Protein has long been the king of building muscle.

And amid a new social media craze that’s sparked a far broader obsession, particularly amongst gen Z, it’s now also the king of advertising strategies — building profits as much as it does biceps.

Once an obsession reserved for gym bros and body builders, now everyday Australians are taking their cues from influencers spreading cottage cheese on toast or eating six eggs for breakfast in “hacks” to reach the number grams of daily protein intake that is trending.

In recent times, many foods and drinks have had a protein upgrade too, or in some cases, a simple re-brand with the protein content displayed prominently on the packaging.

Walk down any grocery aisle and see it for yourself: protein pasta, protein yoghurt, protein cheese, protein ham... even protein water.

Australian guidelines recommend the average man consume 0.84 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day and the average woman 0.68g. In some cases social media influencers are advocating for two to three times more than this.

But do we really need all this extra protein, or are we just slaves to engaging marketing and promotion?

Dietitians warn not all protein is created equal and more isn’t always better.

There are also serious health fears associated with excessive consumption.

Dietitian and Foodwatch CEO Jemma O’Hanlon said protein marketing is something she calls a “health halo” — a phenomena in which people think a food or a product is good for them because of the buzz words on the box.

“A high protein claim on a food product doesn’t mean it’s a healthy choice,” she told The Sunday Times.

“In fact, there are many foods out there where it’s simply used as a health halo. Take processed meat snacks like salami sticks, for example. These types of meats have been found to cause bowel cancer and can increase the risk of heart disease, yet they’re aggressively marketed as being high in protein.”

Ms O’Hanlon said similar “health halo” marketing was used with labels like “organic” or “low-fat” that trick consumers into believing they are healthy, despite being heavily processed or high in sugar.

Ms O’Hanlon said when protein is added into foods, they become “ultra-processed” but because of the “health halo” affect, shoppers are likely to purchase them under the guise of being healthy.

Another example of the protein “health halo” can be seen in ham.

A normal 50 gram serve of regular Primo ham contains 8.6g of protein per serve, costing grocery shoppers $3.95 per 100g packet. Primo’s “protein ham” boasts 19 grams of protein per serve but is almost double the serving size at 95g and costs $6.90 for a bigger 190g packet.

For Australian dairy company Bega, the booming consumer demand for high-protein foods has delivered a massive boost to profits.

Sales in Bega’s wellness category — which features functional nutrition items like protein cheese, protein smoothies, and protein yoghurts — surged to $95 million in the last financial year.

That was up from $20 million in the previous year.

Bega CEO Pete Findlay noted that market research confirmed this was more than just a passing phase.

“We know this wellness trend is going to stay, and we know yoghurt is in that space ... as well as a real trend in protein,” Mr Findlay said.

Driven by the consumer push for protein-rich options, sales in Bega’s yoghurt category rose by 16 per cent to $2.45 billion over the year.

Bega projects this momentum will hold, noting that “demand for protein is expected to continue to elevate in financial year 2027 and beyond”.

However, the product differences can be subtle.

Take Bega’s protein cheese where a standard 25g serving of traditional Bega Tasty Cheese contains 6g of protein, while the version packaged as “protein cheese” contains just over 8g per serve.

The primary difference comes down to using a reduced-fat cheese base, which naturally boosts the protein ratio by two grams per serving.

But as explained by Ms O’Hanlon, marketing is really what is at work here.

The cheese is $22.40 per kilogram. You could however, buy a home brand block of low fat cheese would be nutritionally similar and sits around $10.

What Ms O’Hanlon finds interesting about the protein craze is that most Australians don’t have any issue hitting protein requirements with a normal diet.

“In fact, 98.5 per cent of Australians have an adequate protein intake” she said.

Ms O’Hanlon also warns that an overload of artificial protein can have real health consequences.

“Too much protein can put a strain on our kidneys,” she said.

“There’s also no benefit of overloading on protein beyond the upper limits for building muscle mass.

“(If you’re consuming protein additives) it probably also means other important food groups are being subbed out.

“Vegetables, for example is a food group that’s under consumed, with just one in 15 Australians meeting their daily vegetable requirements.”

Ms O’Hanlon encouraged shoppers to take the time to understand what is in their food.

“When you’re not sure about whether a product is healthy, turn over the back of the pack and check out the ingredients list and nutrition information panel,” she said.

“The ingredients list will tell you exactly what’s in the product, and if there’s a lot of additives and ingredients that your Grandma wouldn’t have in her pantry, it’s probably best leaving on the shelf.

“Focus on understanding the back of pack, rather than being lured in by claims on the front.”

Fin Bastow, 21, said he had been tracking his protein intake for the last couple of months, inspired by content he had seen on social media.

“When I started going to the gym I realised the importance of eating more and increasing your protein intake to build muscle,” he said.

“I find myself very often opting for foods which have the large ‘PROTEIN’ label across them, and I sort of presume it would be better for me than the normal version of that food.

“I do try and eat regular meats, but when you’ve got that goal to hit and it gets to about 3pm and you see that you still need 50 more grams for that day, it’s just so much easier to grab a couple protein bars and call it a day

“At the moment, I’m trying to eat 160 grams of protein a day, that’s what I’ve seen people I follow online doing, so I try and follow that lead. A lot of my friends a similar age do the same.”

However, sports dietitian and two-time Paralympian David Bryant said there were other things people should be focusing on as part of any training or fitness regime.

“Most of the time it’s not the lack of protein that’s limiting an athlete’s capacity — it’s actually carbohydrates and overall energy needs,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how much protein you’re getting. If you’re not meeting your carbohydrate and total energy needs, your bodily functions are compromised.”

The Tokyo and Paris Paralympic para-triathlete said just because protein was trending, it did not mean it should come at the expense of other foods.

“Concerns arise when we’re focusing too much on protein and forgetting a balanced diet,” he said.

“Sometimes people think they should focus on protein and limit carbohydrate intake, that’s going to compromise an athlete, also if you’re not getting any fruit or veg in your day, you’re not going to get enough fibre, which is going to affect your gut health overall as well.”