Mother Jones

THE CASE FOR LO PRO

Why America’s latest dietary fetish is bad for just about everybody

YOU MIGHT NOTICE, the next time you go grocery shopping, that supermarket aisles are turning into one big advertisement for protein. The health claims are everywhere. Wheyhey ice cream—“20 g of protein per pot”—promises to help with “losing weight” and “skin anti aging.” P28 high-protein sliced bread wants to be “part of your journey to a healthy lifestyle.” Kellogg’s Special K Protein cereal “satisfies hunger longer.” Everyone at work seems to be on a high-protein Paleo diet. And American consumers, according to one business analytics firm, spend about $250 million a year on protein powder alone.

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