On average, we consume more than the appropriate amount for us through our everyday food. Every dutch consumes about 1.1 g per kg of body weight, which is more than is needed. We get a particularly large amount of protein, for example, from fish or lean meat, whole-grain bread, low-fat milk or cottage cheese.
If you eat a balanced diet and also drink protein shakes or eat protein bars, you end up consuming too much protein. You take in more energy than you consume through training. But why are there now products with extra high protein content in every supermarket? And why do many athletes and influencers advertise various shakes and bars?
In fact, these products don’t actually do us any good at all. On top of that, many of these products don’t really taste good and are even quite expensive. And if you take a closer look at the ingredient list, you’ll notice that such products are highly processed and usually also contain large amounts of sugar.
So unless you’re on the go between work and the gym, you’ll be doing yourself a bigger favor by reaching for healthy foods. And even if you just have a yogurt, some oatmeal and some fruit, it doesn’t take much time and is usually much healthier than going for convenience foods.
So protein shakes and protein bars are not necessary to build muscle. But can they also be harmful? If you permanently consume much more protein than you need, this can put a strain on your kidneys. However, this is only really problematic if you suffer from limited kidney function.
So let’s summarize: You normally consume enough protein in your diet. Even if you exercise several times a week, a balanced diet is sufficient. Protein bars and shakes are therefore unnecessary. If you still like to eat or drink something from time to time, it will not do any harm. Look at the list of ingredients and pay particular attention to the sugar content.
The advertising promise that protein bars and shakes are healthy is not true, since most products are highly processed foods that have no advantages over, for example, quark or milk.
