大西洋月刊：最好的蛋白质来源藏在眼前
💡 TL;DR：美国人疯狂追蛋白质，但最好的来源不在补剂里，而是最平平无奇的一杯酸奶。附英文原文与中文全文翻译。
The Best Protein Source Is Hiding in Plain Sight
作者：Matteo Wong 发表：《大西洋月刊》（The Atlantic），2026-10-10 链接：https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/10/yogurt-best-protein-source/688950/ 备注：页面标题亦作 “Just Have Some Yogurt”。插图：Tina Zhou / The Atlantic。以下为英文原文 + 中文全文翻译。
原文
Somehow, America has yet to reach peak protein. Perhaps we never will. Even after David bars have gone viral for being bricks of essentially pure protein and Starbucks has rolled out lattes topped with “protein cold foam,” new and somehow weirder protein-laced products keep hitting shelves. You can now buy protein Honey Nut Cheerios, protein popcorn and PopCorners, protein sodas, protein ranch dressing, and protein chips. (Doritos launched a nacho-cheese-flavored version with 10 grams of protein per one-ounce serving.)
In an era of GLP-1 drugs and peptide stacks and Oura rings and self-optimization, of wellness influencers and looks-maxxers, everybody seems to be doing everything they can to eat as much protein as possible. The magical macronutrient will supposedly make you more muscular, or more toned, or thinner—or something, really anything, just better. Amid the protein frenzy, regular food seemingly doesn’t cut it anymore. Why order a simple flat white when you can instead sip a Dunkin’ Nutty Pumpkin Iced Protein Latte?
Into the fray, I would suggest a humble alternative: Have some yogurt. Calorie for calorie, Greek yogurt has more protein than Chipotle’s High Protein Low Calorie Bowl, Kraft’s new PowerMac, or yes, a Dunkin’ Nutty Pumpkin Iced Protein Latte. So do some traditional yogurts, as well as other fermented options in the dairy aisle such as skyr and kefir. And that’s if you opt for the full-fat, luscious kind (which I recommend). Nonfat Greek yogurt, which is lower in calories, is roughly as protein-dense as a David bar—with the added benefits of having just two ingredients (milk, culture) and not tasting like plastic.
Yogurt is not only full of protein but also good for your bones, your digestion, and your immune system. Yogurt is an ingredient: Eat it plain or bake with it, use it as the base of a sauce or dip, throw it in a marinade or soup. Sure, some yogurts have added sugars, but so does a Starbucks Iced Banana Protein Cream Matcha. And as far as health fads go, yogurt is typically probiotic. All things considered, yogurt may be the easiest protein of all.
In spite of everything it has going for it, yogurt has not been the face of the protein craze. Perhaps that’s because yogurt is not splashy or technologically innovative or referred to by a trademarked proper noun. A David bar may taste different and have distinct packaging from an RxBar or a Jacob protein bar made with beef tallow, but all plain yogurt is the same. Though some companies have released “protein-enhanced” yogurt (whatever that means), for the most part yogurt is not optimized by corporate food scientists and focus groups in the way that today’s protein-branded products are. Yogurt has been optimized in the sense that humans have consumed it for thousands of years.
Imagine wellness influencers suggesting that you dollop yogurt into a bowl and sprinkle berries on top without measuring anything. There wouldn’t be any regimen to adopt or wellness plan to pay for. There wouldn’t be any special trademarked protein products for influencers to hawk: The company behind the David bar, for instance, has sponsored Andrew Huberman and, until recently, Peter Attia was its chief science officer. The homemade parfait would all be rather mundane and boring compared with Attia’s rotation of four protein powders or the bodybuilder Chris Bumstead’s breakfast filet mignon. It wouldn’t get any views.
Protein is not just a health fad; it is a business. So is everything else in the world of wellness. Indeed, there’s something about many of these setups—which proffer the perfect low-calorie, high-protein snack to pick up on your way to work every morning; a biometric wristband to wear every night; supplements to consume every day for the rest of your life; a weight-loss drug you will inject every week—that keeps people coming back for more, giving their attention and money and energy to the endless pursuit of betterment.
Health and more broadly self-improvement are, obviously, admirable pursuits. Protein can be a way to achieve either. But obsessing over hitting those goals can become unhealthy, as most obsessions are. Have some yogurt, or don’t. You’ll probably be fine.
