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Why Is Protein In Literally EVERYTHING Now? · The imuRgency Room

• 0:00
  Protein seems to be the word of the year and it feels like it's
• 0:02
  everywhere, whether you want it to be or not.
• 0:04
  I feel like. Everyone's talking about
• 0:05
  protein, protein, protein. Protein.
• 0:07
  Protein and this food Wellness trend that is seemingly sprung
• 0:10
  out of nowhere has raised a lot of eyebrows, specifically having
• 0:13
  to do with who is running this big protein campaign, why we're
• 0:17
  seeing so much of it, and answering the biggest question
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  of them all. Do we even need this much
• 0:21
  protein to begin with? And if not, what is going to
• 0:25
  happen to our bodies long term if we keep eating this much
• 0:28
  protein? And in this video, we're talking
• 0:29
  about all that and more. So sit back, grab a snack, or
• 0:33
  finish your meal. I know how you get down.
• 0:35
  And let's talk about the rise of protein maxing.
• 0:37
  Hey guys, what's up? It's emergency and welcome and
• 0:38
  welcome back to my channel. And just as a feeler out there
• 0:41
  to my ladies and gays, if your man is routinely blending bland
• 0:44
  chicken breasts as a smoothie to reach his daily protein intake
• 0:47
  goal, you still kissing him right after or are you breaking
• 0:49
  up with him? Comment down below.
• 0:51
  But on a more serious though, believe it or not I am not a
• 0:54
  doctor nor am IA licensed nutritionist, but I am sensing
• 0:57
  something interesting happening on my algorithms and just in
• 1:00
  real life. And that is how many big box
• 1:03
  stores and fast casual chains have been using and
• 1:06
  incorporating the word protein in order to sell market and
• 1:09
  boost sales. Like it just feels like you
• 1:11
  can't go anywhere without seeing the words protein plastered
• 1:13
  everywhere. Why is everyone so obsessed with
• 1:15
  protein? Are people walking down the
• 1:17
  street and their brittle bones are giving out on them?
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  Like I'm confused what's going on?
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  Like, let me just walk you through the shoppers experience
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  right now. Oh, I wonder what I should eat
• 1:28
  today. Oh, wait, is that a Chipotle?
• 1:30
  Oh, would you look at that? They have a new fruit.
• 1:34
  This snowstorm is really stressing me out.
• 1:35
  I hope I can find everything I need at this grocery store.
• 1:37
  Hmm. Let's see what they got here.
• 1:39
  Oh, perfect. Is that popcorn?
• 1:40
  No. Oh, OK, whatever that means.
• 1:45
  What about some coffee? I could really use some coffee
• 1:47
  right now. No, I didn't know they made that
• 1:53
  either. I think I'm good on that.
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  Let's see over here. Surely they have some water or
• 1:58
  something. And I fear that's only a minor
• 2:05
  exaggeration. Like something does not sit
• 2:07
  right spiritually in my body when companies are pushing an
• 2:10
  agenda. And do not look at me and tell
• 2:12
  me that this is not some sort of agenda.
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  Like none of these things are found in nature.
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  Like, what do you mean there is protein water.
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  How are you putting protein in water?
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  And I personally always just grow suspicious when a company
• 2:22
  or companies are using a marketing buzzword because we've
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  seen time and time again that these companies do not give a
• 2:28
  damn about you or your health, especially if it's not
• 2:31
  profitable to you. And if you don't believe me,
• 2:33
  that's fine. You can just look me in the face
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  and say you know what roomy you, I'm going to go and eat my cloud
• 2:38
  cinnamon roll flitter protein powder.
• 2:39
  And honestly, if that's your prerogative, I love that for
• 2:41
  you. How dare I as a non health
• 2:43
  professional insinuate that the Kardashians would ever just care
• 2:46
  about your dollar because they clearly and truly care so much
• 2:49
  about your protein intake. Like even in the sense of like
• 2:51
  traditional protein shakes, if you do the math, a lot of those
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  shakes they sell at the stores with the big ass numbers on the
• 2:56
  front are actually in fact lying to you.
• 2:59
  Because in the teeny tiny letters in the back, it will say
• 3:01
  that yes, this has 30 grams of protein, but only if you hit the
• 3:05
  daily value, which is an absurd amount.
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  Basically, in layman's terms, it's advertising the proteins,
• 3:10
  but has way fewer complete proteins, which are what
• 3:12
  contribute to the muscle building that everyone's talking
• 3:14
  about and the stuff that you actually want.
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  So essentially they're lying to you.
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  Let's. Talk about the big protein
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  scandal of 20, 26 because if you see a big number on the front
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  that's supposed to be a flex. I want the Jim Bros to comment
• 3:27
  on this one. Let's break it down because not
• 3:29
  every product on this screen is playing by the same rules.
• 3:32
  Doctor Jen Gunter wrote an incredible article about this.
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  So I just wanted to make a video form and add my own opinion.
