WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Reporting in my neighborhood of Waco at Baylor Scott & White, I found that protein has become more than just a fitness goal—it is now a major marketing trend. Experts stress it is important to look past the label and pay attention to where that protein is actually coming from.
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As more people focus on fitness, weight loss, and feeling full longer, protein has become one of the biggest buzzwords in the food industry. Starbucks has rolled out protein drink options, Chipotle has pushed high-protein snack items, and packaged foods are adding extra protein to products that were never known for it before.
A Baylor Scott & White dietitian said this constant push can change how the public thinks about food, making "high protein" sound automatically better, even when the product itself may not be.
"Sound automatically better even when the product itself may not be, but when we look at supple protein supplemented foods like the coffee drinks or protein supplemented cereals, we really wanna look at the whole package, the whole food package, because yes it may provide valuable protein, but what else am I getting with that protein? A lot of added sugar, saturated fats, calories," a Baylor Scott & White dietitian said.
"Protein we talk about what is protein. Protein is actually chains of amino acids, and that's what our body really needs. There are some its own, so we must get them from our diet," a Baylor Scott & White dietitian said.
At gyms across Waco, protein is front and center in many daily routines. For Mike Snowberger, protein is how he structures his diet.
"I just eat a high protein diet, so all my meals are pretty much protein. I stay away from carbs for right now," Mike Snowberger said.
"Uh, yeah, I just feel more full eating actual meat, so," Snowberger said.
Other gym goers tell me hitting a protein number each day is what will get them results.
"I try to do it daily. I try to do like at least 125 uh protein just based on my weight," Mariana Molina said.
"It just depends because I try to balance it with my meals and also like take extra protein, so I couldn't like tell the difference if I was like just consuming one or the other," Molina said.
For people with certain health conditions, like kidney issues, experts say too much protein can come with risks. They recommend talking to a doctor or dietitian before making major changes.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
