Approach to the health risk of fast-growing snacks

Nutritionist Elizabeth Dunn tells us why you should consider avoiding this beloved food.

Did you eat enough protein today?

This question may have been on your mind recently, as more and more Americans are obsessed with macronutrient intake.

This craze has spawned a slew of new protein-containing products—from bars and powders to popcorn and pancake mixes—and has many of us searching the meat section of the grocery store for a solution.

In fact, a recent study found "US meat consumption grew from 109 kg to 117 kg per capita between 2018 and 2023 and is expected to grow to 122 kg per capita in 2027."

But should we think twice about where our protein comes from and what dangers may lie ahead if we jump headfirst into a meat-filled diet?

Who We Are - Raj Punjabi-Johnson and Noah Michelson, HuffPost team Am I Doing It Wrong?podcast - ask Elizabeth Dunn, a food writer who has written extensively about food, when she stopped by our booth recently.

"There's definitely this perception online that if you're going to live a high-protein life that involves a lot of meat," Dunn told us."What you don't hear much about in those contexts are the downsides of eating a lot of meat. The data is very, very clear — I mean, like decades of big, reputable studies showing that the more meat you have in your diet, the higher your chance of cancer, diabetes, and all-cause mortality — it just means that healthy people really do die younger. A diet of red meat, especially heavy meat.

There is one popular protein snack that worries Dunn.

"One of the fastest growing types of breakfast right now is meatloaf," he said."Obviously the protein trend [and it's delicious] really surprised me, especially because we're in a very health, nutrition, conscious time now, where people don't know that processed meat is a class 1 carcinogen, a group 1 carcinogen. So it's a World Health Organization carcinogen, I think.."

Dunn notes that the average American doesn't need to supplement their diet with extra protein because they're probably already getting the recommended amount each day.However, if we are looking for more protein, he urges us to get it from whole foods, rather than processed foods.

She added that most foods contain protein, which means even people who don't eat meat shouldn't have to work too hard to meet their daily needs.

"As long as you make an effort as a vegetarian to eat lots of different plants, you'll get as much protein as you need," he said.

Migeels saw "a cup of spinacy [ARE] ... A fifth of the protein is a rainbow of the protein. The tickets are six weeks."

Whole grains are also “a huge source of protein,” Dunn says.

"I'm not just talking about quinoa—oats are high in protein, and things like seeds, like hemp seeds and chia seeds, are high in protein ... they add up a lot faster than you think."

So if you've been worried about not getting enough protein, don't worry!You can, but if you want an extra boost, reach for whole foods - and maybe skip processed meats as part of your regular diet.

We also discuss why we're wasting our time and money when we're getting too much protein with Dunn, what nutrient we should be focusing on instead of protein, and more.we talked about.

Listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also watch the full episode on YouTube.

For more from Elizabeth Dunn, visit her website and subscribe to her Substack.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.