Protein Hype vs Protein Truth: What You Need (and What's Just Marketing)
Updated: Aug 5
Walk through any supermarket these days and you’d be forgiven for thinking the world is in the grips of a protein emergency. Protein bread, protein yoghurt, protein bars, protein water (yes, that’s a thing). Even a humble pack of chicken breasts now comes helpfully labelled “High in Protein,” in case we forgot what they were.
I recently shared our own experience at home of feeding three growing lads and a husband who are currently laser-focused on protein (subscribe to our weekly newsletter here!). And many of you have been reaching out with similar stories of your own.
But amidst all the hype, it’s easy to lose sight of why we need protein in the first place, how to get it into our diets in a balanced, sustainable way, and whether these flashy products are genuinely helpful — or just clever marketing.
Let’s unpack it all.
Why Does Protein Matter for More Than Muscle?
Protein does far more than build muscle. It shapes your mood, your hormones, your skin and gut, and how well your body holds onto strength as you age. Here's what it does, system by system:
How Protein Feeds Dopamine and Serotonin
These brain chemicals regulate your mood, focus, sleep, and motivation, and they’re made from amino acids: the building blocks of protein.
Tryptophan is needed to make serotonin (your calming, feel-good neurotransmitter).
Tyrosine is needed to make dopamine (linked to drive, alertness, and motivation).
Low protein intake can contribute to mood dips, anxiety, poor concentration, and low motivation.
How Your Body Uses Protein to Repair and Regenerate
Protein drives cell repair and regeneration in your muscles, skin, hair, nails, internal organs, and gut lining.
Collagen keeps skin and joints supple.
Keratin nourishes hair and nails.
Glutamine helps maintain gut lining integrity, which matters for digestion and immune health.
Why Protein Is Key for Strength and Metabolism as We Age
From your 30s onwards, we naturally start to lose muscle. During menopause, that rate can increase.
Women can lose 3 to 8 percent of muscle mass per decade from their 30s onward, and research shows that rate roughly doubles after menopause without sufficient protein and resistance training.
Maintaining muscle protects metabolism, strength, balance, bone health, and long-term independence.
How Protein Helps Your Immune System Stay Strong
Your immune system relies on proteins like antibodies, cytokines, and immune cells to function properly.
Illness, injury, or stress increases your body’s demand for protein, and insufficient intake may weaken immunity and slow recovery.
Protein’s Role in Hormones, Digestion and Blood Sugar
Protein is needed to produce digestive enzymes, thyroid hormones, insulin, and many others. These regulate metabolism, digestion, blood sugar, and hormonal balance.
Adequate protein helps stabilise hormonal fluctuations common in perimenopause.
Managing Hunger and Energy Levels with Protein
Protein increases satiety and slows the speed at which sugars hit the bloodstream. It stimulates hormones like GLP-1 and PYY, which tell your brain you're full.
This helps prevent cravings, mood swings, and energy crashes, especially around mid-afternoon slumps or sugar cravings.
When meals are balanced with enough protein, it also becomes easier to curb cravings for high-sugar or high-carb snacks. It's something we see making a real difference for many of our clients.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
Government guidelines put daily protein at 0.83g per kilogram of body weight. Current research suggests aiming higher, especially if you're active, over 40, or managing appetite and weight.
Government guidelines: 0.83g per kg of body weight per day (the EFSA reference intake Irish guidance is based on) → roughly 55–65g per day for the average adult, depending on body weight.
More current thinking: 1.2–1.6g per kg of body weight → closer to 65–100g per day, depending on age, goals, and activity level.
I tend to recommend aiming higher rather than lower for most of my clients, especially women in their 40s and beyond. This becomes even more important during perimenopause and menopause, when hormonal shifts can accelerate muscle loss, affect metabolism, and impact energy and mood.
Not eating enough protein can lead to increased hunger, cravings, and dips in energy throughout the day. Over time, that can contribute to weight gain, blood sugar instability, and reduced muscle mass.
When we help clients adjust their diet to better meet their protein needs, we consistently see improvements in body composition, energy levels, appetite control, and overall wellbeing.
In our clinic, we tend to see a few common patterns:
Under-consumption of protein, particularly among women over 40, vegetarians, and those following fully plant-based diets.
Lack of variety in protein sources (and not enough beans and pulses!).
Over-reliance on powders and processed products, sometimes at the expense of real, nutrient-dense foods.
This tracks with the wider picture in Ireland. The National Adult Nutrition Survey found older Irish adults averaging around 1g of protein per kg of body weight a day, sitting below the higher range that's now considered optimal for maintaining muscle through midlife and beyond.
Helping clients find a balanced, sustainable approach, where protein needs are met through real food first, is a key part of what we do.
Animal vs. Plant Protein: Why Variety Matters
To thrive, we need a broad range of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Getting these from a mix of animal and plant-based sources is a great way to nourish your body and protect long-term health.
