Snack, yogurt or powder: how protein became the new nutrition star

If you have recently encountered protein-enriched pretzels or cornflakes at your local supermarket and wondered if the trend has gone too far, know that this is nothing compared to what is happening in the USA. There you can find protein donuts, protein beer, birthday cake-flavored protein popcorn, and of course, protein snacks for pets.

One of the memes that circulated on social media read, "The social pressure to consume protein today has eclipsed the pressure I felt in my youth to try drugs," and the data certainly explains the feeling of pressure. According to the international database of the research company Mintel, in 2025 alone, 1,053 products with added protein were launched, compared to about 700 in each of the preceding years.

In a survey conducted among American food shoppers and published on the financial website The Currency, almost half of the respondents (45%) said they look for the added protein sign and value such food as more premium. However, some admitted that all this protein is starting to cost them too much money.

In Israel, the craze around protein is more moderate, but like in other areas, in this case too, we are adopting the American trend, and quite quickly. According to StoreNext data, products with added protein are growing at a rate of about 14% per year.

Do we really need so much protein, and how should we consume it?

Between the minimal and the optimal

"The importance of proteins has been known for many years," clarifies Dana Valiro, a clinical nutritionist and fitness trainer for the third age from the Sharon-Shomron district of Clalit Health Services. "The origin of the word 'protein' is from the Greek word Proteios, which means 'first in rank.' In recent years, the engagement with them has been very intense, trendy, and the industry is aligning with the trends and flooding us with protein-based products."

3 myths about proteins that have been debunked

1. Myth: The body cannot use more than 30 grams of protein at once.

Reality: This statement is incorrect, although it is recommended to distribute protein consumption evenly throughout the day.

1. Myth: It is mandatory to consume protein immediately at the end of the workout.

Reality: Consuming protein at any time during those same 24 hours will provide the same effect.

1. Myth: High protein consumption causes kidney diseases in healthy people.

Reality: There is no proof for this. High protein consumption may be problematic for those who suffer from existing kidney diseases or a predisposition to these diseases.

Dr. Yair Lahav, a clinical and sports nutritionist, exercise physiologist, lecturer and researcher at Tel Aviv University and the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, and director of the Lahav Nutrition Center, explains how the desired amount of protein for a person is calculated: "The World Health Organization set a desired protein consumption threshold during World War II, and this was established in the seventies at about 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. But this is the minimal consumption that allows for normal health and normal development, and not necessarily the optimal consumption for maintaining muscle mass and general health. Today, the recommendations of some expert committees stand at 1.1–1.6 grams of protein per kilo per day for most populations.

Proteins break down into 20 amino acids, and after their absorption in the digestive system, they can be used for building the body, creating neurotransmitters (the nerve conductors in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin), proteins in the blood (such as hemoglobin, or albumin), and many other uses. Part of the protein will also be broken down for the body's energy needs. At any given moment, there is about 12 kg of protein in the body of an average person, of which about 6 kg is in the muscle and the rest in bones, soft tissues, teeth, hair, brain, blood, and more."

According to Lahav, every day the body breaks down up to 300 grams of protein (depending on weight and consumption). Of these, it recycles about 230 grams for new uses and 70 grams are broken down and excreted in urine as ammonia. We need to replenish these 70 grams on average from food.

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Adults need more

There are populations whose need for protein is increased. "A decrease in muscle mass is part of the natural aging process and it starts from age 40. The rate of decrease increases as one advances in age," says Valiro. Muscle wasting can lead to weakness and fragility, and it is one of the factors predicting impairment in functioning and a decrease in quality of life among the third age.

Lahav adds that with age, a phenomenon called "anabolic resistance" is created. "The body seems to resist building muscles, because of inflammatory processes that characterize the age. So on one hand, we have sarcopenia, muscle wasting. On the other hand, because of anabolic resistance, it is harder to build it, and the result is that more protein is needed.

Therefore, we recommend the older audience to consume more protein per kilo of body weight than young people. It is interesting that those who are obsessed with protein are teenagers and bodybuilders, but these are not the ones for whom it is most important to ensure sufficient protein consumption."

According to Valiro, many adults also deal with a decrease in appetite with the increase in age, which affects protein consumption. Foods that provide a large amount of protein in a smaller volume can be a good solution. "We really see that the protein products invented for the bodybuilder audience are being adopted by a new and very loyal target audience of adults."

Snack? Only if necessary

Are products with added protein, such as drinks or yogurts or protein snacks, processed poison or a good way to consume protein?

Valiro: "It varies a lot from product to product. A natural protein yogurt can be a good option. It is produced by different methods - extracting the yogurt and removing the water and fat from it while leaving the protein, or adding protein powder based on whey (in dairy yogurts), which are considered high-quality protein."

Lahav: "A yogurt or protein drink based on milk is a great product. They contain whey, and in addition, everything that is good in milk, such as magnesium and calcium. They do not contain harmful additives, and the amount of calories in them relative to the amount of protein is relatively low.

