Nuance, balance, equilibrium: Protein tames the protein obsession

As someone who enjoys sport and pays close attention to my diet, I immediately dived into Protein – Why We Are So Obsessed with Proteins and What They Do and Don’t Do for Your Body and Health, written by science journalist Jop de Vrieze.

And the book does not disappoint. The cover alone is brilliant: a bag of protein powder listing its ingredients, including 286 scientific studies, 8 debunked myths, 29 interviewed experts, and the warning ‘May contain traces of common sense’.

As those ingredients suggest, the story De Vrieze presents is firmly grounded in scientific insights and expert opinion. That makes it neither an ‘experience narrative’ nor an accumulation of personal views, but something that carries a certain authority. Despite this, you never get the feeling that De Vrieze is lecturing you. Rather, you find yourself travelling alongside him through the wonderful world of proteins (or, as De Vrieze prefers for clarity: proteïnen), sport, bodybuilding, ageing, food science and history, and of course the protein transition.

Practical tips

It reads effortlessly and contains handy summary lists throughout each chapter. This means you can read — or re-read — the main ideas of the entire book within the space of an hour. The book also offers a wealth of practical tips and insights to make exercising and healthy choices easier.

Three conclusions stand out for me. First and foremost, there is no need to worry about whether you are getting enough protein. Most people obtain sufficient protein from their diet simply by eating a varied range of foods — more, in fact, than the WHO officially recommends. In my view (and De Vrieze’s), this is the most important message: maintaining a healthy protein level need not be complicated. As long as you vary your intake of vegetables, fruit, meat or fish, pulses, and so forth, and give heavily processed foods a wide berth, you are doing just fine.

Second point: according to De Vrieze, eating a more plant-based diet is perfectly achievable — as long as you — there it is again — vary what you eat. Because plant-based proteins have a less favourable amino acid composition compared to animal proteins and are absorbed slightly less efficiently by the body, you do need to consume somewhat more of them.

The third point comes from chapter seven, which De Vrieze describes as ‘perhaps the most relevant and urgent chapter in this book’. Here he discusses how (additional) protein can help older people remain vital for longer, particularly in combination with exercise and strength training.

In short: for anyone with an interest in sport, nutrition, and sports nutrition, Protein comes very highly recommended.