{"id":625955,"date":"2026-10-10T01:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T01:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/625955\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T01:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T01:42:18","slug":"most-americans-are-eating-enough-protein-but-choosing-the-right-package-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/625955\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Americans are eating enough protein, but choosing the right \u2018package\u2019 matters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">Protein is having a moment. Health and fitness influencers tout the benefits of eating lots of it, and junk foods are even being marketed for their protein content. But is more protein always better? <a href=\"https:\/\/hsph.harvard.edu\/profile\/teresa-toiyee-fung\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Teresa Fung<\/a>, adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was one of the experts quoted in a Sept. 30 Smithsonian article on the topic<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">Fung noted that proteins play important roles throughout the body\u2014not just building muscles but carrying out functions such as fighting infections and aiding digestion. But there is only so much protein the body can use at a time, she said, and there\u2019s nowhere to store extra. However, \u201ceating more is not a problem, because the excess protein can usually be handled by a healthy kidney and a healthy liver,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">Other experts quoted in the article noted that most Americans, unless they have specific health or fitness needs, are probably already eating enough protein.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">The bigger concern is what else people may be consuming with their \u201cprotein package,\u201d according to the article. Animal protein contains saturated fat and cholesterol, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. And <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu\/processed-foods\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ultra-processed foods<\/a> high in protein may also be high in sugar, salt, and other unhealthy ingredients.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">Fung and other experts in the article recommended getting more protein from plant-based foods such as quinoa, soybeans, buckwheat, and chia seeds, which are high in fiber\u2014an ingredient most Americans actually need more of.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">She said that it\u2019s a misconception that people eating plant-based diets need to be mindful of whether they are consuming foods with the right balance of amino acids, the body\u2019s protein building blocks. Different types of amino acids are usually consumed throughout the day, she said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t just eat one type of plant source. As long as we eat a variety of plant foods, generally, it\u2019s not a problem,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">Read the Smithsonian article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/science-nature\/is-more-protein-always-better-despite-the-craze-around-the-nutrient-research-backed-evidence-about-its-benefits-is-complicated-180989584\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Is More Protein Always Better? Despite the Craze Around the Nutrient, Research-Backed Evidence About Its Benefits Is Complicated<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Learn more<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hsph.harvard.edu\/news\/how-to-get-more-protein-and-fiber-from-a-single-sweet-spot-food\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to get more protein and fiber from a single \u2018sweet-spot\u2019 food<\/a> (Harvard Chan School news)<\/p>\n<p>Last Updated<\/p>\n<p>October 8, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Get the latest public health news<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-block-animation has-fly-in-animation wp-block-paragraph\">Stay connected with Harvard Chan School<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Protein is having a moment. Health and fitness influencers tout the benefits of eating lots of it, and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":625956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[134,111,139,556,69],"class_list":["post-625955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nutrition","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625955","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=625955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/625956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}