PROCESSED PROTEIN

We know we need protein, but is it bad to get it from processed foods?

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1. Counselling Conundrum: a real question from a patient

2. Concise Conclusion: a straight-forward patient-friendly answer 

3. Quick Wrap-up 

Clearly, there are nuances that may not be captured in this format. The goal here is to provide you with helpful counselling tips which often draw from multiple sources or those which are not commonly accessed by busy healthcare providers serving the community.

Counselling Conundrum: "I'm trying to get my 2 g/kg of protein per day, but I'm also trying to avoid ultra-processed foods, which I've heard is bad for me. Aren't protein shakes ultra-processed?"

Concise Conclusion: Although this sounds like a difficult health dilemma, I think getting your protein is a higher priority than avoiding ultra-processed foods. That being said, it is better to get your protein from whole foods, but if you aren't meeting your protein targets in order to avoid ultra-processed foods, I believe that's a net negative.

Quick Wrap-up: In nutrition, we tend to set up the following priorities for our patients (not written in stone, but a good guideline for the general population):

1) Calories: don't get too many (leads to overweight) nor too few (malnutrition)

2) Get enough protein: 2 g/kg of lean body weight

3) Avoid processed foods: focus on fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein

Dive Deeper

1) Perspective: Protein Requirements and Optimal Intakes in Aging: Are We Ready to Recommend More Than the Recommended Daily Allowance? - PubMed

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