Something has happened in the food aisle. Our foodstuffs are all desperate to tell us how many grammes of protein they contain. “Big protein pot,” announces the sad-looking serving of boiled egg and spinach vying to be my dinner. There’s 44g in this Bang Bang Chicken; this Beef Brisket boasts a meagre 33g.
It’s the same story at the usual lunch spots, where salads, sandwiches and snacks are all being protein-augmented and reinforced. Even Subway, home of the carb-log, has introduced a protein bowl.
How many grammes of protein do we require anyway? Does everybody need to eat like Superman? In the US, the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is only 0.8 grammes per kilogramme of body weight. The UK’s Reference Nutrient Intake is 0.75g per kg per day.