* Struggilng US farmers turn to peas, other pulses to

meet protein demand

* Nutrition experts criticize excessive protein diets and

marketing

* Food companies and influencers drive demand for protein

products

By Heather Schlitz

CHICAGO, April 23 (Reuters) - Aaron Smith, a

fifth-generation pea and lentil farmer in northern Idaho, says

the dizzying rise of GLP-1 medications and a social media-fueled

protein craze may be his farm's only path to profit this year.

The farm economy has been pummeled by low crop prices caused by

a grain oversupply, tit-for-tat tariffs triggered by U.S.

President Donald Trump's trade war and skyrocketing prices of

fertilizer and diesel. But pulses - which include peas, lentils

and chickpeas - have been a bright spot due to rising demand for

protein-infused foods beyond traditional sources like meat,

poultry and fish.

Growers of the protein-rich crops see planting them as a way

to weather an agricultural economy that has been in a yearslong

downward spiral. U.S. farmers are facing the fourth straight

year of low-to-negative profit margins despite near-record

government payouts, and farm bankruptcies increased by 46% from

2024 to 2025, court records show.

"We've been waiting for this moment to happen," Smith said,

noting that he is swapping wheat acres for pulses this year with

prices of the former so low. "This can be a gamechanger."

These foods are at the center of an innovation boom that has

taken off since the pandemic, led in part by social media

influencers, some of whom are making dubious claims that raise

concerns that this is another fad-driven diet due to expire.

Still, planted acres of yellow peas have risen 55% over the

past 15 years, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture

data. At the same time, U.S. yellow pea exports dropped 81%

between 2021 and 2025, according to U.S. Customs data, showing

that the additional crops are being consumed in the U.S.,

experts said.

P&L: PEAS AND LENTILS

A version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal made by General

Mills ( GIS ) in partnership with Ghost, a sports nutrition

brand, features 17 grams of protein per serving, compared to 2

grams in the original version. Protein isolates extracted from

peas are being infused into fruit-flavored sodas, while lentil

flour is increasingly being processed into pastas.

McKade Mahlen, a fourth-generation farmer in Montana's

rolling prairieland, said peas and lentils may be his only two

crops that generate a profit this year. He estimated he'll lose

roughly $35 for every acre of wheat planted, but will make $8

for every acre of lentils.

"Finally, we've found something that has a positive margin

for us," Mahlen said, without providing additional details on

his plantings.

Many farmers already rotate grain plantings with pulses to

prevent disease and imbue the soil with nitrogen crucial for

healthy crop growth. The seeds are relatively cheap, and the

nitrogen means they require little additional fertilizer to

grow, a quality that has made them more attractive as the

U.S.-Iran war chokes off the flow of fertilizer.

"Pulses have the most hope for coming out of this in better

shape because input costs are so low," said Tim McGreevy, a

farmer and CEO of USA Pulses, an Idaho-based trade organization.

PROTEIN CRAZE

Nutrition experts said the protein boom is out of step with

actual dietary needs.

The average American already eats one gram of protein per

kilogram of bodyweight, according to Johns Hopkins University,

more than the 0.8 grams per kilogram recommended by many

experts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in

January controversially raised its recommended daily protein

intake for adults from 0.8 grams to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per

kilogram of body weight.

"There is no epidemic of protein underconsumption. You don't

need protein water, protein waffles, protein chocolate," said

Stuart Phillips, nutrition and exercise researcher at McMaster

University in Hamilton, Ontario.

TikTok influencers are pushing "protein maxxing,"

encouraging followers to consume enormous amounts of protein

with every meal, often with dubious claims that it will cure

chronic illnesses, help with weight loss and improve skin. Other

influencers touting high-protein diets include moms sharing

recipes for protein banana bread that they say will help rebuild

muscle after giving birth.

GLP-1 users, a fast-growing group that made up around 12% of the

U.S. population in 2025, often seek protein-dense food to avoid

muscle loss, a common side effect.

"Marketers of protein are exploiting this," said Marion

Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health

at New York University. "It's nutritionally hilarious."

'JUST EAT FOOD'

Major agricultural companies have invested in pulses since

about 2020. Grain giant Archer-Daniels-Midland ( ADM ) touts its

line of pea protein products that can be used in everything from

cupcakes to protein bars. Privately held Cargill in 2018

partnered with Minneapolis-based Puris, a niche company that

turns peas into protein isolates used in snacks and drinks.

Puris CEO Tyler Lorenzen said demand for pea protein, mostly

sourced from farmers in the U.S., soared during the pandemic as

Americans became more health-conscious.

"It's the same foods people already love to eat, but they're

more rich in protein," Lorenzen said. "Protein is more in the

mainstream zeitgeist today than it has ever been."

Nestle, however, said people shouldn't be fooled into

thinking soda is now a health food.

"It's about selling products. The sodas, waters,

everything," she said. "Just eat food. If you want pea protein,

eat peas. If you want lentil protein, eat lentils. If you want

whey protein, eat cheeses or yogurts or whatever."