What the protein hype is all about

Food is increasingly enriched with protein. Fitness, muscles and shedding pounds are promised. Is this the food of the future or all curd cheese - or pudding?

Berlin (dpa) - protein bread and protein pudding: The market for extra protein-rich products is growing. What previously only bodybuilders were looking for to build muscle has become a trend in supermarkets and discounters.

For many it seems to be no longer enough to eat protein with foods that are naturally high in protein. The market for fortified food is growing. Especially special milk products benefit. They like to advertise with hardened women and men.

According to industry experts, the wave started like so much in nutrition in Scandinavia. The pioneer was the Swedish-Danish dairy cooperative Arla ("Arla Protein").

Daily amount of protein is important for many men

The magazine "Vice" blasphemed a few years ago: "Just listen to a conversation between men in their 20s and I bet they will be able to talk about their daily amount of protein after a few minutes at the latest." Stiftung Warentest and nutritionists consider natural products such as low-fat curd cheese to be sufficient.

Ehrmann, one of the largest dairies in Germany, launched its "High Protein" product range about two years ago. These now include five types of pudding, six types of yoghurt and yoghurt drinks.

This spring, more fruity drinks, kefir and other new products are expected to come onto the market, as Product Management Manager Susanne Bagaméry says in Oberschönegg in the Allgäu. "" I can have a snack and don't have to scourge, but it is also functional, has less fat and is low in calories "is the statement of many customers for these products," says Bagaméry. "Many women also eat protein chocolate pudding as a meal." As a kind of lifestyle product, it combines pleasure and health. And it is also without lactose, without sugar and gluten-free.

High-protein pudding is in demand

Ehrmann first released his protein-enriched pudding in Northern Europe in 2017. There was a lot of positive feedback in Finland and Sweden. In 2018, only a few supermarkets in Germany put the pudding on the shelves. Even if the high-protein pudding is a lot more expensive than the classic pudding, sales are ongoing. Ehrmann is now selling about a third of the amount of his grand dessert puddings with the protein pudding, which according to Bagaméry are German market leaders.

The Foodspring brand also markets protein-rich food, which according to its own statements is now active in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom and was founded in 2013. "The core target group of Foodspring includes 18- to 34-year-old athletes, fitness enthusiasts and all those who want to pay attention to a healthy diet," says the company in Berlin. The bestseller is the whey protein (whey protein).

More and more people discovered the advantages of a protein-based diet in muscle building, body fat reduction, athletic success and physical performance. "The knowledge of it and the factor that protein is long satiating make it so popular."

Testing high-protein products

In its magazine "test" (issue 2/2020), the Stiftung Warentest recently devoted itself to the topic of "high-protein products" and checked 13 of them - including bread, pudding and skyr (a type of low-fat, protein-rich cream cheese, which as Icelandic and in-product praised). According to EU law, information such as "high protein content" or "high protein" may be used on foods if at least 20 percent of the energy comes from proteins. All 13 products met the requirement - for example, because they were specially mixed with milk protein. However, according to the foundation, some products were higher in calories than their counterpart without extra protein, primarily the protein bread, which comes from particularly fatty oil seeds such as sesame or linseed.

The bottom line as the "food recommendation of the Stiftung Warentest" was: "Low-fat curd cheese is cheaper and provides as much protein as protein-enriched milk products. Meat, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds are also good sources of protein."

And the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE) is even clearer: "For most healthy people it makes little sense to eat protein-enriched products because they are adequately supplied with protein. In addition, foods with added protein are not automatically healthier. Frequently included they have a lot of fat or sugar and / or various additives, so it is advisable to look closely at the list of ingredients to find out what is in the product. "

Test.de

BZfE

Ehrmann

Food spring