So, you've been scrolling through your feed and noticed that everyone and their grandmother is suddenly chugging protein shakes and shoveling protein powders into their smoothies like they're training for the Olympics. So now you might be thinking, "I need to up my protein intake" and let me stop you right there.

If you’re eating a balanced diet, it is unlikely you need more protein in your diet. And if you do, it should come from whole foods FIRST, not processed powders, drinks, and snacks.

Social media has convinced us we're all protein-deficient, menopausal weaklings who need 200 grams daily lest we waste away. And of course, they got the just the supplement we need, and they even have a subscription for our convenience 🙄

So, buckle up, because we're about to talk about whether or not you actually need that $60 tub of powder sitting in your Amazon cart, the lead contamination issue, and when protein powders might actually make sense.

Protein Powders: The Good, The Bad, and The Lead-Contaminated

• Over two-thirds of tested products exceeded safe daily lead levels per recent Consumer Reports testing
• Plant-based powders are the worst offenders because they pick it up from the soil and gets concentrated during processing
• This is getting worse, not better when testing was compared to levels in 2010

Consumer Reports tested 23 popular protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes and found that most contained more than 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving. More than two-thirds of popular protein powders contain lead levels that exceed what their food safety experts consider safe for daily consumption. Some products had up to 16 times more lead than deemed safe.

On average, plant-based protein powders had about nine times more lead than dairy-based options and twice as much as beef-based products. The culprit? Plants absorb heavy metals from contaminated soil, and concentrated plant-based powders amplify this problem.

When Consumer Reports first tested protein powders 15 years ago, the contamination was bad. Now it's worse. The average lead levels have increased, and there are fewer products with undetectable amounts of lead.

But this isn't an immediate "you're gonna die tomorrow" situation. The amount of lead in these products won't cause acute poisoning. Ditto the concerning levels of cadmium and inorganic arsenic found in three of the products tested. The Consumer Reports testing also used California’s Prop 65 as their baseline which is significantly lower than the FDA’s.

But repeated, heavy exposure to lead can accumulate in your blood and bones, where it can impair mental function, damage nerves, soften bones, and raise blood pressure. And considering many people are chugging these shakes daily as part of their "healthy lifestyle," the cumulative exposure becomes a real concern.

Bottom line: Don’t panic and throw out all your powder and snacks, but if you're using protein powder daily, you need to be aware that you might be exposing yourself to concerning levels of heavy metals. And if you're using it when you don't actually need it? Well, that's just adding risk for no benefit.

Resources:

• Consumer Reports Investigation
• PBS Analysis on Lead Contamination
• NPR Report on Protein Powder Lead Levels

How Much Protein Do You Actually Need

• The average American consumes about 16% of their daily calories from protein, which is in the recommended 10-35% range
• For the average adult, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (about 0.36 grams per pound)
• As we enter perimenopause and menopause, our protein needs actually do increase to about 1.0-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (roughly 0.45-0.55 grams per pound)

Let's do some real-world math here. If you weigh 150 pounds, you'd need about 68-82 grams of protein per day as a menopausal woman. Here's what that actually looks like in food:

• Two eggs (12g) + Greek yogurt with berries (15g) + 4 oz chicken breast (28g) + 1 cup lentils (18g) = 73 grams
• Scrambled eggs (12g) + 3 oz salmon (21g) + handful of almonds (6g) + cottage cheese snack (14g) + 4 oz turkey (24g) = 77 grams

Notice anything? You can hit your protein goals without ever touching a protein powder just by eating a balanced, whole foods diet.

To calculate your own daily protein needs follow these steps:

• Take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms
• Next, take your weight in kilograms and multiply it by 1.0-1.2 depending on activity level and weight loss goals

Unless you're a competitive athlete, recovering from surgery, dealing with a medical condition that increases protein needs, or truly struggling to eat enough food, you probably don't need protein supplements. The social media hype about needing 100+ grams of protein daily is not backed by science for most people. It's backed by the supplement companies' marketing budgets.

Bottom line: before adding a supplement, determine if you even need to. Calculate your daily protein needs using the formula above or the USDA Calculator and then track all your food for a week and see how it measures up. If you have concerns that you aren’t getting enough protein for your activity level or fitness goals, talk to a registered dietician.

Resources:

• Mayo Clinic: Protein Requirements
• UCLA Health: How Much Protein Do You Need?
• Mayo Clinic Press: Protein After Menopause

Why Menopause Increases Your Protein Needs

• Muscle mass declines up to 8% per decade after 40 and by age 60, postmenopausal women may have lost up to 16% of their muscle mass. After 60, this accelerates to 10-15% per decade.
• Estrogen's decline makes muscle building harder because our bodies become less efficient at synthesizing muscle protein.
• Bone health depends on adequate protein too: protein is also essential for maintaining bone density.

