Why Are You Afraid of Protein... but Not Sugar?
- Kevin (master traîner)
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
This is probably one of the questions I ask most often when talking about nutrition.
Because the reaction is almost always the same.
For some people, protein is only for bodybuilders. Others believe it damages the kidneys, is artificial, dangerous, or even comparable to a form of doping.
And yet...
What if I told you that this fear is often completely selective?
You may refuse to keep a tub of protein powder in your kitchen cupboard, while that same cupboard is already filled with processed foods whose effects on your health are far more concerning.
Perhaps the most surprising part is that many people have very strong opinions about protein... without even being able to define what protein actually is.
Why can you now find protein products in almost every supermarket? Is it simply another marketing trend, or does it reflect a better understanding of nutrition? Do we really need protein? Can it help with fat loss and improve overall health?
In this article, we'll go back to the basics, debunk some of the most common myths, and explain why protein isn't a product reserved for athletes, but one of the fundamental building blocks of a healthy, properly functioning body.
What Is Protein? And Why Do You Absolutely Need It?
Before asking whether you should eat more protein, we first need to answer a much simpler question:
What is protein?
Because this is probably where the misunderstanding begins.
When some people say, "I don't take protein," what they actually mean is that they don't take protein powder.
But protein is not a dietary supplement.
It is a macronutrient, just like carbohydrates and fats. In other words, it is a natural component found in many of the foods we eat every single day.
Eggs contain protein.
Fish contains protein.
Meat contains protein.
Dairy products contain protein.
Lentils, chickpeas, tofu and beans also contain protein.
In other words, protein is not an invention of the fitness industry. It has been part of the human diet for as long as humans have existed.
And more importantly, it is essential.
Your body constantly uses protein to build, repair and maintain its tissues.
Your muscles, skin, organs, hair and nails are all largely made of protein.
But its role goes far beyond that.
Many enzymes, antibodies that are essential for your immune system, and several hormones depend directly on the amino acids supplied by dietary protein. The same is true for tryptophan, an essential amino acid required to produce serotonin, often referred to as the happiness hormone.
So no, eating a steak won't instantly make you happy...
But without enough protein, your body wouldn't even be able to properly produce some of the substances it needs to regulate your mood and support your overall sense of well-being.
Without protein, the human body simply could not survive.
Over my 16 years as a coach, I've also noticed another pattern that comes up again and again.
When someone suffers from persistent pain, recurring muscle tension or tendinopathy, there are three pillars I always check first: sleep, hydration and protein intake.
Of course, inflammation and pain can have many other causes, including inflammatory diseases or physical injuries. But in my day-to-day coaching, these are almost always the first three factors I evaluate.
Why?
Because I like to compare the human body to a machine.
A machine that runs out of oil, fuel or maintenance eventually starts to seize up.
The human body works in much the same way.
When it lacks sleep, water or the raw materials needed to maintain its tissues, it becomes less efficient. Muscles become tighter, tissues recover less effectively, the body struggles to maintain its structures properly and, over time, this is very often accompanied by pain and inflammation.
Protein provides a fundamental part of those building materials.
You can't expect your body to repair a muscle, a tendon, a ligament or any other tissue if you don't provide it with the bricks it needs to do the job.
It's like asking a bricklayer to rebuild a house... without any bricks.
Saying, "I don't want to eat protein," therefore doesn't really make sense.
The real question isn't whether you should consume protein.
The answer is yes.
The real question is:
Are you eating enough protein to allow your body to function, maintain itself and repair itself properly?
Why Is Everyone Suddenly Talking About Protein?
If you've been grocery shopping lately, you've probably noticed something.
There are high-protein yogurts.
High-protein desserts.
High-protein bread.
High-protein ice cream.
High-protein cereals.
High-protein drinks.
In just a few years, protein has made its way into almost every aisle of the supermarket.
So, is this simply another marketing trend?
Not really.
It's mainly the result of our evolving understanding of nutrition.
For a long time, the message was simple:
"Eat less fat."
From the 1970s through the 1990s, fat was increasingly portrayed as the main cause of weight gain and cardiovascular disease. In response, the food industry introduced countless products proudly labeled "low fat" or "fat-free."
The problem is that when you remove much of the fat from a food, you often need to restore its flavor somehow.
Very often, this meant adding more sugar, refined starches or other ingredients to compensate for the loss of taste.
Among many other contributing factors, this shift played a role in the rise of overweight and obesity observed across many Western countries.
Over time, nutritional recommendations began to evolve.
The message gradually became:
"Watch out for added sugar."
For several years, nutrition was built mainly around the idea of restriction.
Less fat.
Then less sugar.
Then fewer processed foods.
The problem is that a diet built entirely around what you should remove quickly becomes frustrating.
You take things away.
Then you remove even more.
Eventually, many people simply feel like they're no longer allowed to eat anything they enjoy.
This is exactly where protein started to play a much bigger role.
Instead of constantly telling people what they should remove from their diet, nutrition professionals began telling them what they should add.
And that change is fundamental.
Protein is particularly filling.
It helps create meals that are more satisfying, more substantial and easier to stick with over the long term.
It also helps preserve muscle mass, requires more energy to digest, and provides the building materials your body needs to maintain and repair its tissues.
In other words, nutrition is no longer just about removing foods.
It's also about giving your body more of what it genuinely needs.
That's precisely why we now see so many protein-enriched products, even in supermarket aisles that have nothing to do with fitness.
The food industry has realized that consumers are placing much greater importance on protein intake because it is associated with better satiety, a more balanced diet and, in many cases, better weight management.
