High-Protein Packaged Foods May Not Be As Healthy As They Look

Beth Skwarecki Beth Skwarecki Senior Health Editor ExperienceBeth Skwarecki is Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor, and holds certifications as a personal trainer and weightlifting coach. She has been writing about health for over 10 years. Read Full Bio November 10, 2026 Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google We may earn a commission from links on this page. Credit: Shutterstock Table of Contents Of the three major macronutrients—protein, carbs, and fat—protein has the best reputation, and it’s fairly well deserved. We need significant amounts of protein in our diet, and nothing particularly bad happens if we get too much. Dietary protein helps you build muscle, and if you’re trying to lose weight it helps stop you from losing too much muscle along with the fat. It also helps to make meals feel filling. Great! But. Once the general public gets the idea that something is good for you, the companies that make packaged food start putting it in everything. Or, they make products where the good-for-you thing features prominently on the label, whether or not there is very much inside. So a lot of packaged food now boasts protein on the label. Here’s what you should ask yourself about those foods: Look at how much protein is actually in itTake a close look here—sometimes a food will boast of a certain amount of protein per package but the package contains two or three servings. Other times, the protein per serving is correct, and we're supposed to be excited to have, say, 7 grams per serving. That's just not very much—and certainly not worth paying extra or choosing a less-delicious food just for those few added grams. It’s good to know how much protein you need in your diet. If you’re not gaining or losing weight, and not doing very much exercise, a 150-pound person only needs about 54 grams of protein a day. (I've done the math for various body weights here.) If you’re working out a lot, or if you’re trying to gain or lose weight (yep, either way), that same 150-pound person will need more like 81 to 95 grams of protein per day. More is OK, but not necessary.So if you’re trying to get 90 grams per day, 30 grams per meal is a reasonable amount to shoot for. Coincidentally, 30 grams is the amount of protein that tends to make a meal feel satisfying. You can do the math to figure out whether a protein-added product is going to be helpful in your day’s diet.What would you eat if you weren’t eating this?I think this is the most important question about protein-added foods. It’s not hard to get protein in a meal; meats, dairy, tofu, beans, and grains all tend to supply plenty. So what is this protein-added thing you’re considering, and are you eating it instead of a traditional meal? What do you think so far? Here’s an example. If I’m heading straight from the gym to run some errands, and I need something to substitute for a meal—yeah, this isn’t great planning, but sometimes it happens—a protein bar with 20 grams of protein is a step in the right direction. Much better than a candy bar, anyway. But then there are things like this "protein mix" trail mix: 7 grams of protein with 200 calories. A double serving would be 400 calories and only 14 grams of protein. Hardly a great choice if your goal is just to add to your protein intake for the day. And then there are the chips that my kid, for a time, couldn't stop eating. He loves Doritos and such; on a whim, we bought him some protein chips (yes, these are a real thing). Are they better for him than the equivalent amount of Doritos? Arguably, sort of yes. But then he started arguing that since they have protein, he should be able to eat them in place of dinner. We nixed that, but admit it: Are you having that same argument with yourself, feeling better about a snack food because it contains extra protein? If so, the marketing is working—you’re feeling good about your supposedly healthy choices, even though you’re just eating a bag of chips. Lifehacker has been a go-to source of tech help and life advice since 2005. Our mission is to offer reliable tech help and credible, practical, science-based life advice to help you live better. Our Mission Our Team Newsletter © 2001-2026 Ziff Davis, LLC., A ZIFF DAVIS COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Lifehacker is a federally registered trademark of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of Lifehacker. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.