Key takeaways
- The low carb high protein trend is the keto idea under a new name: fewer people call themselves keto, but low-carb claims held steady and moved onto high-protein and metabolic wellness packaging, often on ultra-processed bars and shakes.
- The simplest version of the same idea is meat and water.
The low carb high protein trend is the keto idea under a new name: fewer people call themselves keto, but low-carb claims held steady and moved onto high-protein and metabolic wellness packaging, often on ultra-processed bars and shakes. The simplest version of the same idea is meat and water. When Dr. Mike ate 600 plain Burger King patties in 30 days, that simple version still took a measurable toll on his body, which is why the label matters less than what you test.
Is the low carb high protein trend just keto rebranded?
Mostly, yes. Picture the snack aisle: the boxes that once shouted keto now shout high protein. The low carb high protein trend keeps the core of keto, fewer carbohydrates and more protein, and drops the word nobody wants on a box anymore. Truth #1: the idea did not die. It got a new label.
FoodNavigator reports that low-carb claims remained stable while 31% of low-carb launches carried functional health claims in a single quarter. Its earlier analysis found brands retiring keto products and rebranding with broader health claims. Same food. New word on the front.
If you started eating this way years ago, you were early. The industry is now selling your idea back to you. And when an idea gets resold, the first thing stripped out is the simplicity that made it work. So the real question is not what the box says. It is what is inside it, and what it does to you.
What is the high-protein food trend actually selling?
So what is inside? Stand in front of the cooler by the checkout and look at the wrappers. It is selling convenience with a health claim attached. Many high-protein products are bars, shakes and snacks built in a factory, and the protein number on the front is the only thing most people read.
Truth #2: processing itself matters. In a metabolic-ward trial of 20 adults, people on ultra-processed food ate about 500 kcal a day more and gained 0.9 kg in two weeks. The full paper notes the study was not designed to explain why. An umbrella review of 9.9 million participants linked more ultra-processed food with higher cardiometabolic risk, though that is association, not cause.
Here is the test I use on any label:
- Count the ingredients. Then count the ones you could buy on their own.
- Find the sweeteners and the oils, not just the protein.
- Ask what the food looked like before the factory.
Run that test far enough and you end up where we did: take the factory out entirely and see what is left.
What does the simplest version of high protein low carb look like?
So we stripped it all away. Picture a paper tray with nothing on it but a plain patty and a cup of water. Ground beef and water. No bun, no sauce, no wrapper with a wellness claim. That is the version we tested.
The film shows Dr. Mike eating 20 plain Burger King patties a day for 30 days, with water only. The burger was not picked at random. In a blind taste test of plain McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King patties against a grass-fed patty, the grass-fed patty won and Burger King was the favourite fast-food patty.
Then I tried to find out what was actually in the meat. Every lab refused or quoted a five-figure minimum, so the patties were never lab-tested. Sit with that for a moment. Truth #3: even the simplest food on the menu was still a black box. If you can’t see inside the food, you test the body that eats it. That is exactly what we did. Read more in what your ground beef label is allowed to hide.
What are the side effects of a high-protein, low-carb diet done this way?
Imagine checking your watch a week in and seeing your recovery numbers fall off a cliff. For Dr. Mike, the body started talking fast. The side effects showed up within days.
He was tested at baseline, on Day 14 and on Day 29: ARX, CAROL bike sprints, sprints, jumps and a 1-mile run. Dr. Mike wrote on Day 29 that his ARX numbers were record lows for him and his mile was his worst “since maybe middle school”. Between Days 12 and 18 he wrote of dizzy spells, nausea and losing interest in eating, to the point of setting alarms to remind himself to eat.
Truth #4: early symptoms are common on carb restriction. The evidence backs it: self-reported keto flu peaks in the first week with headache, nausea and dizziness. What his final labs showed is in the film. The point here is simpler: no label on any box would have warned him. Follow the midpoint in Day 15 of the experiment.
Should I eat more protein and less carbs to lose weight?
Which brings us to the question everyone actually asks. Two people sit down to the same plate. One drops weight; the other stalls. It can help some people for a while, but the published evidence says no single split wins long term. Individual results vary, which is the whole point of testing.
In the DIETFITS trial of 609 adults, healthy low-fat and healthy low-carb diets gave the same average weight loss at 12 months. A network meta-analysis of 121 trials found differences between named diets largely disappeared by 12 months.
The film suggests something the averages hide. After the burgers came a keto-pescatarian reset month, and Dr. Mike recovered. On a later month of grass-finished beef he declined again, though less. The book concludes he does best on vegetation with some fish. Truth #5: one idea. Two bodies. Two answers. The label can’t tell you which body is yours. Only testing can.
Is the protein craze legit?
So, back to the aisle. Truth #6: the protein is real; the packaging is the part to doubt. Protein has a measurable effect: the evidence says diet-induced thermogenesis is highest after protein and lowest after fat.
But a number on a wrapper is not a result in your blood. If you aren’t testing, you’re guessing. Dr. Mike ate about as simple a high-protein meal as exists, and the body kept the score anyway. The trend sells you the label. Your blood tells you the truth.
Compare the new guidance in the protein vs saturated fat cap post, and see what the 600-burger experiment tested.
Frequently asked questions
Why are fewer people saying they follow keto?
Industry analysis points to complexity. FoodNavigator reports that keto’s rigid rules, like tracking macros, added to its decline, while functional claims such as gut health grew faster. The eating pattern did not vanish. People simply stopped using the word, and brands followed them onto protein labels.
Who was the test subject in the 600-burger experiment?
Dr. Michael Brandon, DC, known as Dr. Mike, ate every burger. Every lab, scan and fitness result from the month is his, not mine.
Why no bun or condiments on the burgers?
The film was inspired by Super Size Me, and my idea was to remove the sugar and the vegetable oils. That meant cutting the bun, condiments, drink and fries, and keeping only the patty and water. The book notes a typical fast-food bun can hold up to 9 grams of sugar.
Can I try 600 burgers in 30 days myself?
Dr. Mike’s month was done under observation for a film, and the book is clear that readers should not try it. It was an experiment with bloodwork, scans and fitness tests at set points, not a meal plan to copy.
Who paid for the bloodwork in the film?
The lab used for the experiment refused to be part of the film, so I paid for the testing myself. The panels covered hormones, cardiometabolic markers, liver, thyroid, kidneys and inflammation.
The Bottom Line
You were early. The low carb high protein trend is the idea you already tried, now printed on a bar. Here is your checklist: read the ingredients, not the claim; choose food that looks like food; and test before you trust any label, including mine.
- Watch: rent or buy The Keto Project on Prime Video to see how Dr. Mike’s 30 days end.
- Get the book: 600 Burgers in 30 Days, his journal day by day.
What will you do with it?
Sources
- Is functional food killing low carb – FoodNavigator
- Keto diet decline: What it means for the food industry – FoodNavigator
- Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain – Cell Metabolism
- Hall et al. 2019 – PubMed
- Lane et al. 2024 umbrella review – PubMed
- Bostock et al. 2020 keto flu – PubMed
- Gardner et al. 2018 DIETFITS – PubMed
- Ge et al. 2020 network meta-analysis – PubMed
- Westerterp 2004 diet induced thermogenesis – PubMed
This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Individual results vary. Speak to a qualified clinician before changing how you eat.
The whole experiment is in the film. 600 burgers, 30 days, every blood test — and the ending we never post.
Watch The Keto Project on Amazon