Consumers are increasingly confronted with conflicting information surrounding how much protein they should have and which protein sources are healthiest, most sustainable, and best value for money. Cambridge research has uncovered the truth.

In a paper published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Dr. Chris Macdonald explored the best sources of protein currently available.

To answer the question, Macdonald had to build a new holistic scoring system that combines measures of environmental impact, health, affordability and availability into a single framework.

Applying the scoring system to 20 commonly consumed protein-rich foods, the analysis found a striking pattern: every product in the highest-scoring quintile was plant-based, while every product in the lowest-scoring quintile was animal-based. Tofu ranked first overall, while cheddar cheese ranked last.

The paper argues that many existing food rating systems focus on only one aspect of a product. While useful, these single-dimension labels can obscure important trade-offs and make it difficult to compare foods comprehensively.

TOFU DOMINATION

Link to open access article https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1677796/full

  • HerbGrower@slrpnk.net
    181·
    19 days ago

    What’s with the protein obsession? Eat more fiber, that is what almost everyone is lacking.

    • Sina@beehaw.orgEnglish
      4·
      19 days ago

      It’s a large ongoing Facebook campaign. My mom is also obsessed with protein suddenly, so dumb.

      • adarza@lemmy.caEnglish
        1·
        19 days ago

        it seems to be the food industry marketing ‘flavor of the month’. everybody and everything that can, is stressing protein content or producing high-protein varieties.

        • HerbGrower@slrpnk.net
          71·
          19 days ago

          That is probably the most serious. Other things that are more likely when you don’t get enough fibre with your food:

          Feel hungry sooner

          Increased blood sugar fluctuations

          Piles due to increased straining to poop

          Constipation

          Abdominal cramps and bloating

          Weight gain

      • fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        19 days ago

        The last meta study I saw saw that over all health comes were better for people with a majority fiber diet over both majority protein and majority carbohydrate diets.

        Personally it’s the fact that I can be full faster but with less total calories.

        • UnequalExchange@lemmy.world
          1·
          19 days ago

          Link please!

          Also if thst is true, is there such thing as a majority fiber diet that a person could bulk with? Id be thjnking its impossible since the majority of fibre is indigestible by the human body. Though I could he wrong of course as Im not an expert on the matter.