How often do you hear, see, or think about protein? Probably more than once a day if I had to take a bet. It’s weird, this obsession with protein. Wherever you go, you’ll see something advertised as a “source of protein” or “high in protein”. It’s one of those nutrients that’s practically labelled onto almost everything these days — in cereals, crisps, cookies, you name it. Our obsession with protein seeps into our everyday lives, and is more prevalent than we realise.
This fascination with protein is quite interesting, but also dynamic. In this article, I’m going to delve into how protein as we know it is changing, and what that means for our perception of it.
What is protein?
Most people that think of protein think of chicken, beef or eggs. These foods are a reliable source of protein that humans have been consuming for eons. This connection has gone so far that the food and the molecule have become interchangeable. However, protein is quite diverse. It exists in plant foods as well, notably in legumes. In fact, protein exists in a lot of food, but in different quantities. As such, we have distinctions between foods that are a source of protein, and those that aren’t.
From a microscopic perspective, proteins are important molecules that our body needs to maintain our body’s tissues and organs. They’re made up of small units called amino acids, which are linked together. There are 20 different amino acids, and they can combine together to form a protein. Moreover, proteins have different roles, from acting as antibodies to transporting tiny molecules and atoms within and across our cells.
In short, our body does a great job breaking down consumed protein in our small intestines into singular and multiple amino acids (peptides). These are then absorbed and transported through the bloodstream into the liver where the protein is synthesised, used for energy production, or converted into other molecules. Finally, the molecules that aren’t immediately used are stored in the liver and muscle tissues, or sent elsewhere for tissue repair, growth or maintenance.
Protein Craze
As you can tell, protein plays an important part in our diet. Per UK government guidelines, it’s recommended that we have a daily protein intake of 0.75g per kg of bodyweight. On average, this comes out to be 55g of protein for men and 45g for women. However, when we look at the average daily protein intake (UK), we see that it comes to 85g for men, and 67g for women. How come is it that we eat more protein than the recommended amount? Or, is the recommended amount low?
Well, it’s a mix of both. It’s important to note that the daily recommend protein intake factors in a few variables. The recommendation is the minimum amount required for the prevention of lean body mass loss, and only considers the average sedentary adult. The recommended figure does not consider special cases like athletes, older adults, pregnant and breastfeeding women, among others, who require more protein. For weightlifters and athletes, their daily recommended jumps to 1.2-1.7g of protein per kg of bodyweight. This makes sense because exercise stimulates muscle growth, which requires more protein.
Secondly, it’s important to note that our protein intake is the highest it has ever been. Global meat consumption (and animal-based foods as a whole) has increased steadily in the last decades. Since animal-based protein sources have become more affordable and widely accessible, it’s unsurprising that our protein intake is also higher.
Thirdly, when we consider the cultural implication of our food choices, it’s quite clear that animal-based protein plays a pivotal role in shaping diets and cuisines. Humans might disagree on a lot of things, but one thing is for certain, and that is that every spot on Earth has a dish containing an animal or its derivatives. As such, when we consider affordability, accessibility, and social normalisation, it becomes clear why our protein intake is high.
The Future of Protein
In today’s world, we’re observing a perception shift regarding protein. Given how accessible varied sources of protein are, we are coming to understand that protein is not a singular term. The commonplace thinking that a meal is incomplete without meat is becoming outdated. More people today are incorporating plant-based sources of protein like tofu, legumes and mock meats, due to ethical, health and environmental reasons. We even have different days and months celebrating plant-based eating, like Meatless Monday and Veganuary, with the aim of promoting alternative ways of eating.
Additionally, we’ve had protein powders since the 1950s. Protein powders are super convenient, relatively cheap, and provide an easy boost (usually between 20-30g per serving) of protein. Protein powders and shakes are also heavily marketed. I’m sure almost everyone has seen an advertisement for a protein brand. Now more than ever, protein powders are marketed to basically anyone that wants to quickly get a protein boost. The protein powder market is currently valued at around $21 billion, with a projected Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9% from 2024 to 2032. This means that in 8 years time, the industry will be worth $45 billion!
However, our increasing demand for protein comes at a price. The global population will hit 10 billion people in 2050. In order to sustain this growth, food production will have to rise by 70%, accounting for a near double in demand for meat. When we account for the 733 million people who are experiencing hunger, we start to question how will we feed two extra billion people? If you decide to search for the answer, you will quickly realise that there are many opinions. One thing is for certain, our outlook on food has to change. We have to become more mindful of how we view food, and its impact on the environment. More importantly though, its impact on our health.
Meat production will not stop. Even though total meat consumption will continue to increase, the growth however, is expected to decline by as much as 50% to 1 -1.5% a year. This decline will occur in some places. Other parts of the world, like in China, will raise their demand for meat. This demand increase will require the country to import more beef (a 40% increase) from 10 years ago. In Europe on the other hand, this trend will look a bit differently. Although meat is an important part of many European diets, more people are reducing their meat consumption. There are more widespread efforts to curb greenhouse emissions, increase biodiversity, and promote healthy lifestyles.
Ultimately, the protein landscape is diverse, and there is a lot of potential to change the course of our future. There could be a future where a 50% beef, 25% soy and 25% beans burger is normal. Maybe crickets will become a reliable source of protein – Who knows? In any case, as long as governments and companies alike invest more into technologies that will improve sustainable productivity, I believe that our outlook on protein will shift accordingly.
Conclusion
This is one of those articles where I have to make sure that I’m sticking to the topic. Conversations about our food consumption can be tricky, especially when we’re trying to determine future trends and scenarios. From what I can see in my day to day life, meat consumption is the norm. It’s the way it has been, and it’s going to stay like this for a while. However, protein as we know it, is changing.
As we transition slowly into the second half of the decade, I hope that more will be done to ensure that people are properly fed. Investments in sustainable, efficient and nutrient dense foods, will be of paramount importance when trying to tackle global hunger and population growth. This also means that individual contributions, whether small or large, will play a pivotal role in ensuring that people see food not just as a monolith, but rather as an ever-changing landscape.