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  Now, the problem here isn't the protein, it's how it's being
• 3:39
  framed, marketed, and slowly diluted.
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  So here's my first question. When you see a big number on the
• 3:44
  front like 23, do you think, OK, let me go calculate it with the
• 3:47
  daily value. So in that case, for this one
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  over here, it would be 46% daily value times 50.
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  That number actually gives you 16 and.
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  That's just some of the stuff that we're finding in stores.
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  We haven't even really touched on how like the fast casual
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  places of it all that are just seemingly blindly hopping onto
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  this diet fad of protein maxing mania to pack as much meat as
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  possible in one serving, sometimes in lieu of any other
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  ingredient. So you have places like Chipotle
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  slinging globs of meat and bowls and marketing them as protein
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  bowls. You have companies like
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  Starbucks grasping at straws speaking.
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  There's some kind of post gym workout ritual place now
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  offering things like protein coffee.
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  Like I promise you, you're not Robex and you're not Jam juice.
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  Like truly, when did getting extra chicken become a whole new
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  plate? Like things are getting a little
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  extreme. Like the Starbucks sugar free
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  caramel matcha should be offered as an alternative to like the
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  electric chair or like the lethal injection because there
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  is no way that that is sitting right in someone's system
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  because they're using something called protein boosted milk.
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  And Brinkley. I have no clue what that
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  actually entails, but based on doing a little right at deep
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  dive. And this is kind of funny
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  because for one, people are thinking of this is some kind of
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  marketing scheme to get Starbucks his numbers back up
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  because they've really taken a hit over the past couple of
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  years over the Palestine stuff and just union conditions.
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  And honestly, let's keep it up. But the baristas themselves on
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  Reddit are saying that this is the worst idea because they
• 5:01
  aren't really training them right on how to make that kind
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  of protein drink. So a lot of people are ending up
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  with a drink that's like curd milk that has chunks in it.
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  I don't know, Maybe the solution is getting protein in a
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  different way, like personally, gym progress and gains.
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  It's going to be worth guzzling down caramel monk A chunk milk
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  for the sake of some extra protein.
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  I'm sorry. And we're just seeing this
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  protein creep everywhere. You have even sit down
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  restaurants offering protein style mules or high protein
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  options in ways that they just weren't before.
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  And it begs the question, why is protein being pushed so much?
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  And what are the actual benefits of eating so much protein?
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  So here's the kicker. Of course it's healthy and
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  important to have protein. Literally no one is arguing
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  against that. It's one of five of the main
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  food groups necessary for a balanced meal.
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  Keyword there. Balanced.
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  And not to get super sciency, but according to this article by
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  the Harvard Medical Publishing Journal, protein is essential
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  for life. It's a building block of every
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  human cell and is involved in the vital biochemical functions
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  of the human body. It's particularly important in
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  growth, development and tissue repair.
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  Protein is one of the three major macro nutrients, along
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  with carbohydrates and fat. So consuming enough protein is
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  required to stave off malnutrition.
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  It may also be important to preserve muscle mass and
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  strength as we age. And in recent years, some have
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  advocated for a higher protein diet to Rev up metabolism to
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  make it easier to lose excess weight, though success in this
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  regard is highly variable. So yeah, protein is just one of
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  the three macro nutrients, but those other two being bats and
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  carbs. And what's interesting here is
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  that protein is the only one that hasn't gotten the villain
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  in it. I mean, at least not in the same
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  way that the other two have by pop scientists and marketers.
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  In fact, we're actually getting the inverse this where it's
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  being heralded in high regard. But is that regard too high?
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  There seems to be a few interesting things happening at
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  the same time right now. Like, what's everyone's
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  obsession with protein now? The health obsession with
• 6:54
  protein is nothing that new. I feel like if you're even
• 6:57
  remotely online, you've seen this type of content everywhere,
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  or at least see it most associated with like the 5:00 AM
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  rise and grind ice water, Huberman Jim bro vibe.
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  But I feel like it's now expanding and catching up to
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  things like supermarkets and fast casual places or it's now
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  just being shoved down our proverbial throats.
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  You also hear a lot about protein intake if you've been a
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  long time vegan or vegetarian or people constantly ask you where
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  you're getting your protein from.
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  But again, we're seeing an explosion in interest of
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  protein. And my personal theory is that
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  this expansion from subculture to mainstream is due to the rise
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  in popularity of general Wellness and physical fitness,
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  both in content and in real life.
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  In the USI previously made a whole video talking about the
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  changes in standards of health in relation to things like the
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  body positivity movement and even just like general fitness.
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  But I feel like the mainstream glamorization of extreme
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  thinness and fitness and aesthetic exercises played into
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  this almost overconsumption of protein, both in diet and in our
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  media. But there has been something
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  unexpectedly cataclysmic that is flesh has happened that has most
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  definitely left a lot of companies frothing at the mouth
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  for some kind of maximized joint slay and profits.
