What is America’s Protein Obsession Really About?

In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on one of wellness culture's most beloved obsessions. We're tracing the protein craze from its roots in 19th century racist nutrition science, through the bodybuilding boom of the 70s and 80s, to the multi-billion dollar supplement industry that depends on your anxiety to function. We're also talking about the flip side: the demonization of carbs, and why the foods being villainized just happen to be the staple foods of most of the world's cultures. We dig into what your body actually needs (probably way less than you've been told), who bears the heaviest burden of protein culture (including queers, fats, and communities of color whose food traditions have been dismissed as inferior by the same system now repackaging and reselling them at a markup) and why protein obsession is one of the most common unrecognized entry points into disordered eating. We close with practical tools to help you start untangling your relationship with protein and the fear of carbs that so often comes with it. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Three of Pentacles Reversed ✨ Journal prompt: What kind of body have I been told protein will help me achieve? Is that actually what I want, or have I been taught to want it? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queersagainstdietculture/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:00) - Queers Against Diet Culture(00:00:28) - What's America's Protein Obsession Really About?(00:01:38) - Tarot Card, Three of Pentacles R reversed(00:02:46) - How The Protein Obsession Started(00:06:31) - Protein and Fatphobia(00:10:06) - What Your Body Actually Needs(00:11:25) - Is it Even Possible to Become Protein Deficient?(00:13:03) - What Happens When You Eat Too Much Protein?(00:15:56) - Queer People & Protein Culture(00:21:29) - Six Ways to Stop Feeling Like You're Not Getting Enough Protein