NEW YORK – From smoothies to salty snacks, consumers can’t seem to get enough of protein, reports Bloomberg. And for many consumers, protein has become code for healthy.

In fact, when Americans seek out healthy products, protein is the term that’s searched for most, according to Mintel Group, with 63% of consumers looking for products rich in protein, followed by fiber (61%), whole grains (57%) and organic ingredients (36%). Of those on weight-loss diets, Mintel says that 66% of consumers look for protein.

From October 2015 to October 2016, 3.8 billion food products claiming to be an "excellent source of protein" were sold in the United States, according to Nielsen, representing growth of 11.6% in just one year.

Data from Euromonitor suggests that Americans are eating more protein than the average global consumer, writes Bloomberg, adding that Americans “are wolfing down about twice as much protein as is recommended.”

So is too much protein a bad thing?

"There is a fair amount of evidence that higher protein levels in the diet are good for filling you up and perhaps making it easier to lose weight," Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, told Bloomberg. However, he cautions that many folks are already eating more protein than they need. "Even people trying to work out and get stronger are eating plenty already."