Protein products are often 20%–100% more expensive than conventional alternatives. But are they also healthier?

Food Alone Will Not Change the Body

Nutritionist Marek Manko told Statement that marketing often creates the impression that the more protein products a person buys, the healthier he lives or the faster he loses weight. The result, however, depends on several other factors.

“Food alone does not fundamentally change the body. The overall context is decisive: long-term diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, psychological relationship to food and lifestyle”, he explains.

If a relatively healthy adult doubled his protein intake, satiety, recovery and muscle retention could improve. But only if the rest of his lifestyle changed as well. Eating three high-protein products does not mean he can spend the rest of the day on the couch.

“It is not the miraculous effect of a particular product, but the consequence of a better diet. Weight loss still depends mainly on energy balance, while muscle growth depends on a combination of sufficient nutrient intake, recovery, strength training or other sports activities”, the expert says.

A Few Grams Make No Difference

Protein is central to a healthy diet. It helps build muscle, but is also involved in the growth and repair of other tissues, hormone production and the proper functioning of the immune system. The body needs a regular supply of protein from food.

There is no single rule for how much protein a person should eat each day. It depends on weight, age, physical activity and personal goals. Relevant sources put the recommended daily protein intake between 0.8 g and 2.5 g per kilogram of body weight. That means an 80 kg man with a sedentary lifestyle should consume at least 64 g of protein. The more active a person is, the more protein he is likely to need.

Supermarket chains have therefore started creating “high-protein” versions of existing products. Under European legislation, foods can be labeled high in protein only if at least 20% of their energy value comes from protein.

However, chains also apply the label to goods that have always contained protein.

“Protein cottage cheese, protein yogurt, protein cereal or even protein cheese. Often it is just a slight increase in protein content for a significantly higher price and more attractive packaging”, Manko says.

In one supermarket chain, for example, a protein pudding contains 12.8 g of protein. Plain non-fat Greek yogurt contains 10 g per 100 g. The difference of less than 3 g is negligible for the body, while the “high-protein” product contains almost three times more sugar, many times more fat and costs twice as much.

“Many naturally high-quality protein sources such as eggs, meat, fish, skyr, cottage cheese, kefir, tofu, tempeh and legumes often do not need any distinctive marketing label. Paradoxically, they tend to be more nutritionally valuable, more filling and more cost-effective than some modern protein desserts”, Manko says.

Watch the Calories

How can consumers tell whether a food is a good source of protein?

It is not enough to look only at the protein content. They should also check the rest of the nutrition label, including the quality of fats and carbohydrates and the amount of sugar, fiber and calories.

The nutritionist recommends a simple calculation based on protein and calories. Multiply the amount of protein per 100 g by 10. If the result is higher than the number of calories per 100 g, the food is usually a good protein source.

Chicken breast, for example, contains 23 g of protein per 100 g, but only 106 calories. Peanut butter contains 24 g of protein, one gram more than chicken, but as many as 630 calories per 100 g, so it is not a good protein source.

That is why some low-fat cheeses are popular among people who do strength training. They can contain up to 30 g of protein per 100 g, but only about 107 calories.

“Some high-protein products may be low in fiber, contain more sweeteners or have very intense flavors, which may not be ideal for everyone”, Manko says.

Nutrition Is Also Psychology

That is why it is important to look closely at the label. Ingredients are listed in descending order, from the most abundant to the least. “If sugar syrups, hardened fats or a large number of additives are among the first items, it is probably a product designed more for marketing than for ideal nutrition”, the expert says.

That does not mean all “high-protein” products are unhealthy or pointless. Nor will they produce a miraculous turnaround. Twice the price does not mean twice the progress in changing the body. When it comes to diet, less is often more, and the right macronutrients can be obtained from ordinary natural protein sources. Plain non-fat cottage cheese with oatmeal and a little fruit can be more nutritionally valuable than high-protein rice porridge.

Manko stresses that eating should not create extremes or guilt. People need to eat in a way they can maintain over the long term.

“For a person who has been used to fast food and sugary pastries for years, protein yogurt can be a big step in the right direction. For someone more advanced, however, it may be more useful to prepare a quality meal at home from simple ingredients. Food is not to be feared, but respected and treated as a gift”, Manko concludes.