With the new year underway, some Americans are turning to protein. But with new dietary guidelines and increased marketing of protein-packed products, many people have been left wondering how much they need.
On Jan. 7, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released the new U.S. dietary guidelines. They were presented in an inverted food pyramid with meats, dairy and vegetables at the top.
The guidelines suggested Americans prioritize protein and “healthy fats.” He also suggested limiting consumption of ultraprocessed foods and added sugars.
The new protein recommendations shifted from .8 to 1 gram per kilogram of body weight to 1.2 to 1.6 grams.
Brands such as Dunkin’ and Subway have already started to promote their new products with higher protein.
But students such as FIU senior Cassie Martinez say these companies have a mission.
“I think the average person, when they look at nutrition facts of a certain product,” said Martinez, “they’re kind of led by whatever the marketing kind of persuades them to go through.”
With all these changes, the question remains: How much protein should we be consuming?
“[T]he amount of protein differs from person to person,” said Dr. Nadine Mikati, director ofFlorida International University’s didactic program in dietetics. “[T]he guidelines state 0.8 grams per kilogram to one gram per kilogram. So even though it’s for the general public, we say it’s for the general healthy public.”
Mikati also recommended that people should be attentive when shopping for healthy food products.
“The back is where they need to be looking at, and looking at not only calories, but looking at total fat, including saturated fat, the added sugars,” she said. “The ingredients are super important. Anything that you see long ingredients, that means there’s a lot of additives, a lot of things that really shouldn’t be there.”
