Protein is getting added to all your favorite snacks. Is that a good thing?
From cookies to waffles to mac and cheese, ultraprocessed high protein foods are making big claims about helping you get swole, but nutrionists question whether they can actually help you meet your macro goals.
It feels impossible to scroll through social media feeds without running into an influencer scolding you to eat more protein. These same influencers offer tips on how to eat more of the macronutrient while downing ultraprocessed protein-packed foods like boxed mac and cheese, weighing the pros and cons of different protein bars, and urging you to swap out dessert for pre-packaged protein cookies—all in the name of gains. “Protein's the bell of the ball at the moment,” says Brian St. Pierre, director of performance nutrition at Precision Nutrition.
It’s not just influencers selling the protein craze. Celebrities are launching protein-enriched ultraprocessed snacks and grocery store aisles are stocked with everything from protein potato chips to protein-enriched frozen waffles. “There is a rise in protein-added foods in the highly processed form,” says Katie Sanders, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University, and there’s data to back this up. These “convenience proteins” as they’re called are listed as one of the top 10 “macro trends” in the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 report. And a 2024 study found that three quarters of those surveyed had consumed a high protein processed food.
Nutritionists agree that consuming protein is important but are all these ultraprocessed protein-packed snacks the best way to increase protein consumption?
How much protein is enough?
Protein is undoubtedly worth the hype it’s getting: The macro is proven to help build and maintain muscle and support weight loss and many other important bodily functions. But there’s a difference between a well-balanced diet rich in lean meat like chicken, fish, and other healthy protein sources like soy, and one that’s packed with the ultraprocessed foods clogging social media feeds
“I think protein is getting a warranted level of attention,” says Marily Oppezzo, Head of Lifestyle Medicine Nutrition and Behavioral Change at Stanford Prevention Research Center. “The guidelines have been too low for too long and they were measured with outdated methods,” she says. “It was [based] on surviving, not thriving.”
St. Pierre agrees that protein is important (the word itself originates from the Greek proteios, meaning of first importance). But with growing interest comes misinformation—specifically a vast range of recommendations around exactly how much protein you need per day. The current recommended daily allowance for protein—0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight—and that, Oppezzo says, is too low for optimal function. Eating 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight is the minimum, and won't facilitate muscle growth or maintenance.
“I think 1.2 is definitely the minimum, and I would say 1.6 is the sweet spot,” Oppezzo says. Eating this slightly larger amount allows the body to thrive rather than just preventing deficiency. St. Pierre agrees: “Newer research indicates people are better off at 1.2 grams per kilogram, [and] if you are exercising vigorously, then 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram is probably a better target.” (Oppezzo adds that she hasn’t seen added benefit above the 2.2 grams per kilogram, even for bodybuilders or those looking for dramatic muscle growth.)
That’s because our bodies “don't have a storage form of protein,” says Oppezzo. That makes it different than the other macronutrients: our bodies store both fat and carbohydrates. If you don’t eat enough protein, your body could start to pull the nutrient from muscle, which over time can lead to sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and osteopenia (bone loss). Protein also helps regulate appetite, meaning you feel fuller from fewer calories which can help with weight loss and maintenance.
While most of the U.S. population, with the exception of older adults, are getting the minimum amount protein, according to a systematic analysis in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it’s unclear whether they’re getting enough to thrive, per Oppezzo. “We don’t have evidence that younger people are not getting enough protein,” she says.
Compare that to fiber and the protein fixation starts to feel more skewed: 95 percent of Americans don't consume enough fiber to support good health, per a 2017 analysis in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. And a heightened fixation on protein could lead to even less fiber which is found in fruits, vegetables, and food rich with whole grains. “Getting overly stoked about protein might displace fruits and vegetables and fiber and phytonutrients,” Oppezzo says.
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How beneficial are ultraprocessed protein snacks?
If most Americans are already getting enough protein, then what’s fueling the boom in ultraprocessed protein-enriched foods?
