(Radio Iowa) – Iowa grocery shoppers are suddenly seeing packaging for all sorts of food products touting their protein content, and some of them are unlikely sources — like Brussels sprouts, Greek yogurt and even Pop-Tarts. Meredith Hink, a registered dietician and nutritionist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, points to one popular trend as the primary cause of the protein power craze. “A side effect of some of the current weight loss medications, the GLP-1s, is a concern about muscle wasting,” Hink says, “and one of the things that we talk about to help prevent muscle wasting is making sure that you’re getting an adequate amount of protein.” Our bodies need protein to grow, to repair themselves, and to work correctly, and the nutrient can be found in a wide range of foods.

“Oftentimes when we talk protein, people think, ‘Oh, it’s just in things like meat and poultry and eggs and fish,’ but it also is naturally occurring in plant-based sources like beans and peas and lentils, nuts and seeds,” Hink says. “Even some of our grain products like quinoa is high in protein.” Protein is an important part of our daily diet, but some people prefer to stick with plant-based proteins, while others crave meat. Hink says there are pros and cons in both, and everyone’s body is different.

“As a nutrition professional, I have to meet people where they are and try to, not just looking at protein, but also their overall calorie intake,” she says, “making sure that they’re also meeting their needs for carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins and things like that to help them to make the best choices.” How much protein should you take in daily? Again, everyone is different, and she says it depends on your weight, gender, age and overall health.

Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.