed to grow muscle and the amount that will impact on lifespan.

I definitely don’t, I try not to go over 1.3g per body weight. Lower protein diets are correlated with higher health expectancy - I’m very interested in blue zones and I’m trying to eat for health, not for weight loss.
Muscle mass is best maintained and increased with exercise, it’s quite literally use it or lose it. Sitting all day and eating a lot of protein won’t produce more muscle.

It has been a thing for ages. I think it is partly because carbs are very moreish so people tend to overeat them, whereas it is quite hard to keep eating protein when you are full. That is my unscientific theory based on myself!

Because the metabolism of proteins actually spends calories.
Some people needs the extra protein for building up muscle, if they are strength training, so they take those huge powder protein containers.

It’s nature’s ozempic.

It does what the drug does - GLP1 agonist.

If you don’t switch it off by eating too many carbs that is.

For me it is all of a sudden. When I watch food recipes on TikTok it is all about ways to add additional protein. These are non dieting/exercise related videos.

Can’t say I saw this pre 2023

My lay understanding of the science behind this is that protein don’t burn “clean”, they use more calories to burn and they also make us age faster, but so is eating too much in general.

I’m not an expert though, I’m trying to translate what I have learnt into daily habits and eat better. In my experience so far eating high complex carbs, moderate to low protein and low fat combined with physical activity work, but I would have to come back in 40 years or so to report any long-term effects 😊 if I’m still alive.

Practically this means that I put plants first in my meals and then organise the rest.

There was a good thread here where we all discussed this. You don’t need to eat excessive amounts, it won’t make you feel good! But it is for muscle growth (even on a lower level) and satiation. I eat 100g a day and I am 69kg

I still eat carbs I just also eat protein you can do both 😂 I just wouldn’t expect to get good results with weight loss and muscle maintenance on 50%+ carb diet. Carbs do not always need to be the overwhelming main/majority source of nutrition they can just form part of it with a balanced diets of fats and protein. It’s really easy to eat carbs and less easy to eat protein that’s why there is a lot of discussion around it

A lot of people who go vegan or veggie do not get enough protein and it is good for women as they age to take care of their bones and muscle strength and get a balanced diet. Carbs can give you certain benefits but fats and protein also need to be considered

This is not necessarily true. The most healthy diets on the planet are heavily plant-based, you can actually easily consider them vegetarian because the meat and dairy intake is very low. Without regular exercise eating extra protein will not increase muscle mass, otherwise we would not have so many people not being able to move after longer periods of immobility or after injury, because it would be enough to feed them extra protein, problem solved. Muscle tissue is expensive to maintain so if it’s not in use, why invest? The same with bones - as we age we do have extra calcium in the system, such as calcifying arteries, but weight bearing exercise (such as walking) helps to keep it in the bones.

Dietary guidelines of most countries list about 50% of carbs, which is absolutely possible to eat in a healthy, balanced diet and lose weight. Green leafy vegetables, the whole brassica family, pulses, seeds, fruits and grains are all carb-heavy so having macros like 50/20/30 (carb/protein/fat) doesn’t mean stuffing yourself with pasta and bread and potatoes.

In many Asian countries the consumption of meat is much lower than in Europe and the consumption of dairy is minimal, they get more protein from plant sources than us. Obesity rates are much lower despite higher carbs.

I have cut my meat and dairy consumption to two-three times a week for ethical, environmental and budget reasons in 2021. We only eat meat we buy directly from the farmer who has a herd of organic cattle grazing outside all year round. Buying 1/6th of a cow in one go is expensive so we only do it once a year for a family of four. This reduced my protein intake, not drastically but significantly. Despite eating more carbs from plants when I decided to lose weight I ended up lean and toned, I have visible muscles all over my body, which I attribute to strength training, karate and running.

Of course it’s just anecdotal evidence from one person who never yo-yo dieted, and sometimes I eat so much tofu that I go over 20% of protein in my diet but it’s my experience and maybe it can help someone overhaul their diet.

There are loads of vegans and vegetarians who post and have no idea what to eat. Junk veganism is very common. I am basing it on that they just tend to replace meat with carbs they do not look for other sources of protein and I am not talking about vegetable carbs as they ought to be obvious (however I think they are not, people just think carbs are bread and pasta). Poor nutrition and deficiencies are common in this group, with them more likely to be anaemic but they believe they are eating a healthy diet due to the connotations of the concept, when they are not. As a nation we do not seem to have a clear understanding of what a carb or a protein is.

muscle loss/degredation in women is very common as we age or try to lose weight and you need it as you age, so I believe the recent discourse is around maintaining decent muscle mass in females - not everyone is genetically blessed with good muscle strength or naturally able to build it or maintain it without some kind of direct action such as diet and exercise. You need both I never disagreed. You can’t just sit on the sofa and eat protein and expect to grow a bicep 😂 but diet culture has us eating low fat processed foods in large deficits and you don’t just lose fat, you lose muscle when you do it this way

Yes you can easily eat 50+% of your diet via carbs but people will generally tend to choose refined carbs with lots of added sugar in them because they are quick and satisfying. I tend to eat about 45% carbs so it’s still my one main source but it does not dominate the other 2 sources combined as a group. I’m not a low carb person and never will be as I don’t think it’s a food group that needs to be eliminated but people need to learn about what they are eating and what carbs are going to keep them fuller for longer, have less added sugars, be aware of portion sizes etc.

it’s hard to compare us to countries in Asia that eat more whole foods as it’s the source of the issue, whole foods and home cooking is on the decline in the UK and is no longer common for the majority of people. I eat a lot of Asian food myself which isn’t low on carbs, but it’s always clear the vegetable portions are larger in size than the rice portion.

Numerous studies have linked over consumption of protein to cancer.

But people are making lots of money from promoting high protein diets, not to mention the farming industry, so they would rather that you didn't know that.

I don’t disagree (I read your posts from start to finish and I usually agree with them), but do you think telling people to eat more protein would solve the problem in general? Because the issue you describe is IMO lack of knowledge, and low interest in long term consequences of bad diet and lack of movement. Adding extra cheese to already bland and boring diet will not make people drop weight and grow muscle.
Burning protein raises homocysteine levels which is not good for cardiovascular health.

Meat and dairy are high in saturated fats and at least in Sweden the consumption of meat skyrocketed compared to 40-50 years ago and the nation is not getting any healthier, quite the opposite. We are slower than the UK but especially the younger generations are catching up. Our healthcare system is already on its last legs and I’m absolutely doing all I can for the long-term benefits, I don’t want to compete for a GP appointment with obese young people as an 80-year old, these appointments are already rarer than hen’s teeth!

What our official guidelines are now trying to get into people is eating more pulses and a bigger variety of vegetables. If someone reads them, except for a few invested people, I don’t know.

When I say higher carb I mean this (my lunch). It also happens to be high in fat because avocado. It also contains processed food (Ikea huvudroll) but it only takes a couple of minutes to make.

And cardiovascular health (via raised homocysteine levels). It’s not just about getting or not getting a heart attack. Blood vessels transport oxygen and nutrients into every single organ of the body, they are everywhere. They deteriorate as we age so keeping them healthy keeps us healthier and alive longer.

I expect too much of anything can cause a negative outcome. Keto puts me off for this reason. Not to mention the horrible rash it gave me

I do focus on protein but I am vegetarian and weight training. I do also focus on getting enough calories, enough carbs and enough fats so it’s not only protein! My plan was created by a dietitian and I’ve been careful not to fall for fads.