Freston Kathy - Clean protein: the revolution that will reshape your body, boost your energy--and save our planet

M ark stares into the mirror at a body he hardly recognizes. His muscles appear flaccid, his hair patchy, his skin sagging. He looks and feels exhausted. After a quick Google search, one word surfaces as the answer to his problems: protein. Mark rushes to the store and joins the plethora of Americans in a crusade to eat as much protein as possible. His meal plan for the next day includes two eggs, beans, and bacon for breakfast; a broiled chicken breast with buttered broccoli for lunch; and a hearty hamburger (no bun) with a side of quinoa for dinner. He washes each meal down with a whey-protein shake.

By the time Mark goes to sleep with dreams of his future Adonis-like physique, hes consumed 190 grams of proteinnearly three times the amount suggested by the Institute of Medicine. Hes also spent three times more on groceries, from the free-range chicken breasts to the omega-3-fortified eggs to the locally sourced burger meat. But at Marks next checkup, his doctor informs him that his cholesterol levels have skyrocketed and his blood pressure is off the charts. He is a ticking time bomb, his doctor warns. Is this what all that protein has given me? Mark now wonders. There has to be a better way.

Diet fads come and go, but they all find their way to Samantha. She has called herself a professional dieter ever since her quest for a weight-loss magic bullet became an obsession. Samantha has jettisoned starches from her fridge, which is now overflowing with meat, eggs, and full-fat dairy products. Her favorite is Greek yogurt. Samantha is pleased that so many of her favorite foods, like bacon and heavy cream, are included in the diet shes currently following, all in the name of protein. She isnt sure how much protein shes consuming, but as long as her food comes from something that swam, flew, or walked, she assumes shes doing the right thing. She lost a dozen pounds on her new diet but then the weight piled back on relentlessly. Meanwhile, shes been so constipated that she needs a daily laxative.

Sally spends most of her time worrying about her five-year-old daughters well-being. Is she making friends? Is she being challenged in school? Is she getting enough protein? Sally sees constant protein reminders throughout her day. The National Fluid Milk Association runs an ad campaign titled Milk Life, emphasizing the health benefits of protein consumption (through milk, of course). The National Dairy Council provides classroom materials for her daughters preschool. Sally knows that protein is a vital part of a childs diet, but she didnt know it was this vital. Just the other day, Sally took a picture of her daughters luncha banana, carrots, and her favorite spaghetti with garlic breadand posted it on Facebook. Sally couldnt believe the comments: Yum! But wheres the protein?! and A growing girl needs protein!!! She feels like a bad mom, and theres no worse feeling than that. She is afraid to ask that simple question: Whats the big deal with protein? There are collages of people we have heard from throughout the years, but their concern is the same: protein.

Today it seems everyone has an answer for that question, but rarely the right one. The only constant is that were obsessed with protein. We look for it on menus and labels, form the family table around it, and get anxious at the thought of not eating enough of it. This is for a good reason: protein is essential. It makes your hair strong and your skin supple. It fuels your immune system. It helps form the hormones, neurotransmitters, and enzymes that affect the functioning of your organs and nerves. Protein is, quite literally, the foundational building block of a healthy body. Without it, life would not be possible.

Protein was first isolated in 1839 by a Dutch chemist named Gerhard Mulder. He named his discovery after the Greek word proteios, which means of primary importance. It was a fitting baptism for a nutrient that has become the subject of a nationwide fixation. We need to eat protein to survive, but our supersized culture has twisted this fact into a dangerous fallacy: that we need to eat as much protein as possible.

Mulder originally isolated protein from meat, which gave birth to another myth: that only animal products have protein. Thats not the casethere are many sources of proteinbut most people are under that impression, perhaps because its ubiquitous and easy.

Of course animal protein may have been essential long ago for nourishing our ancestors in times of scarcity. These apish humans scavenged for animal meat when there wasnt enough plant food to sustain them, and the extra calories helped hasten human evolution. (Until the invention of tools, early humans were not effective hunters. They had to rely on larger and faster animals to leave fallen prey for them to scavenge.) And even still, a little bit of meat is fine for humans. But you know how we humans tend to be: if a little bit is fine, more must be better.