the pros and cons of high-protein convenience foods
5 minute read
when people cut their carbs, they're not always replacing them with other calories. she says that evidence shows that if people are following a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate, high-protein eating pattern, from a weight management standpoint, it doesn’t work.
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walk into just about any grocery store (or search amazon) and you’ll find all kinds of packaged to-go snacks that are promoted as high-protein. there’s yogurt options, hummus and cracker minipacks, chocolate-covered nutrition bars, trail mixes and, my favourite, protein tortilla chips! who can resist the crunchy corn triangles with a scoop of spicy salsa?
are these packaged products actually good for you if you’re trying to manage your weight and eat better?
yes and no.
jennifer brown, a registered dietitian at the ottawa hospital bariatric centre of excellence and contributor to the canadian adult obesity clinical practice guidelines and obesity matters advocacy group, is expert on medical nutrition therapy in obesity management. she knows the value of proteins in your diet for muscle building, tissue repair and appetite control. but not all proteins are created equal.
“there’s a good fit for the high-protein, low-carb kind of food options that are available. i think there’s a lot of really great products that exist right now and it’s giving people more options,” she says, adding newer choices like roasted chickpeas and lentils can be a salty, crunchy type of snack for someone who doesn’t want to buy potato chips.
she points out that having convenient packaged foods on hand costs more than something you make at home, but they can help satisfy hunger and keep you from grabbing a doughnut or another coffee.
“i always tell people, there are pros and cons to these types of foods. they’re convenient and the nice thing about the high protein aspect is that it tends to help people feel more full. that can really help in your day. if you find that midafternoon is when you feel peckish and you’re looking for something to sustain you until supper, instead of coffee or energy drinks, it’s so much better to go for something that’s going to give you nutrition.”
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and if you have cravings for a sweet fix, protein bars or greek yogurt with honey or fruit, can be a quality option to fill you up and help energize you.
what’s also important for people is reading labels and being mindful that some products, while boasting high protein of 10 grams or even 20 grams per serving (a great benefit!), they can have a lot of hidden sugars, added salt or artificial ingredients, she explains. when it comes to sodium, look for labels that say sodium is less than 20 per cent of your daily value (dv) per serving. “you’re paying a lot for fillers or additives that aren’t really good for folks. whereas if you’re really trying to get more high protein there’s so many food options like cheese strings or boiled eggs.”
a study on the spanish food market, recently published in nutrients, explored the nutritional value of certain processed foods with protein claims. researchers found that these foods may be less than healthy. more than half of the products with high protein claims had high sodium or fat content, and about a quarter had high amounts of sugar or saturated fat. so, read those ingredient labels.
brown also debunks the need to count calories. because calories aren’t really a concern, it’s about where those calories are coming from and what’s in the product. bars, for example, might have five ingredients, like nuts, honey, oats, dates, coconut, so real food is in them. there are others where the first ingredient is an added protein powder and then a list of fillers.
another key ingredient that people might miss out on is fibre. “when people are looking for low-carb, they’re forgetting that their body still needs fibre,” brown says.
soluble fibre in nuts, seeds, beans, apples and citrus, dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion and helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar. insoluble fibre in whole grains and many vegetables doesn’t dissolve in water and supports the movement of material through the digestive system.
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“i’m a big proponent of happy people who have happy bowel movements and we all need fibre. i talk about poop all the time,” brown says with a laugh. “if you’re on a low-carb type of eating pattern, you can be missing a lot of fibre in your diet and this is probably going to make you irritable.” without enough fibre, you can experience low energy and brain fog.
in her private practice, brown teaches healthcare professionals about the science of weight so they can support their patients better. she finds that both practitioners and patients get confused by messaging about food and how the body processes different foods and holds onto fat cells.
“obesity has always been looked at as if you eat less, you lose weight, but from a survival standpoint that’s not how the body is designed to work. if we eat less, than our body protects us from starving and so it wants to get those calories in and store them. i feel like a lot of people who are trying to watch their weight tend to focus too much on the calories or the hype around foods that are looked at as good or bad. so, carbs tend to get a bad rep.”
when people cut their carbs, they’re not always replacing them with other calories. she says that evidence shows that if people are following a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate, high-protein eating pattern, from a weight management standpoint, it doesn’t work. most people will stop following it at the one-year mark.
she’s also concerned about the glp-1 medications used for weight-loss where people aren’t getting enough nutrition because the drugs impact hormones that decrease appetite. “people have to be mindful to get a lot of nutrition in a small amount so that they’re getting what they need.”
her approach as a dietitian, though, is not about strict numbers or portion sizes. she counsels patients about lifestyle habits, family routine, social interests and activity levels, and then talks about foods that people like. food is food and she doesn’t use descriptions like healthy or unhealthy, preferring labels like “good, better and best.” she played competitive volleyball on scholarship at university in the u.s. and her coaches would use similar language: “your first serve is good, your second serve is better and your last serve is best and you just repeat that. it always stuck with me and i thought food is kind of the same way.”
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brown plays in a competitive volleyball league in ottawa and doesn’t mind getting her butt kicked by the 20-year-olds, as she puts it. and for food inspiration, she likes a morning smoothie of frozen strawberries, frozen raspberries, milk, a little water and vanilla-flavoured pea protein.
the most important takeaways for people?
high-protein packaged foods can be good and do what works best for you.
“the biggest piece is that there’s no one right way of eating. try not to fall into the fad diets. food needs to be enjoyable. it has to be something that you like,” brown says. “and if you’ve had a difficult relationship with food growing up or have a not-great relationship with food now, that’s where you’d probably want to work with a health professional like a dietitian who can help you improve that relationship. that’s a piece that i find i have to unpack a lot with folks.”
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