The protein craze does not seem to be stopping anytime soon. Last year, Americans spent a total of $50 billion on protein snacks, a figure that is expected to double by 2032.
This has translated into dozens of new products hitting store shelves, including protein bars, pancake mixes, and smoothie powders.
One snack in particular seems to be gaining popularity among those seeking a more muscular physique. However, experts warn that people are overlooking serious side effects associated with this best-selling product.
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Protein is one of the three macronutrients, along with carbohydrates and fats. These are the food components we need in large amounts to maintain healthy bodily functions.
Proteins are made up of amino acids and play key roles in physiological processes such as immune function, energy metabolism, and muscle mass maintenance.
We need this macronutrient to produce hair, blood, connective tissue, antibodies, and more.
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One of the best-known sources of protein are beef, poultry, and pork, leading many to interpret “get more protein” as “eat more meat.”
Many people who incorporate more meat into their diets in pursuit of better health fail to recognize that this assumption carries significant health risks, warned award-winning food journalist Elizabeth Dunn, who has written widely about nutrition.
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“There definitely is this kind of perception online that if you’re going to live a high-protein life, that involves a lot of meat,” Dunn said on the HuffPost’s Am I Doing It Wrong? podcast.
“What you don’t hear talked about a lot in those contexts is the downsides to eating a lot of meat. The data is very, very clear — I mean, like decades of large-scale, reputable studies.”
Dunn warned that diets high in meat increase the risks of cancer, diabetes, and all-cause mortality.
“So there really are pretty big health consequences to eating a very meat-heavy diet, especially a very red meat-heavy or processed meat-heavy diet.”
The expert, who has written for The New York Times and co-writes the newsletter Consumed, identified meat sticks as one of the fastest-growing snacks, despite concerns about their health effects.
“What really surprises me, especially because we’re in this very healthy, nutritious, conscious moment right now, is that people aren’t aware of the fact that processed meats are class one carcinogens — Group 1 carcinogens.
“So that’s a World Health Organization classification, and it means that we know that they cause cancer in humans. So this is really something that I think more people should think about.”
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A 2024 study published in the Nature Food journal found that eating red meat twice a week, compared with four times a week, can shrink your carbon footprint and increase longevity.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound.
According to Dunn, most Americans already get their recommended daily amount of protein, so there is no need to buy specialized protein snacks or eat more meat.
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Dunn emphasizes that it’s best to get protein from whole foods rather than ultra-processed foods.
This macronutrient is found in many foods that make up our daily diets, including eggs, milk, lentils, chickpeas, oats, spinach, broccoli, tofu, quinoa, peanuts, and almonds.
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A 2025 study by Cargill’s North American Food Business found that meat consumption in the United States grew from 109 kg to 117 kg per capita between 2018 and 2023.
While there is no official recommendation on how much red meat is safe to eat, consuming more than three-and-a-half servings of red meat per week is associated with an increased risk of mortality, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Amy Stephens, a sports dietitian with New York University Athletics, told The Guardian that many people prioritize protein at the expense of other macronutrients they mistakenly believe are unnecessary or unhealthy.
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“A diet that emphasizes protein can create an imbalance. If I see a marathon runner who is eating chicken and vegetables for lunch, I’m asking, ‘How are we running if we’re not eating carbs?’” Stephens said.
“People are afraid of carbs. But the consequences of not eating enough carbs can be low energy, craving sugars, energy crashes, exercising and not seeing improvements in your fitness or in even your muscle strength.”
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Moreover, Julia Zumpano, a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, warned that some protein products, such as protein bars, contain ingredients that are not as healthy as their packaging suggests, including artificial sweeteners and dyes.
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The Cleveland Clinic recommends that people who eat red meat enjoy it in moderation, avoid processed meats such as bacon, meat sticks, and sausages, and choose leaner cuts of beef.
It also notes that poultry and seafood are healthier protein options than red meat and recommends following a well-balanced eating plan, such as the Mediterranean diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
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