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  And that, my friends, is the glorious combination of Jim
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  Bros, GLP 1 users, and people with menopause who are wanting
• 8:08
  or needing to build more muscle and explain more of what I mean
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  by that. I chatted with Rachel Hirsch,
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  who outside of being a friend of mine, is a thought leader and
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  insider in the Wellness and investor space.
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  So hello, welcome to the emergency.
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  Could we start with you just giving us intro of who you are,
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  your platforms and all that? Yeah, well, part of me is super
• 8:28
  boring. I'm like a reformed Wall
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  Streeter who still is super active investing in the Wellness
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  space. So we'll do like all different
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  kinds of Wellness investments. Early stage though.
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  And the other side of me, I own yoga studios.
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  I talk about Wellness on sub stack, on LinkedIn, on
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  Instagram, like, but more the business of Wellness because
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  it's a really interesting time to be in the business of
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  Wellness. For sure you're also a podcast
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  host. Yeah.
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  And I recently add you on. Thank you so much.
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  Yes, so definitely go check out our podcast episode.
• 8:58
  We talked about all things pop culture and Wellness.
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  It was a great time. It was really fun.
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  Well, my first question is talking about the protein
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  ification of everything that's been going on.
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  What can you explain in in your own words, cuz I know you, you
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  wrote about this in detail. What is going on with all the
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  protein stuff? Like how are we seeing that show
• 9:15
  up in, I guess in pop culture, but also specifically in the
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  Wellness space? Yeah, so I think it started
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  really with like the Jim bro longevity, like I I call them
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  the Huberman Bros. I think it really started there
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  where they were Jimming out in the longevity space with like
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  saying we needed more protein, which science was questionable
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  at the time. I mean, you can argue this a lot
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  of ways. And so they started like really
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  in on it. And then on top of that, the GLP
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  one movement started happening where people who some people
• 9:45
  really needed it, some people were taking it for other reasons
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  and those people really needed more protein than they ever had
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  before. And then you start talking about
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  menopause and the percentage of population that is actually
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  going through perimenopause and menopause is 50% by 20-30 ish of
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  women will be in menopause or perimenopause, which is a wild
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  stat. And those people also need extra
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  protein because of bone density loss, muscle mass loss, all of
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  those types of things. So I actually think it's a
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  variety of pieces coming together that are creating a
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  semi need for it. But I also think it's obviously
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  way overdone. It's like gross on some pieces
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  we've spoken. About it's actually kind of
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  disgusting in my opinion, the amount of just like meat is just
• 10:30
  that's slapped in everything and also like infused in things.
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  Any time there's a new health fad, the same thing is promised
• 10:38
  and spread over and over again. It's the whole, this is the way
• 10:40
  you can lose weight quick. It's always the same hook as if
• 10:43
  one magic diet is going to like hit you with the ultimate skinny
• 10:46
  ray. And crucially, downplaying the
• 10:47
  amalgamation of genetics and the boring stuff, as Anne Hathaway
• 10:51
  once so concisely put it. And again, disclaimer, I'm not a
• 10:54
  doctor. Sometimes I wonder.
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  What on earth we're even talking about?
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  Because what do you mean protein popcorn?
• 11:01
  What do you mean protein popcorn?
• 11:02
  What do you mean protein popcorn?
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  Did we need protein popcorn? OK, what are 50 calories?
• 11:11
  Seven years of 15. Honestly, for popcorn, that is
• 11:14
  kind of phenomenal. But what do you mean protein
• 11:17
  popcorn? How's that even scientifically?
• 11:18
  Possible. And while, sure, things like
• 11:20
  meats, tofu and beans are usually what we think of when we
• 11:23
  think of protein, now seeing things like junk food being
• 11:25
  rebranded as Wellness or healthy just by virtue of it having
• 11:29
  protein in it. Like, guys, let's be realistic
• 11:32
  here. That high protein pop tart that
• 11:34
  you're eyeing at Target has a laundry list of chemicals and
• 11:36
  products in there that look like someone just keyboard mashed all
• 11:39
  over the back of the box. Like, I promise you, you can
• 11:41
  have a cookie. It just doesn't have to be one
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  of those cookies with 40 grams of protein packed in it and
• 11:45
  tastes like the inside of a climber's chalk bag.
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  I think another reason it's so marketable as the entire beauty
• 11:50
  industry is, is that it could be marketed against the industry
• 11:52
  long instilled fear of aging. Like in the Huberman Cinematic
• 11:55
  Universe, Doctor Gabrielle Lyon, who oh, my God, is incredibly
• 11:59
  jacked. Like, yeah, I can see why
• 12:01
  listener who insists that there is not one macro nutrient more
• 12:04
  important than aging an individual than protein.
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  And she's the big voice behind women eating more protein and
• 12:09
  lifting weights more, especially as they enter menopause.
• 12:11
  And this is true and recommended quite a bit.
