"So much hype around protein": Is it necessary?

Dietician and former Tactix captain Jessica Moulds thinks so, saying she worries some are solely fixated on protein, tossing other important nutrients aside.

"Protein is obviously really important, and for lots of people, having a bit more might actually be really beneficial.

"I think where it gets a little bit frustrating as a dietician is that it kind of feels like the other nutrients aren't important because there's so much hype around protein."

"Quite commonly, it'll be fibre-based foods or carbohydrate-based foods that get kind of left out."

Protein is directly linked to repairing and building muscle, leaving you fuller for longer. It contains 20 amino acids needed to keep your body healthy.

But Moulds says she has noticed an increase in people using supplements and protein powder as the main way to hit that daily protein intake. As a former athlete, she's learnt this is not the most efficient way.

"When you think about getting protein from like yoghurt or meat or eggs and with that protein you get calcium, you get zinc.

"When you're just having the powdered version, you're just getting the protein with no other nutrition involved."

A one-kilogram tub of protein powder averages $50 but can surpass the $90 mark; each serving provides 20-30 grams of protein. When compared to a $15 kilogram of chicken breast, 56 grams of protein are found per serve. 

The former netball player says she has seen many manufacturers "cotton on to the fact that people are looking for more protein."

"The other day I saw like protein peanut butter and when you compare, I think it was like two grams more protein per serve or something.

"So check the back of the packet and look at the per 100-gram column."

Gym-fanatic, Jaxson Lim-Yip, weighs his food to hit his 200-gram protein target each day. He has recently changed his diet to incorporate more protein-rich whole foods, instead of alternatives.

He agrees with Moulds that whole foods should come before supplementation, but says he hasn’t seen an increase of people obsessing over the nutrient.

"I feel like we all have the same mind that protein is important, but it's not to be taken for granted.

"I do take protein powder, just if I don't have enough protein intake for the day."

"My protein is obviously important for muscle building…but especially if you want to maximise your health, I feel like health is probably the most important thing instead of building muscle."

Before fixating purely on protein, Moulds says the first thing people should do is create "a well-balanced plate."

"When you're creating your breakfast, your lunch, and your dinner, have you got some protein, some carbohydrates, some fat and some colour on that plate?

"If you can do that as often as possible, then you're going to be, you know, a long way there to actually meeting your nutrient requirements."