Good animal sources (approximate protein per portion)
2 eggs = ~13g
100g cooked chicken = ~30g
150g salmon = ~30g
200g Greek yoghurt (high-protein style) = ~20g
1 pint of milk = ~18g
40g cheese (matchbox size) = ~10g
2 slices turkey or ham = ~12g
100g lean beef (cooked) = ~26g
1 small tin of tuna = ~25g
150g cottage cheese = ~15g
Good plant sources
1 cup cooked lentils = ~18g
1 cup cooked chickpeas = ~15g
1 cup cooked black beans = ~15g
1 cup cooked cannellini beans = ~13g
100g tofu = ~12g
1 cup cooked quinoa = ~8g
30g mixed nuts = ~6g
2 tablespoons peanut butter = ~7g
2 slices wholegrain bread = ~8g
1 cup cooked oats = ~5g
1 tablespoon chia seeds = ~3g
1 cup soy milk = ~7g
Mixing and matching the best sources of protein throughout the day makes it much easier to meet your needs, while also boosting your intake of fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
For vegetarians and vegans, it’s especially important to include a variety of plant proteins daily to cover all essential amino acids.
Protein Products: Helpful Boost or Clever Marketing?
From protein bread to protein water to high-protein puddings, we are not short on options.
And while these products can be convenient, they’re often:
Expensive
Highly processed
Sweetened with artificial additives
Not necessarily better than whole food sources!
Yes, they have a place for some people: athletes, those recovering from illness, busy parents.
But for the average person trying to eat well and feel better, simple, whole foods meet your protein needs beautifully, without the shiny packaging and hefty price tags.
It’s easy to be swept up in marketing claims, but a little knowledge (and a well-stocked kitchen) can help you avoid common pitfalls like overspending, missing out on real nutrients, and relying too much on processed "health" foods.
How to Get Enough Protein Without Losing the Run of Yourself
If you want to boost your protein intake, and keep it simple, I recommend this 3-Step Action Plan:
Build meals around real food first.
Think eggs, fish, chicken, lentils, tofu, yoghurt, and beans before reaching for packaged snacks.
Mix it up.
Combine animal and plant proteins where possible. Variety helps gut health, fibre intake, and balanced nutrition.
Aim for a little protein at every meal and snack.
It doesn't have to be complicated. Swapping a sugary snack for a handful of nuts or a boiled egg is enough to notice a difference in your energy and focus.
(And yes, I'll definitely be forwarding this info to my teenage son, who believes the path to rugby immortality starts with a chicken fillet roll and a protein shake.) 😅
Further Reading
Food Labels Decoded: Making Informed Choices for a Healthy Diet Manufacturers count on you not reading past the front of the pack. Here's what the label reveals once you look closer.
Cholesterol, Hormones, and Midlife: What Every Woman Should Know Cholesterol often rises in perimenopause for reasons that have nothing to do with diet. This looks at the hormonal shift behind it.
Ultra-processed foods are designed to keep you reaching for more. This blog breaks down how they do that and where protein fits into breaking that cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein do I need over 40?
Government guidelines suggest 0.83g of protein per kg of body weight daily, roughly 55–65g for the average woman. Current research suggests aiming higher, closer to 1.2–1.6g per kg (80–100g daily), especially during perimenopause and menopause, when hormonal shifts make it harder to build and hold onto muscle. Most Irish adults fall short of even the higher target, so building meals around protein-rich food first is the simplest way to close the gap.
Does protein help with menopause weight gain?
Protein won't stop hormonal changes, but it does make them easier to manage. It increases satiety hormones like GLP-1 and PYY, which reduce cravings and steady blood sugar, two things that get harder to regulate as oestrogen drops. Pairing enough protein with resistance training also helps preserve the muscle mass that's lost more quickly after menopause, which helps protect metabolism and makes long-term weight management easier.
What are the best sources of protein for women over 40?
A mix of animal and plant sources works best. Eggs, chicken, salmon, Greek yoghurt, and lean beef are efficient options, giving 20–30g per portion. Lentils, chickpeas, tofu, seeds, beans and edamame beans add fibre and variety alongside protein, which matters for gut health and covering the full range of amino acids. Building meals around a few of these each day, rather than relying on one source, is the easiest way to meet daily needs.
Can I get enough protein from a plant-based diet alone?
Yes, with planning. Plant proteins like lentils, tofu, chickpeas, and quinoa contain fewer grams per portion than animal sources, so vegetarians and vegans need a wider variety across the day to cover all essential amino acids. In clinic, this is one of the most common gaps I see: plenty of plant foods, but not enough variety across sources. Beans, pulses, and soy foods deserve a regular place on the plate, not an occasional one.
Are protein supplements and protein-enriched foods worth buying?
For most people, no. Protein bars, powders, and enriched snacks are convenient but often expensive, processed, and no better than whole food. They have a place for athletes, people recovering from illness, or anyone genuinely short on time. For everyone else, real food, eggs, yoghurt, meat, fish, beans, and lentils, meets protein needs without the price tag or the ingredients list.
About the author
Ciara Ryan (DipNT, mNTOI) is a nutritional therapist working with clients in Drogheda and online since 2012. Her clinical focus is digestive health, perimenopause, and pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, built on functional testing rather than guesswork. She completes ongoing professional development to keep pace with nutritional science.
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