Inside India’s $1.5 billion protein fetish

Protein is having a moment in India. Once reserved for gym-goers and bodybuilders, it’s now showing up in everyday foods like idli, rotis, chips, lassi, even kulfi. And consumers are buying in.

Behind this craze is a $1.5 billion strategy that’s reshaping how India eats. Food brands saw a gap in a country where nearly two out of three households are protein deficient. And they turned it into a goldmine. Now, protein is everywhere, and the market is only getting bigger.

But here’s the twist: while the labels scream '50g protein' and 'fuel for champions,' reality is far more complicated. Many of these products include additives, sugar, and misleading serving sizes. Some even contain toxic substances. Meanwhile, your body can’t store excess protein—it just turns it into fat.

So is this really a health revolution? Or just clever packaging?

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