Shalene McNeill Says Beef Protein Remains Relevant as Nutrition Trends Evolve

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays continues his conversation with Dr. Shalene McNeill, a registered dietitian working with the Beef Checkoff, about the new dietary guidelines, the growing focus on protein and the role beef can play in healthy diets. McNeill says the guidelines have created new opportunities to communicate beef’s nutritional value, but she emphasizes that continued research will be important as nutrition recommendations and consumer interests evolve. Part one of this conversation can be found here.

Protein Remains a Major Nutrition Focus

McNeill says protein has remained a major topic in nutrition for years, and she believes consumers’ experiences with high-protein foods have helped sustain that interest. “Someone said to me a long time ago, you know, that nutrition is evolutionary, not revolutionary,” McNeill said. “What I’ve seen over the course of my career is that if a topic gets really, really hot, sometimes then it starts to become tempered, or the pendulum swings back over time.”

She said protein is one of the hottest nutrients in nutrition today, but researchers are beginning to ask whether the focus has gone too far. “The scientific community wants to make sure that we’re always providing caution to the nutrition recommendations that we provide,” McNeill said. “I think we’re beginning to see them start to question: Are we giving too much attention? Have we gone overboard with all of this chaos around protein and trying to put protein in every food?”

McNeill said the Beef Checkoff has a role in answering those questions through research that demonstrates the value of beef as a high-quality protein source. “The protein trend is not going away, but it is evolving,” she said.

Pairing Protein With Fiber

As consumers and health professionals pay more attention to fiber, McNeill said the beef industry has an opportunity to show how beef can fit into a balanced diet alongside fruits, vegetables and other fiber-rich foods. “We’re hearing more about fiber than we’ve ever heard before,” McNeill said. “There’s many folks that are saying fiber is going to be the new protein.”

She said that shift does not mean protein will become less important. Instead, nutrition conversations may increasingly focus on combining protein with other nutrients. “We can pair protein foods with fiber and still keep protein very relevant as part of the conversation,” McNeill said.

McNeill said the Beef Checkoff is funding a research study that combines high-quality beef protein with fruits, vegetables, fiber sources and exercise to examine the broader picture of nutrition and health. She said that research could help the beef industry remain part of the conversation as dietary priorities change.

Beef’s Nutritional Value Creates Opportunities With Health Professionals

McNeill said the beef industry has made progress in communicating with physicians, dietitians and other health professionals about beef’s role in a healthy diet. She added that many consumers already recognize beef’s nutritional value. “More than 70% of consumers agree with us that beef is nutritious,” McNeill said.

She said protein’s increased prominence in dietary discussions has made beef more relevant when health professionals consider how to help people meet their nutritional needs. “It’s not only high-quality protein, but it’s also iron and zinc and B vitamins and things that you need that complement that protein to benefit your health,” McNeill said.

McNeill said those nutrients provide opportunities for more meaningful conversations about the role beef can play in supporting overall health.

Heart Health Remains an Area of Focus

Despite the positive momentum surrounding protein, McNeill said the beef industry still faces questions about beef and heart health. “One of the things that we’ve recently learned with some research that we did with dietitians and with consumers is that heart health is still our Achilles tendon,” she said.

McNeill said concerns about LDL cholesterol and whether beef raises cholesterol remain among the issues the industry needs to address. She said the Beef Checkoff will continue communicating research to health professionals as the scientific discussion evolves. “We have continued work to do because as protein stays a hot topic and as heart health and fiber and those kinds of nutrients stay hot topics, we still need to make sure that beef can be that protein of choice in healthy diets,” McNeill said.

She identified heart health as an area of emphasis for the coming year, noting that the industry has been working on the issue throughout her career.

Beef Could Play a Role as GLP-1 Medications Become More Common

McNeill also pointed to the growing use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications as another area where beef’s protein content could remain relevant.

As these medications become more mainstream, she said, conversations about protein, fiber and balanced nutrition will continue to develop.

For the Beef Checkoff, McNeill said the goal is to keep advancing research and communicating beef’s nutritional benefits as those conversations change.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

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