B2 – Upper Intermediate
Protein is a very important macronutrient that our body needs for satiety, metabolism, and overall body function. Some good food sources of protein include meat, dairy, legumes, nuts, and grains.
Clearly, we need protein for good health and to build muscles, but with all this obsession with protein, we might be ignoring other important nutrients like fiber, for instance.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about our modern obsession with protein.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251016
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “to cast your eye over something” mean? “Cast your eye over most aisles in the supermarkets now and you’ll see high protein products in abundance.” Use the expression in a sentence and give a synonym.
- What does “health halo” mean? “Sometimes fat is good; sometimes it’s bad for consumers. But protein seems to have this continuous health halo on it.” Use the term in a sentence and give a synonym.
- What does “the tide is turning” mean? “Historically, probably not. I think the tide is turning, and there’s more people interested in fibre and optimising their fibre intake and fibermaxxing even – it’s a trend on TikTok.” Use the idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you think that our modern obsession with protein could mean that we ignore other important food groups, like fibre? Share your insight.
- “The tide is turning, and there’s more people interested in fibre and optimising their fibre intake and fibermaxxing even – it’s a trend on TikTok.” Do you have the same trend in your country? Why do you think this is the case?
- In general, what are your thoughts about people thinking some specific food items or food groups have health halos perceiving them to be healthy based on a single feature, such as being ‘organic’, ‘gluten-free’ or in this case ‘high-protein’, even if its overall nutritional value is poor?
- What are your usual protein sources? Which one is your favorite?
- What health trends have you tried and why was it interesting for you in the first place?