• 12:14
  But is it necessarily the end all be all?
• 12:16
  And I just don't think that one singular thing necessarily is.
• 12:19
  Now let's talk about the GLP 1 of it all and how specifically
• 12:21
  it's impacted consumer habits and eating patterns at stores.
• 12:29
  In case you somehow missed the GOP One craze, it's essentially
• 12:32
  Ozempic and it's many different iterations.
• 12:34
  It's a drug commonly used right now for weight loss by
• 12:36
  suppressing your appetite and making you lose muscle.
• 12:38
  Now how this coincides as we've mentioned is because not only
• 12:41
  does protein help you build muscle, it gets you and keeps
• 12:44
  you fuller faster and for longer, which is helpful when
• 12:46
  you're on drugs like GOP One that are meant to suppress your
• 12:49
  hunger and you have retailers like Walmart having way more
• 12:52
  nutrient dense foods and snacks than before the Ozempic craze.
• 12:55
  Nestle's new product line, Vital Pursuit, is even intended to be
• 12:58
  a companion meal for people taking GOP ones that are
• 13:01
  allegedly and this is not sponsored nor am I trying to
• 13:03
  sell this. Our high in protein, a good
• 13:05
  source of fiber, contain essential nutrients and our
• 13:07
  portion aligned to a weight loss medication users appetite.
• 13:10
  It's almost starting to make sense why Khloe Kardashian would
• 13:13
  jump on the protein bandwagon like he got the Kardashians.
• 13:15
  Spearheading a charge on a body type, creating an insecurity and
• 13:19
  then commodifying the answer to that.
• 13:22
  No, that doesn't seem less. When they do, do you feel like
• 13:25
  social media is amplifying this or is this solely like something
• 13:30
  that started on social media like chicken or the egg sort of
• 13:33
  question? Yeah.
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  So I don't know that I have the answer, but what I have seen
• 13:37
  recently that I think is really interesting is social media has
• 13:40
  allowed things that used to start on the coast and then work
• 13:44
  inwards in terms of like demographics and country and
• 13:47
  consumer and all of that. Social media has allowed it.
• 13:49
  So like someone in middle of Wisconsin might pick up on a
• 13:53
  trend the same day someone in LA does and that makes it
• 13:58
  interesting. And GLP one usage is actually
• 14:01
  largest and the fastest growing in more like mid America.
• 14:05
  So I'm not exactly sure. There's no doubt social media
• 14:10
  played an impact in this and will continue to, but it's
• 14:13
  really interesting. I mean, you're seeing Chili's,
• 14:15
  you're seeing Chipotle, you're seeing so many like real
• 14:17
  restaurant groups, fast casual that are changing their menu.
• 14:21
  Like Shake Shack has a protein specific something on their menu
• 14:26
  because of GLP one and because of all of this, like how crazy
• 14:29
  is that? That is insane.
• 14:31
  And getting into the more sinister side of things.
• 14:33
  I think as most things, it's important and honestly kind of
• 14:37
  illuminating to track the money with these trends when it comes
• 14:39
  to these corporations. Because I fear that this protein
• 14:42
  stuff might not be accidental and in fact are a roundabout way
• 14:47
  to further line the pockets of those most in power.
• 14:50
  I'm unfamiliar with like the GLP, one aspect of protein.
• 14:54
  Does it impact the type of food you want to eat or?
• 14:58
  Yeah. So GLP ones pretty much
• 15:00
  immediately make you lose muscle mass and then in turn bone
• 15:03
  density. And so people on GLP ones have
• 15:07
  to consume more protein, which is one of the reasons that I
• 15:10
  think it's like all of these factors coming together.
• 15:13
  And what's interesting is a more women that are going through
• 15:16
  menopause are starting to microdose GLP ones to sort of
• 15:19
  like help with some of their symptoms.
• 15:21
  And the symptoms of GLP One usage and of menopause are
• 15:24
  already quite similar. So there's a need for more
• 15:27
  protein with both menopause and GLP 1 users.
• 15:29
  That's so interesting thinking about like how like company wise
• 15:33
  or like corporate wise, there could be some overlap with like
• 15:39
  people prescribing and then also the same people that own the
• 15:43
  medical companies having either relationships or directly owning
• 15:46
  these different restaurants or food providers.
• 15:50
  My next question is like, do you think that this is here to stay
• 15:53
  or does this feel more like a a Wellness fad for you?
• 15:56
  I originally I did think it was a Wellness fad.
• 15:59
  I thought it would be fast and the first protein drink that I
• 16:02
  got sent like a water based, I was like, this is not going to
• 16:06
  stick. No one's going to do this.
• 16:07
  But I do think from a demo perspective, as longevity has
• 16:10
  gained more desirability and popularity, let's call it, and
• 16:14
  as the aging population really become like continues to age and
• 16:18
  that becomes a larger demographic.
• 16:19
  I do do you think that there is some sticky?