Part of the answer is women who have become increasingly aware of the importance of muscle mass, says Oppezzo. More women are resistance training, according to a 2025 narrative review in Sports Medicine and Health Science. “And resistance training and enough protein go hand in hand,” St. Pierre says, because the latter helps maximize the benefits of the former.
There's been a shift toward marketing muscle gains to women as part of a new aesthetic standard, Sandersadds. While previous generations have emphasized thinness, “this new protein craze is [about] this idealized muscular body emerging [as a] positive body type of health,” she says. "I don't know a better word for it than thicc with two Cs."
It’s clear that many of these ultraprocessed foods are marketed to women. Take, for example, the protein-enriched popcorn that reality star Khloe Kardashian recently launched. “Clearly if [a] Kardashian has a protein popcorn, [women are] her target audience, that's not targeted towards men,” says St. Pierre. The pastel-colored bags of Kardashian’s popcorn is a clear departure from protein powder canisters decorated with skulls and dragons, more obviously geared towards men.
St. Pierre says these foods are “not inherently bad,” but, he adds, “I wouldn't rely on them as a way to get your protein intake.” Unfortunately, that’s what he sees many people doing. “They're finding these ultraprocessed foods, which are okay in moderation, and treating them [as if] they're equivalent to a chicken breast, which they're not.”
With all the talk about protein, some people are missing the point, says St. Pierre. “We want plenty of protein, but we don't want to eat only protein or use protein as a health halo,” he says. A protein cookie is still a cookie. “That's just a company adding three extra grams of protein to make it sound like it's more beneficial for you.”
The key is to think about what you want out of what you’re eating: “If you're eating it for protein, there are better ways to get it,” Oppezzo says. “I think people have this intense health halo around it, that if I eat protein, I won't gain weight, it's only going to help my muscle and I'd rather eat protein at any cost rather than something else." In diet culture, she says, people tend to mix up morality with food choices, labeling certain ones “good” or “bad,” but that kind of black-and-white thinking can lead to overly restrictive eating.
That’s true of ultraprocessed foods as well; they aren’t innately “bad” and you don’t need to cut them out entirely, but they should only be 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories at a maximum, according to St. Pierre. If you make a frozen pizza once a week and decide to replace that with a “high protein” frozen pizza, “that could potentially be very slightly helpful,” he says.
But like every diet trend, getting too enthusiastic about protein can have drawbacks. While it’s a myth that overconsuming protein can lead to kidney problems, Oppezzo says, it can be dangerous for people with kidney disease or on dialysis. In those cases, or if you have any other preexisting conditions, speak to your provider or a dietitian with expertise in your condition, before upping your protein intake beyond the FDA recommendations. And eating large amounts of red meat can raise cholesterol, increasing the risk of a heart attack.
There may be unexpected social consequences, too. Sanders points to meal prep culture where people cook a week’s worth of macro-balanced food or those who consume lots of protein powders and packaged foods. “You’re divorcing a lot of the cultural aspects that we associate with food in favor of these things like muscle gains,” she says. “And it's not a hedonistic experience; it's purely related to outcomes and food as fuel.”
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The protein sweet spot
The truth is that the influencers and protein-focused doctors and scientists have a point—protein is critically important. But most people can get enough of the macronutrient with a few small tweaks to their diet, rather than canvassing the grocery store for protein enriched snack foods.
“Emphasizing lean protein is going to help you feel your best, look your best, perform your best, whatever your goal might be, it's going to help for the most part,” St. Pierre says. Aim to get that protein from minimally processed whole foods, like lean beef, seafood, eggs, soy-based products, and dairy rich in protein, instead of manufactured protein foods that come in a pretty package. “People are always trying to overcomplicate [nutrition],” St. Pierre adds. "They're always trying to sell you something new.”
For the most part, a healthy diet is simple to execute. “Eat lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, some whole grains, and some healthy fats, and you're going to be in a really good spot.”
