Ask Lemmy

i think its the anti fat messaging, and sugar messaging going on.

Because every time they try to eat something, it's recalled.

This thread rightly points out all the excesses of capital-fueled social trends.

Less mentioned is that a higher protein breakfast ~20-30g vs traditional carb-heavy breakfast is actually helpful for more stable morning energy (less sugar crash), cognitive clarity, and reduced snack cravings especially later in the day. Search any of your reputable health sources and you'll likely find something to that effect. I don't believe it's particularly disputed at this point.

Influencer slop. That's literally it.

A lot of Americans have been convinced lack of protein is why they keep gaining weight and aren't muscular. Testosterone is in a similar position. These can be concerns for people who are low in them, or for people struggling at high levels of fitness. But it's largely just influence from diet influencers repeating gym bro advice.

Sufficient protein intake is very important when it comes to gaining healthy weight, or retaining muscle mass as you either diet or age. Most people do not get enough protein intake their daily meals, and unlike other things like potassium, iron or vitamins, there’s no easy over the counter pill you can swallow to level that out. In the U.S. people that haven’t been intentional with their diets usually tend towards very carb-heavy diets.

Companies put what they think people care about on their packaging. In the 90’s it was “low fat”. It’s trendy right now in America to eat healthier (perhaps due to fast food abandoning Americans for unsustainable profits) and one of the first two things any American will learn when you start actually paying attention to what you eat is that 1. You’re probably eating too many calories, and 2. You’re not eating enough protein.

It's got what plants crave.

It's the prevalence of drugs like Ozempic. They cause people to eat a negative calorie diet so it's very important that they keep their protein intake at or above their requirements. If they don't, they will lose muscle at a dangerous rate.

Pretty sure these drugs are just creating huge heart health problem we'll see in the future.

"Sugar-Free" Candy will always amuse me.

this is a question that someone who's not getting enough protein would ask

It turns out the answer is realy very long, but it's a hell of a ride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K35FtbuyTh4

TLDW:
It's a right-wing grift. The Leftist Cooks argue that carnivore and “protein-maxxing” diets are not about health; they’re tied to masculinity, control, grift, and far-right politics. They use figures like Jordan Peterson and the Liver King to show how restrictive meat-heavy high protein diets can become symbols of power, identity, and pseudo-scientific authority.

The broader argument is food is never just food. Dietary choices can carry cultural meaning, political signaling, and ideological pressure, and that high protein culture is part of a larger ecosystem that can normalize authoritarian, anti-science, and anti-egalitarian thinking.

The video is excellent though. It's basically a miniseries on the various causes and effects of this and it's incredibly well put together, even if it is 6 hours long. 😱