"The Protein Cookie Problem: Why Marketing Isn’t Nutrition"

The first time I saw a protein cookie, I squinted at the package in confusion. I was halfway through a road trip, stopping for snacks and scanning the aisles, when I came across a completely regular chocolate chip cookie, plus protein. From the food label, the product was seemingly selling itself as a special, new health food. Reader, it was not.

From its location in the gas station shelves, thankfully, it seemed the shelf-stocker knew better. The cookie was nestled between a donut pack and blueberry muffins, right where it belonged.

Protein is an essential nutrient, but marketing hype around it has gone way overboard. Recently, it seems like every aisle contains it as an additive, despite having absolutely no business being there. It's occasionally obvious (and hilarious) how ridiculous the pairing is, but more product labels are pushing for more misleadingly health-conscious claims about their products.

However, just because the marketing language makes it sound healthier, it doesn't necessarily mean it is.

What is a Protein (and Why Is It Good for Us)?

Protein is a massively important macronutrient, and getting enough of it is fundamental to how well a body performs. When a human body has enough protein, it feels fuller for longer, is more capable of forming muscles, is better at keeping bones healthy, and improves overall fitness. Generally, these are good things we want.

In your body, protein molecules perform a wide variety of tasks that are essential for your health. Proteins are responsible for growing and repairing tissues, helping organs and cells communicate with each other, process chemicals so they can be better used by the body, store important substances, and serve as building blocks in parts of the body (muscles, for example). They're essentially like little multi-purpose machines that keep us in homeostasis, allowing us to have enough energy, our internal structures to not fall apart, and messengers that help our body work as a single unit. Without them, we wouldn't be able to survive at all, making them one of the most important nutrients to eat.

Part of the processes that occur in our body include the synthesis of these proteins. To do this, the body can chain together amino acids, little organic molecules primarily made of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Depending on the order and amount of these chained amino acids, proteins can perform a wide variety of different tasks. For all of those tasks, we need about 20 different amino acids. Naturally, our body produces 9 of those 20. For the rest, which we call essential amino acids, we must find them in the food we eat.

Thankfully, we can do this all with a relatively small supply of protein. For an average sedentary adult, the recommended daily amount of protein intake is around 50 grams. Your own "ideal" amount of protein can vary depending on your weight, sex, and amount of exercise. There are calculators for the amount of protein one should aim for, but different health associations are in slight disagreement about precise numbers.

When someone's body doesn't have enough protein, they can start experiencing a wide variety of negative health effects, including fatigue, bad moods, and a worsening immune system. If, then, someone with a protein deficiency begins increasing their amount of protein, they're likely to notice a massive improvement in how they feel. But, generally, protein deficiency is extremely rare.

Still, being aware of protein intake is important, especially for those who may need to be more mindful of it (e.g., raw vegans, athletes, and folks with certain health conditions). But, for the overwhelming majority of folks who aren't food insecure, it's not really a relevant concern.

The Risks of Protein in Excess

We don't yet have definitive research on ways in which too much protein might result in negative health outcomes. Because food abundance is such a new problem, we simply have not had enough time to study the effects of that sort of malnutrition. Thankfully, it is currently on the minds of many groups of researchers, and we may see these answers emerge in the next few decades. But, with the little we have so far, it does appear that wellness can decrease with excess protein. Preliminary studies seem to point to elevated risks of heart disease and higher concentrations of fat in the bloodstream with extremely high protein intake. Additionally, very high protein diets seem to exacerbate conditions relating to the kidney, especially kidney stones. If you have a history of kidney complications, certainly speak to a doctor before opting for a high-protein diet.

But the jury is still out on many aspects of the health effects of too much protein. Even this research is fresh and lacking some of the replication rigor we need to feel very confident about these results. We do know, however, that protein's benefits have their limits. Once your body gets enough, the rest will be stored as fat, our body's neat way of holding onto supplies for later. So, if your diet is already decent, and you're managing to eat enough protein on an average day, extra protein will end up stored by your body and saved for a rainy (or energy-intensive) day. In extreme excess, this can result in weight gain and the associated health risks. If, then, you're choosing a high-protein diet for fat loss, you may be working against your goals if you're also not carefully monitoring your calories and overall protein intake.

