[REVISIT] Trending Tuesday: The Gospel of Protein

How GLP-1 drugs fueled the rise of protein “maxxing,” proffee, and fiber-forward menus — reshaping grocery aisles and restaurant strategy alike.

Editor’s Note:

In recent weeks, several people in my social circles have told me they’ve started using GLP-1 drugs — enough that it put this piece front of mind again.

—Michael

If it seems you’re finding fiber and protein in nearly every item in the grocery aisle, there’s a hashtag for that.

As prescriptions for GLP-1 drugs—Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro—have surged, protein and fiber “maxxing” has slipped into the health-and-fitness lexicon of social media.

Originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, these medications blunt appetite and slow digestion, leaving their users to eat less but think more carefully about what remains.

Protein becomes a hedge against muscle loss during rapid weight reduction; fiber, a corrective to stalled digestion and a guarantor of steadier blood sugar. What looks, in the grocery aisle, like a sudden moral awakening toward “better choices” is often something more clinical: pharmacology shaping preference, and preference reshaping the marketplace.

Whey, once the province of bodybuilders and back-of-label ingredient lists, has drifted into the center of daily ritual. Now it appears folded into pancake batter, stirred through oatmeal, dissolved into yogurt, even slipped into tea. Its most telling incarnation may be “proffee,” the TikTok-anointed marriage of protein powder and morning coffee, a beverage that recasts caffeine not as indulgence but as optimization.

Before the powders and fortifications, whole foods remain the most reliable sources of protein:

Whole Foods High in Protein
(Generally ~6g or more per serving)
Eggs
Greek yogurt (plain)
Cottage cheese
Chicken breast
Turkey
Lean beef
Pork tenderloin
Salmon
Tuna
Sardines
Shrimp
Tofu
Tempeh
Edamame
Lentils
Chickpeas
Black beans
Kidney beans
Quinoa
Hemp seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Almonds

In this new vernacular of wellness, whey is marketed less for muscle than for steadiness: sustained energy, prolonged satiety, a hedge against the mid-afternoon slump. Food scientists have obliged, engineering versions with lower viscosity and near-invisible solubility so that protein can vanish into liquid without disturbing taste or texture.

Tracking your intake

For those inclined to quantify the trend, the smartphone waits. Platforms like Food Llama, Fooducate, and Counter Tally Count convert protein and fiber into data streams — turning breakfast into analytics and lunch into a ledger.

The shift is already migrating from grocery shelves to restaurant menus. Reporting in Restaurant Business Online, analysts at Revenue Management Solutions found that nearly half of consumers surveyed said they would switch restaurants for more high-protein options, while roughly 45% reported actively seeking fiber-forward dishes. In what the firm calls its “2026 Protein & Fiber Playbook,” protein emerges not as a niche preference but a pricing lever.

Fiber, too, is most durable when it comes from intact foods:

Whole Foods High in Fiber
(Generally ~3g or more per serving)
Lentils
Black beans
Chickpeas
Kidney beans
Split peas
Oats (steel-cut or rolled)
Barley
Quinoa
Chia seeds
Flaxseed
Raspberries
Blackberries
Pears (with skin)
Apples (with skin)
Avocado
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Sweet potatoes (with skin)
Artichokes
Carrots
Almonds

Nutrition, like medicine, resists one-size-fits-all thinking. Before reorganizing a plate around any single macronutrient, it’s worth consulting a physician or registered dietitian who can translate general advice into something suited to your own physiology.

—Michael