A very simple protein explainer

For anyone averse to weighing their food, or themselves

This decade’s obsession with protein has seen me read just as many newspaper articles, books and Substacks as the next person with an interest in being healthier. But as soon as they start talking about how grams of protein you need per kilogram of body weight, my brain switches off.

Maths is not my strong point (ask my accountant), but also I lack the inclination to work out how many grams of protein are in every single thing I eat. Life’s too short!

And yet, like many of us, I’ve been bombarded on social media with the message that I should be eating more protein. It left me feeling low-key anxious, especially as someone who doesn’t eat meat.

So when I was commissioned to write about protein powders for The Sunday Times, I decided to take the bull by the horns and get my head around it properly.

I forced myself to read pages of very dry government nutritional advice. I interviewed Dr Rupy Aujla, host of The Doctor’s Kitchen, who believes the government’s protein recommendations are set too low. And I attended a Q&A session on protein with Dr Federica Amati, Nutrition Lead at Imperial College London, who believes we should all calm down about it because it’s easy to get enough protein.

Interestingly, while it might sound as if these two respected nutrition experts hold opposing views on paper, when you actually speak with them, you realise they’re saying pretty much the same thing.

So here’s everything I now know about protein, with zero maths required.