{"id":205498,"date":"2025-12-28T18:56:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T18:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/205498\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T18:56:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T18:56:14","slug":"what-is-protein-washing-and-are-you-being-fooled-by-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/205498\/","title":{"rendered":"What is \u2018protein-washing\u2019 and are you being fooled by it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We were once content to get our protein from meat, eggs and dairy. But for the past 20 years or so, high-protein diets have never really gone out of fashion and keto obsessives want to add protein wherever possible. Supermarket aisles have filled with \u201chigh-protein\u201d versions of bread, yoghurt, shakes and cereal \u2014 even cake, crisps and beer \u2014 all priced at a premium, and helping to drive the UK\u2019s \u201csports nutrition\u201d market to an estimated \u00a31.1 billion.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s really in these products? A new Channel 4 documentary, Protein: Everything You Need to Know, highlights the rise of \u201cprotein-washing\u201d \u2014 a marketing tactic that means many staples with high\/added protein labels actually only contain marginally more protein than their regular (much cheaper) counterparts. In other cases, a high-protein label disguises otherwise ultra-processed products, laden with additives and sweeteners, used to mask the naturally bitter taste of added processed protein.<\/p>\n

Protein is the building block of life. \u201cProtein does much more than simply build and maintain muscle, it is present in every cell in the body,\u201d explains Dr Jack Mosley, GP registrar and consultant on the documentary. \u201cIt is needed for growth, for repair of tissues, for transport round the body, for enzymes and hormones, even the immune system. Protein plays multiple vital roles as the body\u2019s building materials, maintenance team, delivery service and security.\u201d <\/p>\n

As the most satiating of the three essential macronutrients in our diets (the others being fats and carbohydrates), protein also helps to keep us feeling full while boosting the muscle-building and fat-shredding effects of a workout and helping to preserve muscle mass and bone density as we age. No wonder so many of us have bought into the message that we need to eat more of it \u2014 and food companies have scrambled to capitalise on demand. <\/p>\n

\u2022 How to stay healthy over 40: the doctor who prescribes weights and protein<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cProtein is a buzz word at the minute and I, like a lot of people, assumed that if something had extra protein in it, it was healthy,\u201d says Gemma Atkinson, the broadcaster and fitness influencer who presents the documentary.<\/p>\n

\"Gemma<\/p>\n

Gemma Atkinson: \u201cA lot of foods have the word protein on the packaging, but are loaded with sugar and chemicals\u201d<\/p>\n

DAVID CUMMINGS\/THE SUN<\/p>\n

Atkinson, 41, started her career as an actress before reaching the final of the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she met her fianc\u00e9 and father of her two children, professional dancer Gorka M\u00e1rquez, 35. Since starting strength training she has found a second career, releasing cookbooks, workout programmes and sharing her health and fitness routines with her 2.1 million Instagram followers.<\/p>\n

As someone who trains four mornings a week in her home gym in Manchester and tracks her \u201cmacros\u201d \u2014 she aims for 145g of protein a day to meet her fitness goals \u2014 Atkinson assumed she understood protein.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would go for a protein bar over some dark chocolate because I\u2019d think, \u2018It\u2019s got protein in it.\u2019 What I learnt from this documentary is that a lot of foods have the word protein on the packaging, but are, in fact, loaded with sugar and chemicals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 Why parmesan cheese and cold potatoes are fitness foods \u2014 yes, really<\/a><\/p>\n

Examining the aisles of a London supermarket with food engineer and public health specialist Dr Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde, Atkinson was shocked to discover that, in order to be labelled \u201chigh-protein\u201d, at least 20 per cent of a product\u2019s calories must come from protein \u2014 a target some brands meet not by adding extra protein, but by stripping out other nutrients instead. <\/p>\n

One \u201chigh-protein\u201d loaf they found cost 37.5 per cent more than regular bread but offered just one extra gram of protein per 100g, while one high-protein yoghurt actually contained less protein per 100g than another that made no such claims on the label. More worryingly, Chavez-Ugalde found a \u201chigh-protein\u201d flapjack that contained more calories and as much sugar as a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut, while a packet of protein chips contained no potato at all \u2014 just processed protein and starches.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re sold a high-protein snack and the first ingredient on the label is emulsifiers, you\u2019re not eating a high-protein snack, you\u2019re eating a lot of chemicals,\u201d says Atkinson.<\/p>\n

Besides the questionable nutritional content of supposedly high-protein products, how much protein do we actually need? Official NHS guidelines recommend the average adult should consume about 0.75g of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day, which is about 54g for women and 63g for men, according to average weights in 2021 \u2014 and according to the British Nutrition Foundation, most adults already eat more than enough.<\/p>\n

Dr Mosley says: \u201cAs we approach midlife, if we remain fairly sedentary, then jacking up your protein intake is probably not necessary. However, a fair amount of evidence suggests that the recommended daily allowance may be too low for older adults who want to maintain or build muscle and improve their mobility, especially over the age of 65.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs people get older, their muscles become less responsive to the anabolic (muscle-building) effect of dietary protein. This is at a time of life when our appetite typically drops and we are eating less protein. Lean body mass can be better maintained if sufficient protein is eaten alongside strength training exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 Read more expert advice on healthy living, fitness and wellbeing<\/a><\/p>\n

However, consuming excess protein offers no benefits \u2014 it is simply broken down by the body and excreted \u2014 and could even cause health issues. \u201cToo much protein could become a problem when your entire diet is built around it, when it displaces other key nutrients,\u201d says Dr Mosley. \u201cExcessive amounts of red meat, and especially processed meats, are also linked to an increased risk of certain chronic diseases,\u201d such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

\u201cA balanced, protein-inclusive day of eating might look like feta and scrambled egg on a slice of wholegrain toast , a sardine, avocado and rocket salad with a chilli dressing and sprinkle of seeds for lunch,\u201d he says. \u201cFor your evening meal, a one-pot chicken with chickpeas, garlic and thyme.\u201d <\/p>\n

Atkinson says she is now militant about checking the back of food labels, not just the front and mostly eats whole foods \u2014 anything that \u201croams or grows\u201d \u2014 but still uses a bone broth protein shake after training if time doesn\u2019t allow for a proper meal. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to stop eating it,\u201d she says, explaining she chooses an organic brand that contains just a handful of ingredients. \u201cThere are some protein powders with 16 or 17 ingredients in, so there is a huge difference in protein shakes and protein bars, depending on what company you use.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dr Mosley accepts \u201cthe occasional good quality [protein] shake\u201d is better than snacking on cakes, chocolate and crisps \u2014 but he is keen to emphasise that protein is not a magic ingredient that we should be focusing on consuming at the expense of others.<\/p>\n

Many nutritionists, such as Professor Tim Spector, now say focusing on protein alone in our diets could lead to deficiencies in other important nutrients, especially fibre from whole foods.<\/p>\n

According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), about 90 per cent of the population fail to eat the recommended 30g of fibre a day, increasing the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone focuses on protein, but no one\u2019s focused on poor little fibre and it\u2019s because of processed foods \u2014 fibre is removed to prolong foods on the shelf,\u201d says Atkinson.<\/p>\n

Protein: Everything You Need to Know is on Channel 4 on Monday January 5 at 8pm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We were once content to get our protein from meat, eggs and dairy. But for the past 20…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[134,111,139,556,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-205498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}