Starbucks just announced a new line of protein-boosted lattes — part of the booming trend of countless foods, drinks, and snacks like popcorn, pizza, donuts, and even ice cream – now offering added protein in their products. But how much protein do we really need, and what should those protein sources be? Protein is the latest trend in nutrition, but is there any nutritional value in these products? Many are not that healthy to begin with, and adding protein makes them more alluring with the illusion that they are.
Protein is a vital macronutrient essential for building and preserving muscle mass. It provides the fundamental building blocks the body uses to grow new cells, repair damaged tissues, and maintain the health of all our muscle, skin, and bones. Protein supports immune function and provides the essential enzymes to catalyze metabolism and hormone production. But your optimal protein intake depends on your weight, age, and level of physical activity. Do you want to lose weight or build muscle mass?
You can calculate how much protein you need HERE, but for myself at 125 lbs. and active, the recommended amount is about 68g./day. Say I don’t eat that in a meal, I might want to grab a protein snack on the go. “But not all protein-boosted products are created equal”, says Jamie Lee McIntyre, Nutrition Communications Consultant at Jamie Lee RDN. “Some trendy drinks or snacks use added protein as an appealing front of pack label, but may also be loaded with added sugars, saturated fat, or other unnecessary additives.”
“A protein shake, bar, or coffee can be convenient when you’re on-the-go, or recovering from a workout while short on time but shouldn’t replace real food. It is important to look at the full nutrition picture rather than just chasing a protein number.”
While the new Starbucks Protein Lattes deliver around 27 to 36 grams of protein per Grande beverage, along with that comes about the same number of grams of sugar. The Vanilla Protein Latte has 34 grams of sugar — and the protein source is protein boosted milk, i.e. dairy. While they have a sugar-free Vanilla Latte, there is no plant based option.
Then you have protein boosted snacks like donuts, pop tarts, cookies, and chips from the popular brands like Quest Nutrition and Legendary, whose tagline is “hungry for protein snacks that taste like junk food?” There is no sugar in any of their snacks, but there is a long list of artificial ingredients any healthy person does not want to consume – including the artificial sweeteners used instead.
In fact, artificial sweeteners have been the topic of scientific investigation in recent years, which we wrote about in Fake Sugar, Fat Sugar. There is research to suggest that your brain reacts to artificial sweeteners the same way it does to sugary sweets, causing the same physiological reaction. These sweeteners still result in the release of insulin which the brain mistakes for glucose due to the sweet taste – and they taste noticeably sweeter too. This effect is known as “cephalic phase insulin release”, which can raise blood sugar indirectly, and result in fat storage and weight gain.
In general, almost any nutritionist will tell you it’s better to focus on real food protein sources for your protein boost because these come with additional nutrients that support overall health. “A protein shake, bar, or in this case, coffee, can be convenient when you’re on-the-go, or recovering from a workout while short on time but shouldn’t replace real food”, adds McIntyre. “It is important to look at the full nutrition picture rather than just chasing a protein number.”