Additionally, not all protein types are the same, and some types may even be worse for you than others. Animal protein, specifically, when eaten in high amounts, has been associated with higher risks of death relative to lower animal protein doses in some studies. Plant protein, however, has not showcased this same pattern. Other research has indicated that certain meats, when eaten in excess, show harmful trends at different rates, with processed red meat being the worst offender, followed by unprocessed red meat. Fish, chicken, and other lean meats don't show quite as strong negative effects compared to beef.

And, it goes without saying that junk food with protein added may be worse than all these options, considering the sugar, fat, and preservatives that may come along with it. Considering the association between ultra-processed foods and cancer risk, I'd advise against using ultra-processed foods as your source of protein.

Much of the issue with extreme protein diets is not what you're getting from it; it's more what you're missing out on from other foods. Protein is an important macronutrient, but it's not the only fuel your body needs to function. In the world of diets, folks tend to demonize carbs and fat, but they are as essential to your well-being as protein!

A protein-heavy diet also poses the risk of causing the dieter to miss out on some of the nutrients that the body needs to thrive. If you have ever attempted such a diet, you might be familiar with how the body responds without enough fat and carbs. Low-carb intake has been associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety, and, more specifically, the Atkins and South Beach Diets have had some users report depression and anger.

If your aim is to improve overall health, there are certainly better strategies.

How to [Actually] Eat a Healthy Dose of Protein

Too much protein may be a risk for your body (not to mention your wallet), but steering clear of overindulging can be easy when your nutrition is approached from the right angle.

The first step to begin a better relationship with protein is to identify how much you're currently having daily. Tons of different vegetables, nuts, meats, dairy products, beans, and soy products contribute to your daily intake of protein.

If your protein intake is a little low, prioritize getting that nutrition from wholesome sources first. Minimally processed protein options are a far better source of protein than sprinkling whey powder into a milkshake. Junk food with protein added is still junk food. By all means, enjoy a little treat every once in a while, but don't consider a treat healthy only because it has protein in it.

And when you're shopping, keep an eye out for dubious marketing practices that make a food appear healthy when it really isn't. Though it's common with added protein right now, some products boast "low fat" and raise sugar content, or claim "sugar-free" and use a sweetener that's arguably worse for consumption. Health-washing a product doesn't make a food as healthy as its label may suggest. This practice capitalizes on a market filled with those who want to get healthier or have been convinced that their body must be a different shape, size, or firmness to fit fleeting beauty standards.

To spot these sorts of products, it can help to turn over the package and check the nutrition information, especially the sugar, fat, and sodium content. For reference, adults should have between 25–36 grams of sugar, 44–78 grams of fat, and around 1500 mg of sodium each day. If an added protein food wildly exceeds one of these numbers in a serving or two, it might be best to choose another source of protein.

As always, modifying your diet, especially significantly, should be done with your health care team. Taking any sort of supplements without abandon or adopting an extreme diet can be dangerous. If you're ever uncertain about health choices, the best route is to ask a professional, preferably one with expertise in nutrition.

In health, we often say, "The dose makes the poison". In essence, it means that any substance, no matter how helpful it may be, may become harmful at a certain boundary. It's the truth for water and air, and we have yet to find any substance where there isn't an upper bound for a healthy supply. It's doubtful that protein is the first exception to this rule. We don't have those exact doses yet, where protein crosses over from beneficial to superfluous to harmful, but it certainly exists. I'd recommend not trying to be the person who finds out how much is too much.

Moderation for any (and every) nutrient is important. More isn't always better, especially when it comes to nutrition. At a certain point, the body stops using nutrients for good bodily processes when they're supplied in excess. In that case, the body will instead opt to store it for later or expel it. At that point, the best case scenario is you're wasting your money.

It's doubtful that a little extra protein will be the end of the road for your bodily health, but it isn't the end-all be-all solution some companies and influencers might have you believe it to be. Junk food, no matter how much protein (or vitamins or any other fill-in-the-blank nutrient) is added into it, is still junk food. Considering how likely it is that one is already getting enough protein from a base diet, it's a non-issue whipped up into health marketing.

Next time you're perusing a gas station halfway through a road trip, don't stress out about whether the item you select has enough protein. Just enjoy that treat, you deserve a little treat every once in a while without the looming dread and guilt of contrived diet culture nonsense. But, if you're searching for healthier food choices, take a peek at the produce aisle and the simple, whole-ingredient foods hiding in your local grocery stores.

Regular, healthy meals will do a lot more for your well-being than a protein cookie ever will.