In contrast, pretzels or cornflakes with protein is unnecessary. How much can you add to a pretzel? It is required to eat bags of pretzels to reach a significant amount. You can eat for the same amount of protein a protein-rich yogurt or a box of tuna.

You can also consume protein powders, which are also made from high-quality cheese protein or pea protein, and if you add this to a shake, it is at least not industrialized with sugars or harmful fats. Protein powders are cheaper per gram of protein compared to yogurt, for example. They are suitable for those who are sensitive to lactose."

And what about a protein snack?

"Apart from the protein itself, the other ingredients are useless. I would recommend such a snack only from time to time, if someone needs something sweet, if they are traveling to a country where it is difficult to obtain products containing protein, or to a training camp, or some retreat, where they will not have when and where to eat."

90% have no protein deficiency

Valiro and Lahav emphasize that most of us do not need the added protein at all, and can get what we need directly from food. "There is no benefit in receiving protein from an added powder, even if it is high-quality, compared to whole food," says Lahav. "On the contrary, in food there are other substances that we need, vitamins and minerals. In protein powder, there is only protein."

Valiro says that in the Ministry of Health's health and nutrition status survey, which was conducted for the last time 11 years ago, it was found that 90% of those aged 18–64 have no protein deficiencies, at least according to their reported menu and considering the protein recommendation that was then.

"It seems that the fear of protein deficiency in the general population is much more of a trend than a real problem," she says. "By the way, what was found to be very deficient in nutritional consumption in this survey is dietary fiber, whose sources are plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes."

Thus, one of the problems in the protein trend is the pushing out of other nutritional components that require attention, both from the discourse and from the menu.

Most of those who consume protein do so to build muscle. Will protein consumption build muscle only in combination with strength training?

Valiro: "The muscle is built thanks to the stimulus provided by the effort, and the protein is the building material. In the absence of appropriate physical effort, muscle building will not occur, even if we increase protein consumption."

Tetris game on the plate

People who take drugs for obesity treatment from the incretin family, such as Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, have also become significant consumers of added protein. In fact, the sharp rise in this category in the last two years is attributed mainly to this population segment.

"Israelis have adopted these drugs with all their heart, and they can definitely be a challenge for the issue of protein consumption and muscle mass," says Valiro. "With weight loss, not only because of the drugs but also in a regular diet, there is a decrease in fat mass but also muscle mass can decrease. Proteins induce satiety, which is excellent, but when you are full anyway, this is one of the first categories that people find difficult to consume. Sometimes there is also a change in the sense of taste. Certain foods and drinks can suddenly cause rejection. You can hear this about meat, eggs, also about coffee, which suddenly becomes unpalatable.

If you do not make sure to combine adapted physical activity, with an emphasis on strength training, there will also be more decrease in muscle mass, and together with insufficient consumption of proteins and other nutritional components, the body will pay the price. This can be expressed in a decrease in strength and a feeling of weakness, weakened immune response, hair falling out, nails weakening.

When the total calories are very low, not only protein is at risk of not entering the menu. A bowl of salad will also not exactly appeal in a state of satiety, and thus one enters into deficiencies. Hence the unequivocal recommendation for users of drugs for obesity treatment to use clinical nutritionists to find the appropriate way to ensure sufficient nutrition despite the challenges, of which protein combination is only one."

Both in adults and in those taking drugs for obesity treatment, a kind of Tetris game begins, centered on the question of how to put all the food groups into the menu, despite a reduced appetite and without increasing calorie consumption. Against this background, added protein starts to be attractive.

Every protein and its score

But not all proteins were born equal. "They receive a 'score' according to their availability to the digestive system and the amino acids that the body can use optimally," says Lahav. "The highest score is given to animal proteins, including dairy products and eggs. A very similar score is given to soy."

"In animal food, there is a higher concentration of leucine, a specific amino acid that initiates muscle synthesis. Vegans, especially if they want to put an emphasis on muscle building, will need to ensure optimal nutrition and sometimes add protein powder based on pea and soy."

Legumes and grains receive a lower score. "Although they have all the amino acids, the ratio between them is not optimal - a matter that can be partially corrected if you eat both legumes and grains, not necessarily in the same dish, but on the same day," says Lahav and adds a challenge: to obtain from lentils the same amount of protein that is in 150 grams of lean chicken meat or fish, we will need to eat 3–4 cups of cooked lentils, and this may be challenging both in terms of appetite and in terms of the amount of calories. "A clinical dietitian can solve these challenges. I solve them in the clinic every day," he says.

Valiro notes that it is possible to reach an adequate level and quality of protein in a vegetarian and vegan diet, and there is no need to overdo it with meat, it is important of course to do it in a correct and individually adapted way and based as much as possible on whole foods. "In fact, the dietary pattern that we often recommend based on many studies is the Mediterranean dietary pattern, which combines a wide variety of plant-based foods, and recommends whole foods, processed as little as possible.

Every trend focuses us on a certain subject, but may divert our attention from other important subjects. Nutrition is a complex matter that requires a delicate balance, and not just proteins."