Are We Becoming Too Obsessed With Protein?
If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that protein is everywhere. High-protein yoghurt. Protein cereal. Protein bars. Protein ice cream. Protein water. High-protein bread. Even traditionally carbohydrate-heavy foods are being reformulated and marketed based on how many grams of protein they contain.
There’s even a name for the trend: “proteinmaxxing”, the idea of deliberately maximising the amount of protein you consume throughout the day.
And while we’re certainly not going to argue against eating enough protein, there is an important distinction between getting enough and simply trying to consume as much as possible. More protein isn’t automatically better. Enough protein, consistently, is what matters.
Why do we need protein?
Protein provides amino acids that your body uses for a huge range of functions. From a training perspective, one of the most important is the repair and maintenance of muscle tissue.
When you strength train, you’re providing your body with a stimulus to adapt. Adequate protein provides some of the raw materials required for that adaptation. This becomes particularly important if you’re trying to:
- Build muscle and strength
- Maintain muscle while losing body fat
- Recover effectively from training
- Preserve muscle mass as you get older
Protein can also help with satiety, meaning meals containing adequate protein will often keep you feeling fuller for longer. This is one reason increasing protein can be useful for people trying to improve their body composition. A breakfast built around eggs, Greek yoghurt or another quality protein source will generally provide a very different level of satiety to something predominantly made from refined carbohydrates.
How much protein should you eat?
The answer depends on your body size, training, age and goals. For people who regularly exercise, particularly those performing resistance training, a useful general target is around 1.4–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For an 80 kg person, that would be approximately 112–160 grams per day.
You don’t necessarily need to sit at the top of that range. For many recreationally active people, somewhere around 1.6 g/kg/day is a very reasonable target. That would look roughly like:
- 60 kg person: 96 g/day
- 70 kg person: 112 g/day
- 80 kg person: 128 g/day
- 90 kg person: 144 g/day
- 100 kg person: 160 g/day
Rather than obsessing over hitting an exact number every single day, think of this as a useful guide. Consistency across weeks and months matters far more than whether you consumed 126 or 132 grams yesterday — the same principle as consistency beating perfection in your training.
Spread it across your day
There’s another mistake we commonly see. Someone eats very little protein throughout the day and then tries to make up for it with an enormous serving at dinner. A better approach for most people is to spread your protein intake across several meals. For example:
- Breakfast: Greek yoghurt, eggs or cottage cheese
- Lunch: Chicken, tuna, beef, tofu or legumes
- Snack: Yoghurt, cottage cheese or a protein shake
- Dinner: Fish, chicken, lean meat, tofu or another protein source
Instead of asking “how can I get more protein?”, a better question might be: “does each of my main meals contain a decent source of protein?” Get that right consistently and you’re probably a long way towards where you need to be.
When high protein becomes mostly marketing
The explosion in interest around protein hasn’t gone unnoticed by food manufacturers. Put “HIGH PROTEIN” on the front of a packet and suddenly a product can appear healthier. But protein content is only one part of the nutritional picture. A processed snack doesn’t automatically become a health food because someone added 15 grams of protein to it.
You still need to consider the food as a whole. What are the ingredients? How energy-dense is it? How much fibre does it contain? Is it filling? And importantly, do you actually need the additional protein?
If you’ve already consumed enough protein through your normal meals, adding protein bars, shakes, cereals and desserts isn’t necessarily going to produce additional muscle growth. It might simply mean you’re consuming more calories.
What about protein shakes?
Protein powder can be extremely useful. But think of it as a convenience tool rather than a requirement. If you’re struggling to reach your protein target through normal food, a shake is an easy way to add 20–30 grams without having to prepare another meal. They’re particularly convenient after training or during a busy workday.
But you don’t receive bonus points for drinking a protein shake if you’ve already eaten plenty of protein. Food first, supplements where useful.
Don’t forget everything else
Perhaps the biggest problem with proteinmaxxing is that nutrition can become overly focused on one nutrient. Your body still needs carbohydrates. It still needs dietary fats. It still needs fibre, vitamins, minerals and a wide variety of foods.
If increasing protein means you’re eating fewer vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other nutrient-rich foods, you’ve probably missed the point. The goal isn’t to create the highest-protein diet possible. The goal is to create a balanced diet that supports your health, training and goals.
The RevoPT takeaway
Protein absolutely matters. If you’re training regularly, getting enough protein can help support recovery, muscle growth, strength development and body composition. But you don’t need to proteinmaxx every meal, snack and cup of coffee.
Start with the fundamentals. Eat a quality source of protein at each main meal. Aim for an appropriate daily intake based on your body weight and activity. Use protein supplements when they’re convenient rather than because you think they’re compulsory.
And then put just as much attention into the things that really drive results: training consistently, progressively getting stronger, eating well overall, sleeping properly and doing those things for a long time. It is, after all, why strength makes everything easier.
Because when it comes to protein: more protein isn’t automatically better. Enough protein, consistently, is what matters.
Want to talk through simple protein tactics that support your training goals? Have a look at our membership options or get in touch with a university-accredited RevoPT coach.