Protein "Hunger" and Overeating

Hopefully this is useful info.

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I saw this as well. Interesting read. I am certainly a believer that processed foods (or ultra processed foods, a newer term) are the main drivers of obesity in our society. I donā€™t recall the exact numbers, but they account for the majority of calories in the average Americanā€™s diet.

But observationally, I have some questions about this.

  1. A ā€œdouble burgerā€ from a fast food place (letā€™s use the Double Jack as an example) has 43 grams of protein. Sure, there are 830 calories, but still thatā€™s a reasonable amount of protein. It seems to me that this doesnā€™t satiate people. Theyā€™ll still down a bag of large fries and something sweet, like a soda or ice cream, despite having already consumed a relatively large amount of protein (especially for a non-lifter/athlete).
  2. My wife (who does not do much strength training) is not a large person. She eats mostly vegetarian but pretty much only whole foods: broccoli, pineapple, oats, rice, beans, and the like. Despite a not-high-protein-diet, I donā€™t see her overeat on these because they are whole, real foods. (While n=1 is not compelling, this extends to others that eat similarly. In the Bay Area, there are plenty of them).

So, to me, I think there is validity in the article but I believe it has more to do with our bodies not being adapted to eating highly palatable ultra processed foods that are calorie dense and nutrient poor, and are made of fractionated food stuffs.

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Doesnā€™t help there is fast food restaurants on every corner either.