100 Grams. Every Day. No Excuses. Good Luck With That.

We convinced ourselves it was a health decision. Then it took over.

We're So Obsessed With Protein, We Created a Shortage

You can get it in pizza, popcorn, pasta, Pop-Tarts, pancakes, potatoes and pints. Globally, it’s the No. 1 food and beverage trend for 2026. And 70% of adults say they’re consuming more, up from 59% in 2022. We’re talking about protein. And I’m one of them.

Protein has replaced our clean eating, fat-free and low-carb as the diet of the decade.

We’ve become so obsessed, the ingredients used to make our protein products are becoming scarce. Yes, there is an actual shortage of inputs for our protein purchases. It’s hard to believe, given there are plenty of products on the shelves and prices have remained stable.

But just wait.

Some producers have already run out of the inventory they expected to last the entire year. Today’s shortages won’t show up as higher prices for 12 to 18 months.

Meanwhile, the demand continues to grow. And food manufacturers are responding by creating more products they can pack with protein. Because our desire is insatiable and we will seemingly buy anything, as long as it’s got enough protein. Flavor be-damned.

Costco reported strong earnings this month, in part driven by all of our protein purchases.

“Anything protein right now is doing extremely well,” Costco’s CFO said.

“Anything protein right now is doing extremely well” - Costco CFO

We Did This to Ourselves

We’re consuming so much protein, we’ve created a shortage. A self-imposed one, no less.

Expect to see price hikes next year. Which will only drive the demand higher. Because we all want what we can’t have, and the lack of availability will stimulate our desire.

We’ll pay the higher prices because that’s the nutty way our brains work, once we’ve convinced ourselves our behavior is “good” for ourselves. The “I’m so busy” has been replaced by the angst of “I’ve not hit my protein today.”

Blame the Shots. Or Don’t.

Our reasons for packing protein vary. There’s a perception that the interest is sudden and explicitly linked to the fact more people are using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. About 12% of the population has used or is on the meds, with my age cohort making up the largest group of users. They need to up their protein consumption to maintain their muscle mass. Which burns more calories than fat. And it’s necessary as we age. You know, so we can get up when we fall.

But the protein fad didn’t just start. From my first tech job in the late 90s, people were making protein shakes with blenders they brought in from home. We lugged powders and brought liquids. But we weren’t manic like we are now.

I’ve used powders and shakes for years. The Vitamix — the second one, not the first — was a protein decision. But I didn’t call it that. It was justified as an upgrade.

The Math Is Brutal

Part of what’s driving the consumption craze is how difficult it is to consume the amount of protein we’re told we need each day. I’ve been working with a nutritionist for more than 18 months. What she tells me is consistent. It doesn’t change. I need at least 100 grams of protein a day to lose weight.

It’s pretty impossible to get that much protein only eating three meals a day. You have to add a protein-heavy snack. Each meal needs at least 20 grams of protein, but ideally more. We’re told to get at least 50 grams by lunch. You’re supposed to go 3 to 4 hours between meals / snacks.

If I eat eggs for a meal, I’m already at a protein deficit. Unless I eat six. Eggs. If you sleep in on the weekend, you’re screwed.

It requires a lot of planning and always having more than enough high-protein stuff on hand. It starts to feel like a full-time job working for a boss that’s never satisfied.

A Tuesday, For Example

Hitting the 100 grams is hard, especially on hectic days between meetings and appointments.

Say you drank a canned shake in the car after 10am. You drank your 30 grams and moved on. But by 1:30 it hits you: you’re behind. You haven’t done your workout and you need to eat, first. But the meal can’t also be in the form of powdered protein. You need real food. Your mind spins. Your heart races. You failed. Again. Something so simple. Of course you don’t have the bigger title and salary, you can’t even feed yourself.

It’s a status signal dressed as a health decision. But at what point does it become something else entirely? You probably already know.

Where are you on the protein spiral? Fully manic, casually aware, or completely checked out — I want to know.

When life stops making sense, we shop. More soon.

Rani Monson