EVA (Jinek)
The trigger was the promotion of a Radar broadcast that was about this. Now I have paid attention to Radar broadcasts before and the conclusion is usually that creating sensation and polarisation appears to be main issue and nuance secondary. EVA mainly discussed the nonsense of 'far too expensive' protein-enriched products. To add strength and stature to the point, internist and professor of medicine Marcel Levi and sports doctor in training Epke Zonderland were present alongside Antoinette Hertsenberg of Radar.
'Experts'
First of all, before going through the items from the broadcast, I would like to express my surprise for the umpteenth time at the choice of 'experts'. The item is about nutrition and who are invited again to say something about this?
Yes, it's medics again.
- A medic may be an authority in his or her field, but to my knowledge, there is no nutritionist at this EVA table.
- Epke Zonderland is at most an expert by experience, but the right person to really say anything about this is thus missing.
I actually cannot understand this, why medics accept invitations like this. Why don't they just say that this is not their expertise? Conversely, as a nutritionist and lifestyle coach, I am not going to sit down with a television programme to talk about medical hormone preparations, am I?
And of course it wouldn't be a problem for me to read up and make a few medical statements, but I just don't think this is OK. I'm not going to sit in the doctor's chair, and vice versa, doctors shouldn't sit in the chair of a nutritionist either if they haven't studied for it. Anyway, now to the statements themselves.
The statements
Absolutely agree
- You can sufficient protein ingest without using protein-enriched products or protein powders.
- 'More protein' is often misused as a marketing claim to make a still unhealthy product appear healthy.
- Marketers and influencers make unsubstantiated claims when promoting protein-enriched products.
- 'Protein-enriched' products tend to be more expensive.
- Some products where no extra protein is added are very high in protein by themselves.
- Proteins provide calories and, if your total calorie intake is too high, can also contribute to fat storage.
- When you eat more protein than your body uses as building material, it is stored or burned as an energy source.
- If you do not train, your muscles will not grow by eating extra protein.
Disagree or disagree too briefly
- A human needs between 60 and 80g of protein per day. This is not a gauge, but rather a lower limit for people with normal protein turnover and not necessarily an optimal intake. This is somewhat different for the elderly, athletes, people on a weight-loss programme (especially with Ozempic), vegans (often lower biological value protein) and people recovering from illness and/or surgery. In addition, it also depends on your body weight and muscle mass.
- Eating too much protein will make you fat. It only makes you fat when your calorie intake exceeds your calorie consumption. Now, in theory, proteins can contribute to a stronger sense of satiety. Moreover, proteins can help dampen blood sugar spikes and thus also reduce the likelihood of blood sugar dips and thus cravings, especially in insulin-resistant people. There are also protein-enriched products that are low in sugars, carbohydrates, fats and thus calories, but instead rich in fibre. Similarly, there are protein-rich low-calorie bars that people eat instead of the Snickers they normally choose. So in that case, protein-enriched products are sometimes actually beneficial in relation to total calorie intake. So you cannot lump these protein-enriched products together and context is crucial.
- The kidneys don't like nitrogen. I really think this is an unnecessary scaremongering statement that is not true. This is the same as, for example, sometimes with acid-base diets it is said that protein would acidify and is therefore bad. Our kidneys and acid-base buffer system are perfectly designed to tolerate protein. Of course, with kidney disease and other medical problems, this is a different story and tailor-made advice is needed, but this does not apply to healthy people. By the way, this does not mean that I would recommend going on an extremely high protein diet, but that is not what this is about at all.
- If you eat a varied diet, it will all be fine. I find this statement shooting with hail. There is a grain of truth in it, but consumers have no idea what is meant by this. 'If I pour a different ready-made sauce over my pies every day, I'm eating variety, right?' The well-known glass of milk and bowl of yoghurt or quark is also brought up again. Dairy products are indeed high in protein, but by no means everyone goes well on lactose- and casein-containing products? I can well remember my pustule-infested back when I ate trays of cottage cheese in my student days around my strength training. Nutrition is really tailor-made after all, and you are not only what you eat, but also what you can digest and tolerate. So one protein source is not the other, and immersing yourself a little in and providing guidance on your personal varied nutrition plan certainly can't hurt for most people.
Conclusion
In addition, I think this item rather downplays the importance of sufficient protein in a healthy diet. In fact, there is quite a group of people who would benefit from eating more protein and this item may backfire on that front.
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