We recently headlined a post ‘Contradiction In Terms?’. The issue was a manufacturer trying to make an unhealthy UPF product appear healthier… Today we feature another such example: PepsiCo is trying to make its new Jerky Sticks appear healthier…
Consider the classic dried, salted, cured jerky snack. A poster child for ultra-processed foods. Now consider the effort by PepsiCo to make its version, Good Warrior Beef Sticks, appear ‘oh, so whole-some’…
What they are
By all accounts – and the official glam photos released by Pepsi – Good Warriors are just another beef jerky stick snack. But Pepsi hastens to point out that they are really healthy treats.
The official news release touts them as an entry in the ‘added protein’ sweepstakes. “Consumers are hungry for protein options that taste great. A recent national survey found that 86 percent of Amer-icans are looking to add more protein to their diets – yet convenient, great-tasting options remain hard to find.”
The protestations of their wholesomeness rival the great works of classic literature: “Good Warrior Beef Sticks [are] made with grass-fed and finished beef and delivers 10 g of protein, 0 g of sugar, and 100 Calories per serving – gluten-free, with no artificial colours or flavors – and available in two flav-ours: Original and Jalapeño Pepper.”
Where’s the logic?
Critics will be quick ask, “Where’s the logic in this?” Can you really make a food product healthier by adding protein and using luxe ingredients such as ‘grass-fed and finished beef’? Even if the snack has ‘0 g of sugar’?
Yes, each Stick delivers 100 g of protein. But one bag contains 8 sticks. I just have to wonder how many folks who buy the bag will stop at just a couple of sticks? I’ll bet most will finish the whole bag. And that’s 800 g of protein. Much more than the average adult needs in a given day. The US National Library of Medicine states: “the Recommended Dietary Allowance of protein for a healthy adult with minimal physical activity is currently 0.8 g protein per kg body weight (BW) per day.” That translates to about 55 g of protein per day for the average 150 lb / 68 kg adult.
That’s just crazy…
What foods should you eat to maintain a balanced daily diet?
If your daily calorie target is the recommended 2,000 (give or take a couple of hundred), that means you’d be getting almost half of your Calories through protein. And that’s way too much.
UK’s national Health Service posts a convenient webpage explaining your daily nutrition needs – summed up as follows:
- Balanced Macronutrients: Aim for roughly 40 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from protein, and 30 percent from healthy fats.
- Prioritize Nutrient Density: Choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins over sugary and processed foods.
- Monitor Intake: Use Calorie Calculator or food tracker apps to ensure you are meeting, not exceeding, your goals.
- Watch Liquid Calories: Choose water over sugary beverages, and limit calorie-dense drinks unless attempting to gain weight.
My take
So… One Good Warrior Beef Stick provides 100 g of protein. Almost twice as much as the average person needs per day. Excess protein won’t hurt you. But you’re just wasting your money if you were hoping the added protein would make you healthier.
Add to that, PepsiCo says nothing about mitigating the UPF-iness of jerky sticks. Which means they’re just as bad for you as regular jerky snacks, that crucial respect.
All of which just proves, the processed food industry still has a long way to go before it can truthfully call its products ‘healthy’…
~ Maggie J.