INDIANAPOLIS— Kelsey Taylor pulls her protein shake from the refrigerator.
“It’s got spinach, and oatmeal, and blueberries,” said Taylor.
Taylor, a certified personal trainer and owner of Taylor Made Wellness, said she has a protein shake before every workout.
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“For my clients, I tell them to supplement with a protein shake when they can’t get to whole foods,” she said.
But a recent report from Consumer Reports found 23 protein products contained some level of lead.
“I was very surprised,” Taylor said.
“You’d have to consume a fair amount of it to become a true health concern,” said Gabriel Filippelli, executive director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute.
“It’s good to limit yourself, and as far as I know, the supplements are not usually tested for things like this,” Filippelli added.
Experts say it’s usually best to find protein in natural food sources. Still, protein remains one of the hottest trends online. According to research from Cargill, 61% of consumers say they increased their protein intake last year.
“Oh yeah, because everyone wants to be a muscle mommy,” Taylor said.
She believes the focus on protein has evolved beyond a passing trend.
“It’s the standard, it’s no longer a fad,” she said. “People are doing their research — they want to look good, they want to feel good, so they are going out there and they are finding their ways to get what their bodies need.”
How much protein you need depends on your goals and should be tailored to your body and training plan.
“It can be anywhere from .7 to 1.0 per pound of body weight for women and 1.0 to 1.25 per pound of body weight for men,” Taylor said.
Protein can be found naturally in foods like chicken, turkey, salmon, cottage cheese and eggs. But for those choosing supplements, Taylor recommends taking extra precautions.
“I strongly suggest that you buy a protein that is third-party tested,” she said.
