The Label Says High Protein. The Label Is Allowed to Say Anything

Somewhere between a protein chip, a protein cookie, and — I promise this exists — a protein coffee, I learned something this week that rearranged how I read a supermarket shelf: there is no official regulatory definition of "high protein" on food labels. None. A brand can print it on more or less anything. Meanwhile the protein ingredients market is projected to pass 113 billion dollars by 2035, which tells you exactly how much money is riding on those two words.

I don't think the boom is evil — more options is fine. But it does mean the label has become decoration. The fix costs ten seconds: turn the packet around and read the actual grams. If a "protein" snack has six grams of protein and a paragraph of syrups, the front of the packet was marketing to your gym membership, not feeding you. Don't let a buzzword do your food planning.

The second kitchen myth of the week is the opposite problem — not eating something because the internet said so. The no-oil, no-butter cooking trend has grown big enough that nutrition experts are now pushing back publicly: cooking everything in water might feel virtuous, but fats are how your body absorbs vitamins A, D, E and K — the ones tied to recovery, bones, and immune function. I grew up in Cyprus, where olive oil is applied to food with the confidence of a fire brigade, so I confess this trend never stood a chance in my kitchen 😄 But it's nice when the experts and the grandmothers agree: a drizzle of olive oil over roasted vegetables isn't a cheat. It's the delivery mechanism.

Elsewhere this week, the running world provided both comedy and awe. The comedy: a marathon runner in Delaware slowed down metres before the finish line to celebrate, arms out, soaking it in — and got passed. Lost by two seconds. I laughed, then winced, because we've all celebrated early at something; mine just usually involve deploying on a Friday. The awe: Ashley Paulson broke a world record at the Penyagolosa Trails in Spain, and Apryl Hammett — 54 years old, breast cancer survivor — is lining up at the London Marathon partway through completing one hundred road marathons, one hundred trail marathons, and one hundred ultras. I have no plans to run even one of any of those, and her story still made my week. The outdoors belongs to everyone who shows up for it.

So: read your labels, keep your olive oil, and if you're ever winning at anything — through the tape first, celebrate after. 🌿