• 16:22
  I think there's a political piece that adds the sticking to
• 16:25
  it. And I think we're sorry, we're
• 16:26
  already starting to see transactions happen with like
• 16:29
  cottage cheese, good culture. So like all of those types of
• 16:32
  transactions I think are indicative of then theoretical
• 16:35
  IP OS and what the invest like if dollars are going there, they
• 16:39
  will continue like we will continue to see the
• 16:40
  repercussions for years to come. Dang, that's not the most
• 16:44
  encouraging. I think my hope at least is that
• 16:48
  we've swung too far, but we will come back more towards the
• 16:51
  middle. I I think again, like these
• 16:54
  protein gummies for anyone listening like you are not
• 16:57
  that's not good for you. Just stop taking them unless you
• 17:00
  want to call them candy and like you're OK with that 100% but
• 17:03
  they are not good for you. No gummy is no supplement gummy
• 17:06
  has any efficacy. But I think we're starting to
• 17:10
  see people realizing that and waking up to it and saying like,
• 17:13
  OK, I'm taking this Greens gummy because I actually just like the
• 17:15
  way it tastes rather than it has any health benefits.
• 17:18
  I'm hoping we'll get. Sure, there'll be more protein,
• 17:21
  but we'll also start saying actually, I don't need more
• 17:23
  McDonald's protein. I need more like whole real
• 17:27
  protein. Exactly.
• 17:28
  And my thing is like, why are we not also emphasizing fiber?
• 17:32
  I feel like all of this is very much meat, meat meat, but not
• 17:35
  addressing fiber. And we already have skyrocketing
• 17:38
  rates for colon cancer for young people based solely on diet and
• 17:42
  lack of fiber. I don't see that helping.
• 17:45
  Well, what's super interesting is I think that fiber had a
• 17:48
  brief moment pre the protein where it was like fiber was
• 17:52
  sexy, pooping was sexy. Like all I think it was a real
• 17:55
  thing, especially within like the female population.
• 17:58
  My hope is that that comes back Wonder Belly is like think
• 18:04
  slightly better for you Tums and like I really mean only slightly
• 18:06
  better for you, but they just were acquired by P and GI think.
• 18:11
  So there is some movement back towards like call it gut health
• 18:14
  loosely. And so my hope is that fiber
• 18:17
  will make a play there like the companies like Belly Welly, they
• 18:21
  are really big now. And so I'm hoping that that
• 18:23
  comes back to mainstream, I guess is maybe the work I'm
• 18:26
  looking for. OK.
• 18:27
  But when it comes to just the sheer amount of protein that's
• 18:29
  out there and the amount that people are consuming, whether to
• 18:32
  build muscle just to feel full or to partake in the fad, like,
• 18:35
  is this increase in protein intake actually a good thing?
• 18:37
  And are there impacts to consuming too much protein?
• 18:44
  Now, it is true that while your fitness journey, you need to
• 18:47
  consume more protein to sustain muscle mass.
• 18:49
  But in terms of the sheer quantity, it's tail us all this
• 18:52
  time. Too much of a good thing can
• 18:53
  still be too much. Like it's almost as if
• 18:55
  moderation is the key here. Do you feel like we need this
• 18:59
  much protein? Like is, is there really like an
• 19:01
  increased need for protein or is this just like something that
• 19:03
  we're manufacturing because of like Tim bro culture?
• 19:07
  This is I don't honestly, I don't think there's enough
• 19:09
  science behind either side yet. I think the previous food
• 19:14
  pyramid didn't really prioritize protein in the way in which it
• 19:18
  should have been. I think we've swung too far the
• 19:20
  other way as we like overcompensate.
• 19:23
  So I don't feel confident that there's the answer quite yet.
• 19:28
  But what I will tell you is that again, we're not talking body
• 19:30
  type, like movement type, what your body needs or where like if
• 19:35
  you're really trying to build mass or you're starting to go
• 19:39
  through perimenopause and you're trying to not be fragile as you
• 19:41
  get older, there are our increased protein needs.
• 19:44
  Absolutely. But if you're 16 years old and
• 19:47
  you're like, I don't, those people surely don't.
• 19:50
  I mean, again, I'm not a scientist, I'm not a doctor, but
• 19:52
  I bet your bottom dollar those people that are getting their
• 19:54
  Chipotle huge meat. Bowls, yeah.
• 19:59
  I don't think any 16 year old needs like that much meat.
• 20:03
  Like we are not carnivores. Right.
• 20:05
  And despite what your favorite fitness influencer may tell you,
• 20:08
  studies show that high protein diets can lead to a higher risk
• 20:11
  of kidney stones. And if your main source of
• 20:13
  protein is meat, especially red meat, those sorts of protein
• 20:16
  contain higher amounts of saturated fat that puts the
• 20:18
  consumer at higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer.