This isn't just about aesthetics; it's about maintaining strength, balance, mobility, and independence. It takes more dietary protein to maintain the same muscle mass we had in our 30s due to anabolic resistance (blunted protein synthesis response from dietary protein).

So yes, we do need more protein as we age. But "more protein" doesn't automatically mean "protein supplements." It means being more intentional about including good protein sources at each meal.

Research suggests spreading protein intake across the day, aiming for about 20-30 grams per meal, rather than loading up at dinner like many of us do. But here's the key: even at higher levels, most of us can still meet our needs through food if we're strategic about it.

Bottom line: Yes, your protein needs increase during and after menopause. No, this doesn't automatically mean you need supplements. It means you need to be more mindful about including protein-rich foods in every meal and snack.

Resources:

• Bonafide: Protein for Menopause
• MDPI: Impact of Protein in Post-Menopausal Women
• Momentous: Protein After 40

When Protein Powders Actually Make Sense

• You have a legitimately restricted diet: If you're vegan, vegetarian, or have food allergies that make it genuinely difficult to get enough protein from whole foods, a quality protein powder can help fill the gap.
• You're actively strength training: If you're doing regular resistance training (and you should be, especially during menopause), protein intake around exercise can support muscle protein synthesis.
• Your appetite is truly compromised: If you're dealing with illness, recovering from surgery, taking medications that suppress appetite, or you're simply not able to eat enough food to meet your needs, protein powder can be a useful tool.

What protein powders are NOT good for:

• Replacing whole meals regularly (you're missing out on fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients)
• "Getting more protein" when you're already meeting your needs through food
• As a long-term solution to poor dietary planning
• Daily use of plant-based powders due to heavy metal exposure

Whole food sources contain protein, carbohydrates, and/or fats and are packaged with vitamins, minerals, and fiber that protein isolates simply don't have. Plus, your body is generally better at digesting, absorbing, and using nutrients in their natural form rather than processed or synthetic versions.

Bottom line: Protein powders can be a useful tool in specific situations, but they should be just that; a supplement to a healthy diet, not a replacement for real food. And given the lead contamination issues, daily use should be carefully considered.

Resources:

• The Conversation: Protein Powder Analysis
• Thrive Better: Protein Powder vs Whole Foods
• Harvard Health: The Scoop on Protein Powder

If You Do Choose a Protein Powder: Minimize Your Risk

• Choose dairy-based over plant-based when possible
• Look for third-party testing and use it strategically, not daily
• Read the ingredients

The Consumer Reports testing found that dairy-based protein powders (whey and casein) generally had the lowest lead levels. But don’t count on that alone, and it’s entirely unhelpful if you can’t tolerate dairy for physical or ethical reasons. Look for certifications by a 3^rd party like NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, or NSF International. Do not rely on the manufacturer’s testing as that conflict of interest rarely, if ever, favors the consumer.

And if, after weighing all the options, decide that the use of powders or other supplements are needed, then try to limit the usage to “as needed” rather than the star of your meal plans. Save it for post-workout or when your schedule is too chaotic to make a proper meal that night and ALWAYS check the label. You’d be surprised how much of our “health food” is loaded with added sugar and preservatives that can impact overall gut health.

Pro tip: Consumer Reports maintains a list of which specific products they recommend against using or limiting. Before you buy a new protein powder, check their findings. And if you're currently using a product that showed high lead levels, consider switching to a different brand or, better yet, focusing on getting your protein from whole foods.

Bottom line: If protein powder genuinely serves a purpose in your life, choose wisely, use sparingly, and prioritize third-party tested, dairy-based options when possible.

Final Thoughts

The social media protein craze is largely bullshit designed to sell you supplements. Most Americans already get enough protein. Yes, our needs do increase during and after menopause, but that increase can usually be met through food if we're intentional about including good protein sources at each meal.

The recent lead contamination findings are concerning, especially for daily users that might not need it at all. If you're chugging a protein shake every morning when you don't actually need it, you're adding risk for no benefit. And if you're using plant-based powders, the risk is even higher.

Protein powders can be useful tools in specific situations. When you have a restricted diet, when you're actively strength training, or when your appetite is compromised. But they should still supplement a healthy whole foods diet, not replace it.

Focus on whole food sources first: eggs, Greek yogurt, lean meats, fish, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. These give you not just protein, but all the other nutrients your body needs to thrive. Spread your protein intake across your meals rather than loading up at dinner. Aim for about 20-30 grams per meal.

And remember: your worth is not tied to how much protein you consume or how perfectly you track your macros. Menopause is hard enough without adding the pressure of becoming a nutrition perfectionist. Do your best to eat well most of the time, include good protein sources regularly, and don't fall for the supplement industry's scare tactics.

I mean, I’m not throwing out my giant tub of whey powder over this report. That ish was expensive!