Introduction
“I got ninety-nine problems and protein ain’t one!”
Such ingrained phrases as this one so strongly underpinned my beliefs about nutrition that I needed many years and a lot of research and direct experience to deconstruct them and begin to eat what my body truly needed. Along the way, I learned the intricacies of human biochemistry, genetics, and nutrition science, and rooted them deeply in my personal experience of what makes a human body run well or what makes it break down.
I developed an ongoing process of understanding health and nutrition—one that evolves as I do, but with some truths that are evergreen and can be applied to every woman I work with, even with individual variation.
Early in this process of changing my mind about protein, I’d hit wall after wall on a low-protein diet until I followed my naturopath’s instructions to start eating meat again. Seeing nearly immediate improvements in my health, I had to ask myself some hard yet important questions I hadn’t considered before as a vegan and vegetarian. I started noticing the implicit beliefs in pro-plant rhetoric like that quote above, which implies that we don’t need much protein and we don’t need to think about it much either.
Instead, I started asking:
Is this statement, and are its underlying implications, actually true? And how do the people who popularize these statements know for sure that they’re true?
Sad as it may be, people often don’t know. Many people who tout overly simplistic beliefs about nutrition—especially online, and in terms of protein, carbs, and fat—oftentimes don’t really know whether their beliefs are true or not. And for years before I got more clear on women’s health and nutrition, I was in the same boat. Even after receiving a health science degree, I still had to do a lot of my own independent research to understand what a growing, healing, conceiving, aging woman’s body truly needs nutritionally.
But now I’m too aware that the average person doesn’t know how much protein they need and whether they’re eating enough each day. This isn’t become the average person isn’t smart, but more people we’re inundated with information about nutrition all over the internet and on the covers of magazines while standing in line at the grocery store… and much of this information is geared toward selling us a particular diet, not helping us make sense of systematic health research.
Therefore, I believe protein is a very misunderstood and undervalued nutrient, perhaps especially in the health-conscious pockets of our culture, where so many women tend to be vegan, plant-based, or simply leading with ethics (a noble value to lead with!) when it comes to what they choose to consume.
These women tend to make up the bulk of women who follow my work and hire me as their nutritionist, and, understandably so, these women are often tired of hearing internet influencers jabber on about the importance of eating more protein! So, in this article series, I want to break down some of the reasons WHY annoying online nutritionists such as myself keep banging the protein drum, and why, annoying or not, we’re right in our emphasis on this glorious macro.
One explanation for the lack of protein awareness in health-oriented women, specifically, may be cognitive bias, or each individual’s understanding of their environment according to their personal beliefs and experiences, rather than well-reasoned, more objective data. (1) Pulitzer Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman termed this intuitive reasoning and has written extensively about the likelihood of making errors when we use intuition to understand unfamiliar topics. (2, 3)
Similarly, I cannot tell you the number of times people have told me they “just know intuitively” that they’re getting enough protein, even though they can’t recognize or predict basic signs of protein deficiency or how much a woman of their age, health status, or activity level would need in the first place.
I once fell into the same intuitive trap and, along with many plant-based friends, I floated on false confidence that my diet was adequate. Simultaneously, we often struggled with depression and anxiety, disruptive cravings, binge eating, skin problems, and limited capacity for reaching basic fitness goals, like building and retaining muscle or recovering from workouts. Little did I know then that all of those issues correlate directly with inadequate protein intake! (4)
But, thanks to cognitive bias, my belief system blinded me from that possibility, and my intuition led me astray for years.
Another common type of cognitive bias that can hinder our perception of our nutrient status and protein needs is the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which those who are least competent at something rate themselves inaccurately as competent because they don’t know enough to suspect otherwise. We see this kind of bias in the wellness industry A LOT nowadays in the form of free information presented online, often in emotionally provocative, watered-down films and short videos that oversimplify and misrepresent clinical research for the general public, which tends to have little or no health science training.
In my experience, most of us who’re unaware of the cognitive biases that define our beliefs about dietary protein often go unchallenged until illness or injury occurs for us. Then, in need of new information in order to heal, we often open our minds to new possibilities, such as the benefits of nutrient-dense, protein-rich animal foods.
At that point, we’re willing to personally experience the healing power of increased protein, and when we do, we become aware of our cognitive biases and can choose to let them go.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who are highly informed about dietary protein and test their nutrient status regularly, count macronutrients each day, and go to greater lengths to make sure they’re getting enough protein for optimal health. However, such people are uncommon, and they often prioritize protein for fitness competitions, bodybuilding, or other athletic goals the average woman doesn’t have.
Other members of the “protein-aware” minority include (but are not limited to) health practitioners, like myself, who suffered the consequences of inadequate protein consumption, but who eventually came through with new convictions in tow.
And let’s be honest, many of us millennial women grew up seeing industrial fast-food joints on every corner and magazines covered with bodybuilders guzzling highly processed, protein shakes. Juxtapose those images with horrific scenes from animal-rights activists showing us tortured, poorly fed animals, and throw in the viral “meat causes cancer” headlines, and I’d say it’s no wonder many health seekers have a negative perspective on animal protein!
But what if I told you that:
- Protein is actually under-consumed in the typical modern diet—the average American consumes a 70% plant-based diet by most recent survey results. (5, 6)
- I usually recommend that my clients eat more high-quality protein and defuse their fears of increasing their cancer risk at every meal.
- Eating plant proteins isn’t the best option for everyone—in fact, most vegans and vegetarians should substantially increase their daily protein consumption because even healthy guts absorb significantly less plant protein. (7, 8, 9)
Read the full series on protein to find out why.
Part I explains exactly what protein is, how it is synthesized, and how to determine its quality in the diet — accessible now here!
Part II describes the myriad mental and physiological functions that rely on protein, and why getting both essential and nonessential amino acids from food becomes more important as we age, handle stress, and heal from illness.
Part III dispels the myths that protein causes cancer, heart disease, inflammation, and kidney disease; and that it’s hard to digest, responsible for the environmental decline and animal abuse, and something we can easily get from most foods in equal measure. Each of these myths is entirely or partially inaccurate. The truth is in the details!
Part IV illustrates why adhering to fearful beliefs about protein and limiting this crucial nutrient does a disservice to the health of our minds, bodies, and planet. Then it explains how healthy user bias has influenced the RDA guidelines for protein and outlines more reasonable protein intakes for human beings.
Thanks for embarking on this protein journey with me! This is a very important topic that I feel needs more attention, so I’m excited to share my thoughts with anyone who’s interested in learning! Enjoy!
P.S. If you’d like more reasons to eat quality protein, for the sake of your blood sugar, thyroid, adrenals, immune functions, and reproductive health, please consider grabbing a FREE copy of my reparative eating guide that breaks down the whats, hows, and whys of eating for metabolic wellness as modern women.
