Responding to @doctors_kitchen’s List of the 5 WORST Protein Sources

Introduction to the worst protein sources 0:00

These are the five worst sources of protein that I would recommend you steer clear of as much as possible. Number one, fake meat, also known as faux meat. Now, there are some that are better than others, but most of them are heavily processed.

Fake meat and processed meat 0:13

I agree that some are healthier than other,s but then he goes on to say that most are processed as if that's what would make them unhealthy. Well, the fact that something is processed doesn't inherently make it unhealthy, and randomized controlled trials have suggested that plant-based meat alternatives improve cardiovascular risk factors compared to meat. And for what it's worth, they have pretty comparable protein digestibility scores to meet, not that it is the most important metric. Number two, for the meat eaters, you want to remove processed meat.

So these are things like ham, sausages, bacon, salami, roast turkey, all these different processed meats that have got a lot of additives to them to preserve them and keep them fresh for longer. These are actually making it even less healthy for you. Number three, protein bars. This is one of my pet peeves because I see these bars every time I go to the gym. They're really, really heavily marketed. I don't have too much to add about processed meats, but his comments about protein bars are just bizarre.

All he said is that he sees them at the gym and they're heavily marketed as if that's somehow a problem. Nowhere did he comment on how they impact health or their value as a protein source.

Protein bars as a convenient option 1:07

And while some are better than others, they are generally just very convenient sources of protein. Again, I just don't really see the problem here. Would I recommend using high protein chocolate bars as your primary protein source? Probably not. But if someone is going to treat themselves to a snack like a chocolate bar and a higher protein version exists, then that may be the better choice depending on one's goals with their protein intake. The fifth thing are low-quality protein powders. Now, I struggle to find a high- quality protein powder.

The ultra-processed, they have lots of other sugars and sweeteners, again, emulsifies. Many people who have started on protein power, then go on to develop digestive issues. Sometimes immediately, a lot of the times later on down the road. And that is for both animal-based proteins, so whey protein, milk- based protein and even plant- base proteins as well, because the common denominator between them two are the emulcifiers and the sweetener that are loaded in these products.

Concerns about low-quality protein powders 2:06

As a daily product, this means that you are consuming ultra processed food every single day. Of course they're ultra-processed, but again, that doesn't necessarily mean they are unhealthy. Nor did he provide any evidence of the emulsifiers or sweeteners being harmful to gut health. He just cited what seemed to be anecdotes of people who started consuming protein powder and at some point later on developed some gut issues. Just because something happened first, like consuming proteins powders, does not mean that it necessarily caused what came later.

There are an infinite number of possible explanations, and randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies can help us tease out that cause and effect relationship. Now it is possible that some people with certain medical conditions like celiac disease or allergies or sensitivities may have issues digesting certain types of protein sources but it's not clear that this is a problem for people outside of those specific conditions. I would want to see some trials actually looking at that but again we didn't cite any.

Oh but we do have randomized controlled trials on protein powders and cardiovascular risk factors in which we see reductions in markers like LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. So super scary stuff.