• 20:21
  Like yes, for the most part, protein itself when consumed
• 20:24
  right is really good for you. But this protein maxing craze to
• 20:27
  eat your weight or double in protein or even put protein
• 20:30
  powder in your pasta sauce and soups is maybe going a little
• 20:34
  too far and there to say unnecessary.
• 20:36
  Like we really don't need a protein Max every meal we eat.
• 20:39
  And aside from just consuming too much protein itself, there
• 20:41
  are other real harmful things to look out for during this whole
• 20:44
  trend. Like let's look at the products
• 20:45
  that promote protein supplements.
• 20:47
  In a recent consumer report, it was reported that many vegan
• 20:49
  protein shake brands had lead in them.
• 20:51
  For more than 2/3 of the 23 products we analyzed, a single
• 20:54
  serving contained more lead. And CRS food safety experts say
• 20:58
  is safe to consume in a day, some by more than 10 times.
• 21:02
  Like what is this, the 70s? We've known for a fact for over
• 21:05
  50 years that lead is bad for you.
• 21:07
  So in trying to be healthy in one way, we end up potentially
• 21:09
  risking our health in other ways.
• 21:11
  And this is news to me because I'd be in the gym wondering why
• 21:13
  the gym pros be staring at me. I'd be thinking I'm tea whole
• 21:16
  time. It's the lead stare.
• 21:18
  And This is why discernment is important.
• 21:19
  People like to stay on the safe side.
• 21:21
  I'd always stay curious and question if something that's
• 21:23
  overly processed is often times the best option or not.
• 21:26
  I saw like some protein popcorn which I'm like, I don't
• 21:30
  understand how that works. There were like some like
• 21:32
  protein flavored water that I saw.
• 21:34
  OK, I have so much here. First of all, I want to come
• 21:37
  back to how how your body is handling the protein and where
• 21:41
  the protein is coming from. But Beyond meat a a fake meat
• 21:46
  company just for the record that like really hasn't done super
• 21:48
  well. They just came out with a
• 21:50
  protein like water based drink. I can't.
• 21:54
  Are you buying that? Is anyone buying that?
• 21:55
  I'm not buying that. I'm not buying that.
• 21:57
  That sounds disgusting. Busting and I've tried loads of
• 22:00
  like protein drinks that are more like water based that are
• 22:04
  fine but I'm not trying a meat a fake meat companies protein
• 22:08
  water based drink. What am I missing there?
• 22:10
  That just seems like chemical city.
• 22:12
  I don't know. Well, right, because that take
• 22:14
  brings me next to the other point that I put a pin in which
• 22:16
  we're talking about your protein intake, but we're not talking
• 22:19
  about the other pieces that come into play.
• 22:21
  So if you're eating loads of really processed meat that is
• 22:25
  filled with hormones that is like not fed well, you're taking
• 22:30
  in all of those hormones as well, which creates like a whole
• 22:32
  different piece that is hyper overlooked because to have
• 22:35
  really well produced protein is actually really expensive.
• 22:38
  And not to say these things are always harmful and I want to be
• 22:41
  considerate over people's shopping options because
• 22:44
  unfortunately, due to the country that we live in and the
• 22:47
  way that our society is set up, a lot of these less processed
• 22:50
  foods and healthier options are more expensive and less
• 22:53
  accessible to the average person.
• 22:55
  And being traditionally healthy and partaking in Wellness
• 22:58
  culture does inherently come with its own sets of privileges
• 23:01
  and from a privileged point of view.
• 23:03
  But in the case of this protein situation, sometimes it does
• 23:05
  turn out that even if you are getting a slightly and probably
• 23:08
  an incomplete protein intake, the other processed chemicals in
• 23:11
  those same products probably don't make it worth it.
• 23:14
  And then when you talk about even like whey protein versus
• 23:17
  vegan protein, there's so much lead in vegan protein that has
• 23:21
  so like huge negative consequences and your body
• 23:24
  doesn't absorb it as well. So the amount of protein that
• 23:27
  you can actually absorb from vegan protein versus whey
• 23:30
  protein, like all of these things are just being
• 23:31
  overlooked. And it's just how much protein
• 23:33
  can you get? That's not the right question at
• 23:35
  hand, but. I didn't even think about that
• 23:37
  aspect of it of like the quality of protein.
• 23:42
  That's a whole, that's a whole thing.
• 23:43
  And again, by this, I'm not talking about clean protein and
• 23:46
  more so that stuff that fast casual big box stores are
• 23:49
  pushing like the new jacked Wheaties.
• 23:51
  In another aspect of this conversation that I don't see
• 23:53
  brought up enough is that like this whole obsession
• 23:55
  overcorrecting or going so hard over this fad of like protein
• 23:59
  maxing is such an American experience.
• 24:01
  Like it's such an American thing.
• 24:02
  Like you're not really seeing this happen in other countries.
• 24:06
  It's so interesting because it seems to be such like an
• 24:08
  American thing, like you're not seeing this globally and
• 24:11
  globally everyone else tends to be or there is a, a higher base
• 24:15
  level of, of health for many different reasons.