中文全文
最好的蛋白质来源，就藏在眼前 喝点酸奶吧。
不知怎么的，美国还没到达“蛋白质峰值”。也许永远到不了。David 蛋白棒因为几乎是纯蛋白的砖头而走红，星巴克推出了顶着“蛋白冷泡”的拿铁，可新的、而且越来越奇怪的高蛋白产品还在不断上架。你现在能买到蛋白版蜂蜜坚果麦片、蛋白爆米花和 PopCorners、蛋白汽水、蛋白牧场沙拉酱、蛋白薯片。（多力多滋推出了一款纳乔奶酪味的，每盎司含 10 克蛋白。）
在一个充斥着 GLP-1 药物、多肽配方、Oura 戒指和自我优化的时代，在健康网红和“颜值最大化”信徒的时代，每个人似乎都在竭尽所能地吃进尽可能多的蛋白质。这种神奇的大量营养素据说能让你更强壮、更紧致、更苗条——或者别的什么，其实什么都行，只要“更好”。在这股蛋白质狂热里，普通食物似乎不够看了。何必点一杯简单的馥芮白，当你可以喝一杯 Dunkin’ 的坚果南瓜冰蛋白拿铁？
在这场混战里，我想提一个朴素的替代方案：喝点酸奶。按卡路里算，希腊酸奶的蛋白质比 Chipotle 的高蛋白低卡碗、卡夫的新品 PowerMac，或者没错，比那杯 Dunkin’ 坚果南瓜冰蛋白拿铁都多。一些传统酸奶也是，乳品柜里其他的发酵选项，比如 skyr 和 kefir，同样如此。而这还是在你选全脂、浓郁那种的前提下（我推荐这种）。脱脂希腊酸奶热量更低，蛋白质密度大致和一根 David 棒相当——还多了两个好处：只有两种配料（牛奶、菌种），而且吃起来不像塑料。
酸奶不只是蛋白质多，对骨骼、消化和免疫系统也有好处。酸奶是一种食材：直接吃，或者拿它烘焙；做酱汁或蘸料的底；扔进腌料或者汤里。当然，有些酸奶加了糖，可星巴克的冰香蕉蛋白奶油抹茶也加了。而且就健康潮流而言，酸奶通常含益生菌。总的来说，酸奶可能是所有蛋白质里最省事的一种。
尽管有这么多优点，酸奶并没有成为蛋白质狂潮的门面。也许是因为酸奶不张扬、没有技术创新，也没有一个注册商标的专有名词。一根 David 棒和一根 RxBar、或者一根用牛油做的 Jacob 蛋白棒，味道不同、包装不同，但所有原味酸奶都是一样的。虽然有些公司推出了“蛋白增强”酸奶（谁知道那是什么意思），但大多数情况下，酸奶没有像今天的蛋白质品牌产品那样，经过企业食品科学家和焦点小组的优化。酸奶“被优化”过——以人类已经吃了几千年这种方式。
想象一下，健康网红建议你往碗里舀一勺酸奶，撒点浆果，什么都不用称。没有什么方案要采纳，没有什么健康计划要付费。也没有什么特殊的、注册了商标的蛋白产品可以让网红带货：比如 David 棒背后的公司赞助过 Andrew Huberman，而直到不久前，Peter Attia 还是它的首席科学官。这份自制冻糕，和 Attia 轮换着吃的四种蛋白粉、或者健美运动员 Chris Bumstead 早餐的菲力牛排相比，实在太家常、太无聊了。它不会有流量。
蛋白质不只是一种健康潮流；它是一门生意。健康世界里其他一切也是。确实，这些设置里有某种东西——每天早上上班路上顺手买一份完美的低卡高蛋白零食；每天晚上戴一条生物识别手环；每天吃补剂，吃一辈子；每周打一针减肥药——让人不断回来要更多，把注意力、金钱和精力交给这场没有尽头的“变得更好”。
健康和更广义的自我提升，显然是值得追求的事。蛋白质可以是达成其中任何一条的途径。但痴迷于达成这些目标，会变得不健康，就像大多数痴迷一样。喝点酸奶，或者不喝。你大概不会有事。