Clear out the Noise, Stick to the Basics

A response to The Wall Street Journal’s article titled “Americans Are Obsessed With Protein and It’s Driving Nutrition Experts Nuts” by Jesse Newman and Owen Tucker-Smith.

By: Julia Lisi

NASM CPT, CES, PN1 Certified Nutrition Coach

As a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, my biggest priority is empowering my clients to take control over their health while building confidence, a love of movement, and longevity. Many trainers and dietitians lament the fact that the fitness and nutrition industry is saturated with misinformation; this is no surprise to us. It makes it difficult to deliver the correct information to our clients with integrity and gain buy-in on the actual science around what it takes to gain strength, build muscle, and feel energized and properly fueled. The real surprise comes to us however, when widely read and renowned sources, such as The Wall Street Journal, are the source of this harmful misinformation.

This week I began a session with one of my most consistent personal training clients. She has been working on consuming more protein to complement her strength training - a wonderful goal on which I had been encouraging her. She walked into the session, ready to get moving, and asked me if I had seen The Wall Street Journal’s recent article titled “Americans Are Obsessed With Protein and It’s Driving Nutrition Experts Nuts.” I hadn’t read it yet and took a few moments to do so. I was surprised, frustrated, and most of all disappointed in what I read.

For context, the article discusses the rise in protein-rich processed food options as well as individual focus on hitting higher protein goals. The article claims that we do not need as much protein as has been suggested and that Americans have an “obsession” with protein. I found the claims they used to back this up to be lacking both in expertise and accuracy. I am not sure what “nutrition experts” are being driven nuts by Americans’ so-called “obsession” with protein intake as the article’s title suggests. As the article itself is lacking insight from actual Registered Dietitians, I’ll help them fill in the gaps.

Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer Leah Barron shared my concerns after reading this piece. “Unfortunately this article was just poorly researched, and as a result it’s really confusing and misleading.” The article states that “U.S. nutrition recommendations call for healthy adults to consume 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight a day.” This is an accurate recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein, however Barron notes one crucial detail. “What the article did not explain is that the RDA is basically the minimum amount of protein that a person needs to survive and keep all bodily systems running.” Barron sets the record straight by sharing that “in order to support an active lifestyle, promote muscle growth and preserve muscle mass as we age, the recommended amount is closer to 0.7-1g per pound of bodyweight.” This is roughly 1.5 - 2.2g per kilogram of bodyweight and is over double what the article suggests.

As a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, I also disagree with the article’s claim that “most Americans aren’t hurting for protein.” When I review food logs, discuss protein intake with all my clients, and confer with other professionals in the field, I consistently find that most are not consuming enough protein to support their activity, aesthetic, and nutrition goals. The one and really only point in the article Barron and I agree with is that the food industry has gone overboard with “pushing protein beyond cereals and snack bars and into new realms like coffee, sweets, and water” and that we should aim to get most of our protein intake from whole foods rather than ultra processed sources. However, if a client has the choice between grabbing a donut or bag of chips or a protein bar or protein-saturated snack, I would encourage them to choose the protein snack every time as it is already a step up from the Standard American Diet.

Ultimately, articles like these do more harm than good. We are currently faced with an overwhelming amount of articles, social media content, and podcasts that spread pervasive misinformation and contradictory opinions around health and wellness. The effect an article like this one has on the general public is that it confuses them, provides yet another contradiction around diet, and discourages them from even attempting to make healthier choices and move their bodies more which is infinitely more dangerous than a high-protein snack ever could be. Professionals actually interested in encouraging Americans to improve their health know that we need to keep the messaging as simple and unified as possible. My best piece of advice as a fitness professional is to clear out the noise and stick to the basics: move more, add whole foods to your diet, get enough sleep, and reduce stress. 

Learn more about Julia Lisi, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, at fullfocuswellness.net

Learn more about Leah Barron, Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer at baselinelifestyle.com/