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Introduction

We know that protein is important for our health. It plays a crucial role in many of the body's functions, including growth, repair, the immune system and, of course, building muscles! But has our love for protein come at the expense of other important food groups, like fibre? Neil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.

This week's question

What is Irishman Patrick Callahan famous for?

a) owning a company which makes protein shakes
b) winning the 2024 Mister Universe bodybuilding contest
c) discovering a new protein in outer space

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

cast your eye over (something)
look quickly at (something)
 
in abundance
in large quantities; more than enough
 
health halo
consumer perception of food which overestimates how healthy an item is based on a single feature – such as being low in calories, organic or high in protein – even if its overall nutritional value is poor
 
the tide is turning
(idiom) things are beginning to change
 
fibermaxxing
American social media trend where people intentionally consume high levels of fibre by eating fibre-rich foods and supplements for their health benefits
 
hack
a good solution or piece of advice

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript. 

Neil
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
 
Georgie
And I'm Georgie. Neil, we're talking about protein today. What type of protein do you usually eat?
 
Neil
Well, I like all kinds of proteins – fish, bit of chicken – but I think I really like an egg. An egg is my favourite kind of protein.
 
Georgie
Ah, I was going to say that too. I'm a big fan of breakfast foods and eggs are my favourite.
 
Neil
Well, you can't beat a good breakfast! Of all the main food groups, such as carbohydrate, fat and fibre, it's protein that seems to be most in the news. In shops and on social media, you'll find all kinds of high-protein foods being advertised, from shakes and yoghurts to chocolate. Here's Ruth Alexander, presenter of BBC World Service programme The Food Chain:
 
Ruth Alexander
Cast your eye over most aisles in the supermarkets now and you'll see high protein products in abundance: pasta made with lentils and chickpeas rather than wheat flour, bread fortified with beans and pulses.
 
Georgie
Ruth casts her eye over the supermarket shelves. If you cast your eye over something, you take a quick look at it.
 
Neil
What she sees are protein products in abundance – in other words, in large quantities. Products which already contain protein, like yoghurt, are re-packaged as 'high-protein', while other items have extra protein added, often in the form of beans and pulses. Protein is big business!
 
Georgie
Our bodies need protein for health and to build muscle, but with all this focus on protein, are we forgetting about other important nutrients, such as fibre? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme, hearing some useful new words and phrases.
 
Neil
But first I have a question for you, Georgie. The popularity of protein started with bodybuilders and people working out in gyms, who ate extra protein to gain muscle. Irishman Patrick Callahan is a big name in the protein-muscle world, but do you know who he is? Is he:
 
a)    the owner of a company which makes protein shakes,
b)    the winner of the 2024 Mister Universe bodybuilding contest, or
c)    the scientist who discovered a new protein in outer space?
 
Georgie
Ooh, I'm going to say Patrick Callahan is the winner of the 2024 Mister Universe bodybuilding contest.
 
Neil
OK. We'll find out if you're right at the end. Marketing campaigns that promote sales of high-protein food are certainly working. Sales of protein products make around £7 billion globally. Here's Scott Dicker from SPINS, a market research company in Chicago, talking with BBC programme The Food Chain:
 
Scott Dicker
So, sometimes carbs are good; sometimes they're bad for consumers. Sometimes fat is good; sometimes it's bad for consumers. But protein seems to have this continuous health halo on it.
 
Georgie
Unlike carbs – that's carbohydrates – and fat, consumers don't see any downside to eating protein. Scott says protein has a health halo, a marketing term which describes perceiving a food to be healthy based on a single feature, such as being 'organic', 'gluten-free' or in this case 'high-protein', even if its overall nutritional value is poor. 
 
Neil
Yes, food which used to be considered unhealthy is now called healthy just because a spoonful of protein powder has been added. So, could our modern obsession with protein mean that we ignore other important food groups, like fibre? NHS surgeon and blogger Dr Karan Rajan thinks so and explains why here to Ruth Alexander, on BBC World Service programme The Food Chain:
 
Ruth Alexander
And do you think we're paying enough attention to fibre?
 
Dr Karan Rajan
Historically, probably not. I think the tide is turning, and there's more people interested in fibre and optimising their fibre intake and fibermaxxing even – it's a trend on TikTok.
 
Ruth Alexander
What is fibermaxxing?
 
Dr Karan Rajan
Fibermaxxing is, you know, as it suggests, similar to the protein-maxing trend, where people are trying to maximise their fibre intake with little hacks or tricks or tips they could do, whether it's, you know, adding certain seeds or nuts to snacks.
 
Georgie
Many people pay more attention to protein than fibre in their diet, but Dr Karan thinks the tide is turning – an idiom which means that things are changing. In part, this is thanks to a new trend from America called fibermaxxing – consuming lots of fibre by eating fibre-rich foods and supplements for their health benefits.
 
Neil
Dr Karan also gives some hacks – good solutions or pieces of advice – to help boost your fibre intake. For example, adding seeds and nuts to meals.
 
Georgie
In fact, the healthiest diet is probably a balanced diet: one containing items from all the major food groups. But I'm still intrigued by your question, Neil. Isn't it time you revealed the answer?
 
Neil
I asked you who the Irishman Patrick Callahan was.
 
Georgie
And I said he was the winner of the Mister Universe contest.
 
Neil
And you were correct.
 
Georgie
Yay!
 
Neil
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this episode. If you cast your eye over something, you have a quick look at it.
 
Georgie
If something is in abundance, there's a lot or more than enough of it.
 
Neil
A health halo refers to overestimating how healthy an item is based on a single feature, such as being low in calories, gluten-free or high in protein.
 
Georgie
The idiom the tide is turning means that things are changing.
 
Neil
The trend fibermaxxing means people intentionally consume lots of fibre by eating fibre-rich foods and supplements for their health benefits.
 
Georgie
And finally, a hack is a good solution or piece of advice. Once again, our six minutes are up but here's another hack for you – remember you can find worksheets, quizzes and loads more resources to improve your English over on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. See you there soon, but for now it's goodbye!
 
Neil
Goodbye!

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