But there's an important point to remember.
"High protein" does not automatically mean "healthy."
A product can be high in protein while still being an ultra-processed food.
It may contain low-quality oils, a long list of additives, artificial sweeteners, thickeners or other ingredients whose nutritional value is questionable.
Likewise, not all added proteins are created equal.
Some come from excellent sources.
Others are derived from much more heavily processed ingredients, such as certain wheat gluten concentrates or other industrial protein isolates used primarily to improve the nutritional values displayed on the packaging.
In other words, don't let the words "High Protein" be the only thing guiding your choice.
The best option is still a diet based primarily on minimally processed foods that are naturally rich in protein.
Protein-enriched products can be useful tools.
They simply shouldn't become the foundation of your diet.
Modern nutrition has gradually shifted from a philosophy of "taking things away" to one of "building." Instead of constantly asking what should be removed from your plate, we now increasingly ask what should be added to help the body function at its best.
Do Protein Really Help You Lose Weight?
The answer is yes.
But probably not in the way you imagine.
Protein doesn't magically melt body fat away.
What it does is create an environment that makes fat loss much easier.
The first reason is that protein generally helps preserve more muscle mass while dieting.
And that's extremely important.
When some people decide to lose weight, they simply start eating less and less.
A little less at breakfast.
A little less at lunch.
A little less at dinner.
Sometimes they even replace entire meals with simple salads.
At first, the number on the scale goes down.
So they assume they're on the right track.
What they don't realize is that they're often losing just as much muscle as they are body fat.
Muscle is one of the most metabolically active tissues in your body.
The more muscle mass you maintain, the more calories your body continues to burn—even at rest.
On the other hand, if you lose a significant amount of muscle, your metabolism slows down.
As a result, your body now burns fewer calories than it did before.
The real problem begins when the diet ends.
Most people gradually return to eating the way they did before... even though their body is now burning fewer calories than it was before the diet.
That difference is stored as body fat.
This is why many people don't just regain the weight they lost—they often end up heavier than when they started.
This is what's commonly known as the yo-yo effect.
Protein helps limit this by preserving more muscle mass throughout the dieting process.
But that's not its only advantage.
Protein is also the most filling macronutrient.
In other words, it often allows you to eat less without constantly feeling deprived.
You stay full for longer.
Cravings become less frequent.
And resisting snacking or overeating becomes much easier.
Protein also requires more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats.
Your body actually burns some of the calories it provides simply by digesting, absorbing and processing it.
Protein has another often-overlooked benefit as well.
When eaten together with foods that tend to promote fat gain, protein generally helps reduce some of their negative impact on the body.
Of course, this doesn't magically turn those foods into healthy choices.
But pairing them with a good source of protein is usually a better option than eating them on their own.
In the end, protein is not a miracle solution.
But it is probably one of the most effective tools for making fat loss easier, more sustainable and far easier to maintain over the long term.
Conclusion
If you only remember one thing from this article, let it be this:
Protein is not the problem. It's part of the solution.
For years, protein has suffered from a poor reputation.
For many people, it still brings to mind bodybuilders, dietary supplements, doping, or artificial products.
Yet protein is nothing more than an essential macronutrient that your body needs to survive.
Your skin is made of protein.
Your muscles are made of protein.
Your organs contain protein.
Your immune system depends on it.
Without enough protein, your body simply cannot function, maintain itself or repair itself properly.
Meanwhile, we readily accept many other products that are far more processed.
Bread.
Flour.
Table sugar.
Refined oils.
Chocolate.
Cocoa powder.
All of these products undergo significant industrial processing, yet very few people question them.
Protein powder is also a processed product.
But processed does not automatically mean unhealthy.
As always, what really matters is the quality of the product, its ingredients and the place it occupies in your overall diet.
Some protein powders are of excellent quality.
Others are not.
Exactly like any other food.
There is another very common misunderstanding.
Some people choose to reduce or even eliminate animal products for ethical, environmental or personal reasons.
That is a perfectly respectable choice.
However, it does not mean you no longer need protein.
Animal protein simply needs to be replaced with other high-quality protein sources capable of meeting your body's needs.
Unfortunately, many people reduce protein-rich foods without properly replacing them.
As a result, they simply don't eat enough protein.
Instead, they often end up relying more heavily on foods that are easy to eat, highly palatable and typically much higher in sugar or refined carbohydrates.
That imbalance is the real problem.
If your goal is to improve your health, preserve your muscle mass or achieve sustainable fat loss, protein should not be the first thing to disappear from your diet.
Quite the opposite.
It should be one of the very first things you pay attention to.
As a general guideline, the minimum recommendation for a healthy adult is around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
Protein requirements are often higher for physically active individuals, athletes, or people trying to lose body fat.
However, there is one important detail that many people overlook.
100 grams of meat does not contain 100 grams of protein.
Food is made up of water, fat, minerals, vitamins and many other components.
Depending on the type of meat, 100 grams generally provides around 20 to 25 grams of protein, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.
In other words, reaching your daily protein target often requires more planning than most people realize.
To help you, we've prepared a summary table showing the main sources of protein and their protein content per 100 grams of food.
You'll find it just below this article.
And if you'd like to go even further—learn how to build a balanced diet, understand the role of macronutrients and create simple, effective meals—you can explore our Fat to Fit Nutrition Program.
Because in the end, healthy eating isn't just about knowing what to avoid.
It's about understanding what your body truly needs to perform at its best.
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