Congratulations, you’ve discovered the nature of advertising.

A while back during the gluten-free craze my laundry detergent proudly had “gluten-free” on the packaging.

EDIT: I learned it’s possible for plant-based detergents to have contact with gluten, so for those with zero tolerance it can be a concern.

One reason is that our dairy industry needs to find a way to sell a gazillion tons of excess whey protein.

It turns out the answer is realy very long, but it's a hell of a ride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K35FtbuyTh4

TLDW:
It's a right-wing grift. The Leftist Cooks argue that carnivore and “protein-maxxing” diets are not about health; they’re tied to masculinity, control, grift, and far-right politics. They use figures like Jordan Peterson and the Liver King to show how restrictive meat-heavy high protein diets can become symbols of power, identity, and pseudo-scientific authority.

The broader argument is food is never just food. Dietary choices can carry cultural meaning, political signaling, and ideological pressure, and that high protein culture is part of a larger ecosystem that can normalize authoritarian, anti-science, and anti-egalitarian thinking.

The video is excellent though. It's basically a miniseries on the various causes and effects of this and it's incredibly well put together, even if it is 6 hours long. 😱

Influencer slop. That's literally it.

As a vegan, it's annoying. This obsession makes everyone concerned "where I get my protein."

But no one seems to track their fiber, sodium, iron, riboflavin, etc. and would be miffed if I constantly asked people about it.

Ozempic. People on it can't handle sugars and carbs as well.

I buy PROTEIN-packed twinkies to grow humongous MUSCLES so my mom knows that I have SEX with many ladies and I want everyone to rest assured that I am a big HETEROSEXUAL man in my Thunderfalconcougarbird

Two main things

One is that GLP-1 drugs work really well in curbing appetite to cause weight loss. However, part of that weight loss is muscle mass and that is causing some people on it to be concerned. A way of mitigating that is to eat more protein relative to your diet. The restaurant industry is trying to appeal to these new customers by creating high protein and small portion dishes.

Two is that there are more people who aren't on these drugs focusing on fitness, specifically lifting and muscle mass. To that that physique, you need to eat a lot of protein relative to the rest of your diet. So restaurants are trying to sell to these people as well.

A lot of Americans have been convinced lack of protein is why they keep gaining weight and aren't muscular. Testosterone is in a similar position. These can be concerns for people who are low in them, or for people struggling at high levels of fitness. But it's largely just influence from diet influencers repeating gym bro advice.

i assumed it was the popularity of gym culture moving into every day life

GLP-1, Ozempic or weightloss drugs.

heres a youtube video about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4y3r5vyac8

havent watched it. this discussion just popped up in another forum a few hours ago.

probably something about the lower calories intake while still getting enough proteins or smth like that.

The reason you're noticing it is because of marketing propaganda. Anyone who sells a product that contains protein wants to highlight that aspect to take advantage of the public mindset who believes protein is an essential part of our diets. And the reason we even believe protein is an essential part of our diet is also because of marketing, even though it might be the case that protein actually is an essential component. The majority of the public would not know this unless they learned of it through the media. Read Propaganda by Edward Bernays. It talks about where this approach began at the beginning of the 20th century.

It's the prevalence of drugs like Ozempic. They cause people to eat a negative calorie diet so it's very important that they keep their protein intake at or above their requirements. If they don't, they will lose muscle at a dangerous rate.

Pretty sure these drugs are just creating huge heart health problem we'll see in the future.

I noticed that during the big egg "crisis" where eggs went up to the price we normally pay in the UK. Turns out they were gobbling them up like fucking Gaston for "protein". I get through maybe half a dozen in a particularly eggy week...

No mention of fibre though. Their arses must be split asunder.

This thread rightly points out all the excesses of capital-fueled social trends.

Less mentioned is that a higher protein breakfast ~20-30g vs traditional carb-heavy breakfast is actually helpful for more stable morning energy (less sugar crash), cognitive clarity, and reduced snack cravings especially later in the day. Search any of your reputable health sources and you'll likely find something to that effect. I don't believe it's particularly disputed at this point.

Lmfao at this whole thread of nonsense answers.

It's not a weird obsession.

If you want to be muscular, then you need to eat a lot of protein.

If you want to be muscular and have a low body fat percentage, then you need to eat a lot of protein, and eat a lot of protein / calorie you eat.

If you're old and want to slow down how quickly your muscles waste away to maintain your physical health, you need to eat a lot of protein.

And protein is generally one of the more expensive parts of food, so companies constantly try and cut back and replace it with carbs and sugar instead... All leading to people seeking out food with high protein content

It's got what plants crave.

Is it the usa or is it the big grocery conglomerates? In Canada it's protein this and protein that. The protein marketing machine is in full force. What say you Europeans?

Macho culture -> bulking-> protein

Marketing & the obsession of a healthy lifestyle promoted by influencers.

If you want to build muscles you need proteins. => You need proteins to build muscle.

But also if you want to lose weight, you have to reduce carbs and eat more proteins. => Your body needs more energy to break down the proteines and convert it to energy than for carbs and fats=> You feel full longer & "burn" more calories when digesting.

Unfortunately, people don't realize that fibers are more op than proteins. And just eating proteins how some influencers are promoting is kinda BS for your longterm digestive system. => TLDR eat beans over just meat. Also, look forward to the high fiber fad that is about to be started.

I thought protein was last year and fiber was this year

i think its the anti fat messaging, and sugar messaging going on.

Because you can slap on a '30g protein' label on junk food and charge double for it

There have been a bunch of great answers already, but I'm not seeing one important factor: soy farmers. Soy is one of the cheapest sources of protein, and there's a lot of it grown, so the soy lobby is always trying to push new uses for it.