SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- If you walk through your local grocery store, you may notice things like protein cereal, protein donuts and protein muffins-among other things.
ABC57 spoke to Lisa Lobel, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at The South Bend Clinic, about this protein phenomenon.
She says the current fixation on protein stems from a lot of the conversation around GLP-1 weight loss medications, which have gained popularity within the last couple of years. In the context of weight loss and appetite regulation, she says protein helps us feel full.
"When these medications are working or when weight loss is happening, regardless of the reason, we're at risk to lose some muscle mass with the other tissue that we're losing, the fat tissue, or the adipose tissue. So, protein is indeed vital. It's important to preserve muscle mass, to build new muscle and it does help contribute to satiety," said Lobel.
She says in addition to protein, other macronutrients like fat and carbs are very important.
ABC57 asked Lobel if she thinks protein-enriched foods that may not otherwise contain significant levels of protein will stick around, or if it's a trend.
"I suspect that they're here to stay. And again, I do think it's driven mostly by, you know, all the talk around weight loss and weight loss medications. But you know, for a person who doesn't prefer animal-based protein, it's reasonable. It's a reasonable way to get some extra protein, by some of those products. So, I do suspect that they will be around," said Lobel.
She also gave a list of foods that are sources of protein, including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy products, beans, peas, and lentils.
Lobel recommends people eat a variety of plant and animal proteins in their diet and says people should include a form of protein in each meal, as people are more likely to get their protein needs met this way.
Here are some resources Lobel gave to ABC57, where people can get a better idea of what their diet should look like.