Americans can’t stop eating this trendy snack food, but experts are warning about its scary side effects.

Did you get enough protein today?

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The craze has ushered in many new protein-packed products—from bars and powders to popcorn and pancake mixes—and sent many of us to the meat department of our grocery stores to get our fix.

In fact, a recent study found that “meat consumption in the United States is projected to increase from 109 kg per capita to 117 kg between 2018 and 2023, and to 122 kg per capita in 2027.”

But should we think twice about where our protein comes from and what dangers might be lurking if we were to jump from mouth to mouth on a diet full of meat?

This is us – Raj Punjabi-Johnson and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost Am I doing it wrong? Podcast – asked Elizabeth Dunn, a food journalist who has written extensively about nutrition, when she dropped by our studio recently.

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“There’s definitely this perception online that if you’re going to live a high-protein lifestyle, it involves a lot of meat,” Dunn told us. “You don’t hear a lot of talk in those contexts. There are downsides to eating a lot of meat. The data is very clear — I mean, decades of large-scale, reputable studies show that the more meat you have in your diet, the more likely you are to get cancer, get diabetes, basically have a higher mortality rate among young people from all causes. Eating a very meat-heavy diet, especially a very red meat-heavy or processed meat-heavy diet results.”

There’s one popular protein-forward snack that particularly concerns Don.

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“One of the fastest growing snack categories right now is meat steaks,” she said. “Clearly, the protein trend is driving, [and though] They are also very tasty, what really surprises me, especially because we are in this very healthy, nutritious, conscious moment, is that people are not aware of the fact that processed meats are class one carcinogens – group 1 carcinogens. So that’s the World Health Organization classification, and that means we know they cause cancer in people. So it’s really something that I think a lot of people should think about.

Dunn noted that the average American does not need to supplement their diet with additional protein because they are already getting the recommended daily allowance in their food. However, if we’re looking for more protein, she urges us to get it from whole foods instead of processed foods.

She added that most foods contain protein, which means even people who don’t eat meat don’t have to work too hard to meet their daily needs.

“As long as you’re making a concerted effort as a vegetarian to eat a lot of different plants, like, you’re going to get as much protein as you need,” she said.

Michelson notes that “a cup [cooked] Spinach contains five grams of protein, one cup of raw peas contains eight grams of protein, and wild rice contains six grams of protein.

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Whole grains are also a great source of protein, Dunn said.

“I’m not just talking about quinoa — oats have a lot of protein, things like seeds, like hemp seeds and chia seeds have a lot of protein … it adds up a lot faster than you think.”

So if you’re worried about not getting enough protein, don’t worry! You probably are, but if you want an extra boost, reach for whole foods — and perhaps drop processed meats as a regular part of your diet.

We chatted with Don about why we’re wasting our time and money if we’re getting too much protein, which nutrients we should be focusing on instead of protein, and more.

For more from Elizabeth Dunn, visit her website and Subscribe to his substack.

This article originally appeared HuffPost.

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