This Is One of the Fastest Growing Food Trends in the U.S. — But It Comes With a Major Risk

A new protein-heavy food fad is sweeping the United States, with a somewhat unprecedented level of governmental approval. However, experts warn it may be dangerous.

New York Strip

Heavily processed protein-based snacks and meat sticks such as Slim Jims have been around for about a century, but they’re truly having a moment right now. For example, according to USA Today, the popular meat stick brand Chomps saw a reported 206% increase in its sales growth in 2024, part of $3.3 billion in overall sales for the meat snacks category in the same year.

The protein push has been reinforced by the Trump Administration, as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently updated U.S. dietary guidelines, reprioritized protein intake, including moving red meat to the top of the newly redesigned food pyramid.

©RealFood.gov

However, some experts are wary of this emphasis on protein ingestion. For starters, as Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a cancer epidemiologist focused on nutrition, told USA TODAY, “On average, we are not falling short of protein. The bigger gap is really the quality of the protein, the sources, particularly protein from seafoods and plant protein.”

While the government’s new guidelines do stress “real” foods, much of the increase in protein consumption has been processed foods like the aforementioned meat sticks. Ultra-processed foods have long been linked with health conditions like Type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, mental health disorders, and obesity, and higher risks of cancer, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

©Target

Food journalist Elizabeth Dunn recently appeared on a podcast discussing the issue, saying bluntly, “The data is very, very clear – I mean, like decades of large-scale, reputable studies that show that the higher in meat your diet is, the higher your chances are of getting cancer, of getting diabetes, of all-cause mortality – meaning just basically dying younger.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Daniel Dunham, chair of medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, reiterated these dangers in USA Today, stressing the dangers of processed foods and meats, telling the outlet, “If you don’t have any other protein sources… then it’s probably better than nothing. But if you have other types of proteins, they’re going to be superior from a health perspective.”

Inside of the burger

As a new protein-heavy diet trend sweeps the U.S., some experts are warning of the dangers of increased meat consumption, especially in processed forms. Stay tuned to DFB for more on ongoing food trends.

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