we could say white rice is

packed with 10g of protein

Rice is packed with 10g of protein!

... if you eat 1,883 calories worth of it.

That’s a silly example, but this is what advertising in the protein space is like.

Almonds are on nearly every “high protein” infograph, and if I [were a psycho and] ate a diet of only almonds? I’d only get about half a day’s worth of protein (we recommend 1g per 1lb of your target bodyweight).

Of course a balanced diet is made up of diverse foods. But if your “high protein foods” don’t exceed (let alone reach) optimal protein levels, you’re guaranteed to fall short on protein after mixing in healthy carbs and fats.

we made some ugly charts to prove a point

Let’s measure how some of these “high protein” foods rank relative to an equal amount of calories.

The message ISN’T to eat a cheeseburger instead of almonds. Almonds are a great source of fat. This is to point out that most of us think we eat enough protein because we eat “x” food.

Try measuring the protein in all your food for just one day to see how little protein you’re consuming.

If you’re getting enough, you don’t need any protein supplement!

okay we said not the cheeseburger but...

*why we said ‘average’ protein bar

Everyone and their mom is advertising protein amounts on their packaging now, hoping you won’t look closer.

Here are a few well known brands we looked at in grocery stores and Amazon, all advertising a high protein content.

About half of these performed worse than a greasy double bacon cheeseburger from Shake Shack.

We need to learn how to check the nutrition labels for ourselves.

even in foods we think are the same

I love greek and icelandic yogurts! They’re a great source of protein and full of awesome nutrients; they’re a regular breakfast food for me.

I didn’t realize my casual breakfast recommendation could be harmful until a friend showed me the greek yogurt they chose “for protein”. I can’t blame them for choosing a tasty product with a great reputation if all they know is “greek yogurt = good.”

Foods that have a reputation for being healthy are a great starting point in looking for protein rich foods, but we need to learn to analyze the Nutrition Facts ourselves.