• 24:19
  But we're not seeing other countries that are healthier
• 24:21
  than us also adopt these. Like really protein maxing
• 24:25
  lifestyles, Which has me thinking like, is this a
• 24:28
  corporate thing? Do you feel like this is just
• 24:30
  like a corporate encroachment in Wellness?
• 24:32
  I love that comparison though, because especially like other
• 24:35
  countries and how they produce their meat and protein, like so
• 24:37
  important. But when you look at the food
• 24:39
  pyramid and the changes that were just made to the food
• 24:42
  pyramid, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it's hard to not
• 24:46
  think that like lobbyists had a really strong play in
• 24:49
  reformulating this food pyramid because it, it does feel you
• 24:53
  think that mass dairy is all of a sudden good for us.
• 24:57
  I, I can't, that one doesn't math for me.
• 24:59
  So I I think you're, you're probably right, whether I want
• 25:02
  to say it out loud or not. Real because my thing is like
• 25:07
  the US already has like a dairy issue like IBS and like lactose
• 25:10
  intolerance happens globally, but it has it happens to a much
• 25:14
  higher rate in the US. It's like why you hear all the
• 25:15
  time people traveling and saying they have a lactose.
• 25:18
  They are lactose intolerant in the US but not abroad.
• 25:21
  All the time. We have production issues.
• 25:24
  So like suddenly swinging the other way, being like, all
• 25:26
  right, everyone drink whole milk while not addressing the issues
• 25:29
  behind why people don't drink milk to begin with.
• 25:31
  I don't know raise some questions in my mind.
• 25:34
  Yeah. Well, it goes back to the
• 25:35
  production issue that we feel in meat.
• 25:37
  It also applies here. It also applies in everything,
• 25:39
  like any type of farming it, it's applicable there.
• 25:43
  So again, I think we're just we're putting a Band-Aid on for
• 25:47
  lipstick on a pig. And you have to ask yourself why
• 25:50
  like, are there other countries right now going through the same
• 25:53
  protein moment in the same way as the States?
• 25:54
  And why, like, again, as a country that does not score the
• 25:58
  best in terms of like health, why are we doing the most with
• 26:01
  this protein stuff when other countries that are holistically
• 26:05
  healthier than ours don't need to do the same stuff with the
• 26:08
  same results? And I know there are multiple
• 26:09
  other factors that contribute to that as well.
• 26:11
  But when we're trying to determine like fad versus like
• 26:13
  actual health tip, we got to see the comparison here.
• 26:15
  And also another piece of this puzzle has to do with social
• 26:18
  media's impact on body image. And just like the type of bodies
• 26:21
  that we want, Like what kind of build do you want to have to be
• 26:23
  eating hundreds of grams of protein every day?
• 26:25
  Like what does the average person need to be eating that
• 26:27
  much protein for? And again, I'm not here to knock
• 26:29
  anyone's fitness goals or like cast any form of judgment or
• 26:31
  disrespect over like anyone's fitness goals or bodies or
• 26:34
  whatever. But I do think it's worth
• 26:35
  questioning like the types of bodies that people are aspiring
• 26:38
  to and the types of bodies that you're seeing be popular on
• 26:40
  social media. I'm thinking especially in the
• 26:41
  looks Maxim community, Like if you've been any forms of online,
• 26:44
  you've seen all the stuff that have popped up with like that
• 26:46
  clavicular guy, like doing all these things to have like the
• 26:49
  perfect body for one is not realistic.
• 26:51
  Not saying that it can't happen because it does for a lot of
• 26:53
  people, but the amount of work, dedication, and just like money
• 26:57
  that goes into attaining that type of body when realistically
• 26:59
  you don't need to look like that for anything.
• 27:03
  Nor is it adding any additional health benefits after you get to
• 27:06
  a certain point like to be eating that much protein
• 27:08
  consistently. And the type of body that you're
• 27:10
  aiming for at that level is purely for aesthetics in my
• 27:13
  opinion. And in that case, it becomes
• 27:15
  less about health and Wellness and more so about vanity and
• 27:18
  aesthetics. And when we get to that point,
• 27:19
  we can talk about the sociological reasons as to why.
• 27:22
  And that opens a bigger conversation that I feel like is
• 27:25
  getting a little bit outside of this video.
• 27:27
  But I say all this to say that we should be mindful and
• 27:29
  cautious about partaking in trends, especially having to do
• 27:32
  with our health, when we start seeing a mass corporation
• 27:34
  backing of these health trends. Because as we know and as
• 27:37
  history has shown, corporations very rarely have our back.
• 27:40
  And if you have these corporations pushing proteins so
• 27:42
  hard, they're likely are reasons why.
• 27:44
  Now I touched this a bit, a little rant, but we need to talk
• 27:47
  about fitness content. Like I think it's very important
• 27:53
  to know who we are taking health advice from.
