Barilla PROTEIN+ puts plant protein back on runners’ plates

These days, people care more and more about what’s on their plate. They’re looking for meaning, simplicity, consistency. And the numbers back it up. The Protéines France consumer survey, published in January 2025, confirms the rise of plant protein in France: 66% of French consumers include plant-based protein every week, and 25% regularly buy products that contain it. The days when vegetarians were a tiny minority are long gone. It’s a real, deep shift in eating habits. In that context, Barilla PROTEIN+ brings a genuine solution for athletes: it’s not trying to impose a new way of eating, but to fit into the one you already have. Good news for runners and for anyone who simply loves good food.

Why protein is a cornerstone of a runner’s diet

For runners stacking miles on top of busy days, protein still gets overlooked far too often. Yet when you’re thinking performance and recovery, it plays a central role. We talk a lot about carbs, and rightly so… they’re still the number one fuel for endurance. But after training, protein becomes essential, helping the body rebuild what you’ve just put through hours of effort and muscle fatigue.

Here’s what that looks like in practice. A recent study led by the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London highlighted just how important protein is in a runner’s life. Researchers found that protein contributes to muscle fiber repair, the remodeling of muscle and mitochondrial proteins, restoring energy stores, and most importantly the body’s adaptation to training. Because yes, running is a high-impact sport. Those thousands of footstrikes in every run create real stress. And that physiological load should never exceed what your body can handle. That’s where recovery comes in. Recover well, and you can string sessions together, limit cumulative fatigue, and keep progressing long term without getting hurt. Modern endurance guidelines increasingly stress a personalized approach to protein intake, tailored to training load, running volume, body weight, and even meal timing around key sessions.

In recent years, plant protein has also taken a bigger place in sport, helped along by documentaries like The Game Changers, which brought the topic into the mainstream for endurance athletes and the wider public. You don’t need to go vegetarian, but simply adding more plant-based protein can make a lot of sense for many runners: often easier on the gut, more nutritional variety, and a simple way to mix things up without blowing up your usual routine.

A simple recipe built for runners’ everyday life

Barilla PROTEIN+ fits the needs of endurance athletes and active people perfectly. We spend less time cooking. Dinner after a session, a quick lunch between meetings, a simple but complete plate: for many active folks, convenience is almost as important as nutrition quality.

And where Barilla PROTEIN+ really delivers is how straightforward the recipe is. Just two ingredients: durum wheat semolina and pea protein, for an extra protein boost that’s 100% plant-based. No added sugar, no artificial flavors, no nasty surprises. Each serving delivers 20 g of protein per 100 g of product, roughly 40% of the recommended daily protein intake for an average adult. The range comes in three shapes to suit everyone: spaghetti, penne rigate, and fusilli. At €2.19, it’s a solid price for a pasta that’s high in both carbs and protein.

The point isn’t to reinvent your plate, but to offer a simple way to add more plant-based protein without changing your habits. Sounds minor. But it’s usually these small switches that matter most over time, the kind that can also help you dodge injuries halfway through a marathon build.

© Barilla

Pleasure still comes first

For a lot of athletes, food can get a bit joyless… you count, you calculate, you optimize. You forget that eating well is also about enjoyment and having a good moment. With Barilla PROTEIN+, it’s back to basics. You can want to eat better without giving up taste. You can aim for better balance without making life complicated. And sometimes, one well-built plate is more than enough. Running teaches that too: it’s rarely the big upheavals that change everything, but the small details and the steady accumulation of good decisions. And sometimes it starts with what you put on your plate.

When we talk about a balanced diet, there’s a common mistake: thinking you have to sacrifice pleasure. But without enjoyment, with too much restriction, it’s hard to stick with anything long term. Barilla PROTEIN+ is trying to protect that simple pleasure of eating. The range uses bronze die extrusion, part of Barilla’s in-house know-how, for a rougher texture that grabs sauce better. So your next pasta party actually tastes like one. In practical terms, the flavor stays close to traditional pasta. For meals that are hearty, simple, and above all appealing. Because really, adding taste and color to your plate is already the first step toward enjoyment and good nutrition.

Tips and race-week recipes with Barilla PROTEIN+

When race day is coming up, there’s no need to overhaul your diet. The goal is to optimize what you already do well: get enough carbs to top off energy stores, while adding a dose of protein to help your body handle the workload and recover afterward.

With Barilla PROTEIN+, the upside is simple: you keep a classic pasta meal, but with a more interesting protein hit, without complicating your plate.

© Barilla

© Barilla

Key reminders to keep in mind

• Don’t try anything new on race day
• Adjust portions to your appetite and what you’re used to
• Avoid sauces that are too fatty or too rich
• Stay well hydrated alongside it
• Keep some joy on the plate (it matters more than you think)

Race prep isn’t about reinventing your diet. It’s about smart tweaks to habits you already have. With something like Barilla PROTEIN+, you tick a lot of boxes easily:

✔ Carbs to fuel the effort
✔ Protein to support recovery
✔ Quick and simple in the kitchen
✔ All the enjoyment, intact

And in the end, that’s often what makes the difference: simple choices repeated over time, rather than a “perfect” plan you can’t actually stick to.

➜ Find all the details on the Barilla PROTEIN+ range on the official website barilla.com.