• 27:55
  And I know it's tempting to take advice from a tik Toker with
• 27:58
  your dream body who's promising you all these results for you by
• 28:01
  their course. But not all of these influencers
• 28:03
  and arguably not a good portion of them are certified or well
• 28:06
  researched in health. And quite frankly, a lot of them
• 28:08
  are just flat out lying to you. Like y'all remember when TikTok
• 28:11
  was supposed to close down I think last year and there were
• 28:13
  all those gym influencers that came out admitting that they
• 28:16
  either light out their workouts or we're just generally
• 28:18
  admitting that they had gotten work done?
• 28:20
  Like unless you're some kind of crazy bodybuilder or like a
• 28:22
  professional athlete, and when I say this, I'm talking about the
• 28:24
  average person. I don't think we need to be
• 28:26
  super concerned about protein maxing in that way, especially
• 28:30
  if you are not currently a vegan, vegetarian, or on a GOP1.
• 28:33
  Like I am no doctor and again I'm not claiming that, but
• 28:36
  logically speaking having a practically carnivorous diet in
• 28:40
  the name of having more protein is not the way and does not seem
• 28:43
  healthy. Like carnivorous diets are just
• 28:45
  generally not recommended. Like if you want a pipeline to
• 28:47
  have your pipes backed up then this is what you should do.
• 28:50
  Like we really need to bring that fiber movement that
• 28:52
  happened years ago back to the forefront to balance the scales
• 28:55
  because like would anyone be mad if we had a holistic meal
• 28:57
  without demonizing anything on our plate?
• 29:00
  Anyone like some form of like holistic health?
• 29:03
  So it's not just like 1 aspect that's over highlighted and over
• 29:06
  represented. Right.
• 29:08
  I I think what's frustrating as someone who digs into both the
• 29:12
  science and the business of this is that where people are getting
• 29:15
  most their information regarding Wellness right now is from
• 29:19
  people that don't necessarily have the right education to be
• 29:23
  Speaking of this. And that's okay.
• 29:24
  Like awareness is good, but to also use your critical thinking
• 29:28
  and say, let me verify this or let me make compare this to
• 29:32
  someone that I know has already verified this.
• 29:34
  So I think that's just an important piece as a consumer
• 29:38
  that we need to get better at doing.
• 29:39
  And I'm not here to dispel any information or say anyone is
• 29:42
  necessarily wrong because again, I'm no scientist, nutritionist
• 29:45
  or doctor. But I think the important thing
• 29:46
  is to have discernment and to not get swept up in one thing
• 29:49
  that seems like the cure all or like the number one answer.
• 29:51
  Because personally, I just don't think that one miracle thing
• 29:54
  works. Like it's a holistic health and
• 29:55
  Wellness wheel and all of us are so, so different.
• 29:58
  And like I said, this protein maximum trend is not the first,
• 30:00
  nor will it be the last fitness or meal fad.
• 30:02
  But like all the others, I fear that later down the line it's
• 30:04
  going to come to light that this protein stuff may have not been
• 30:07
  as helpful as advertised. Like, do I think protein is
• 30:09
  evil? No, in fact I think that it's
• 30:11
  very good for you. However, at this moment I think
• 30:13
  we are taking it to extremes. Like again, I hate to sound like
• 30:16
  a broken record, but we should not have protein water.
• 30:18
  That just should not be. Although I will say Sam's eating
• 30:21
  the red meat like crazy. This might be the lesser of all
• 30:24
  the evil food trends and diet fads that we've seen in recent
• 30:26
  history. And we've been here before with
• 30:28
  diet fads that while they were praised at the time for working,
• 30:32
  ultimately having it come out down the line that they were
• 30:34
  basically a pipeline to having an Ed like the Scarsdale Diet or
• 30:38
  Atkins because of their restrictiveness or only
• 30:40
  providing an unsustainable short term weight loss.
• 30:42
  But an interesting part of this conversation that we've got to
• 30:44
  address is that this protein craze that we're seeing right
• 30:47
  now, though a fad now, might actually be here to stay.
• 30:50
  We always have moments in culture where to the benefits of
• 30:52
  companies and marketers, we go into a craze for a particular
• 30:55
  item. Like a few months ago it was
• 30:56
  restoring your gut health or activities like the Pilates
• 30:58
  boom, like the pickleball or run club boom.
• 31:00
  Like we truly are an obsessive people and trends in how we eat
• 31:04
  and think about our diet are nothing new.
• 31:06
  And I don't see it going away anytime soon.
• 31:08
  So in the meantime, I think it's important to exercise your
• 31:10
  judgement because at the end of the day, we all have different
• 31:13
  bodies and different things that work for us.
• 31:14
  So it's important to figure out what that looks like, whether on
• 31:17
  your own or with the guidance from professionals.
• 31:19
  Regardless of what you decide though, stop drinking that
• 31:21
  protein water.