We don't need nearly as much protein as we consumeįoods such as eggs, milk, yoghurt, fish, lentils, meat, soya, nuts and seeds are all rich in protein and the majority of adults in high-income countries do get at least the daily amount of protein recommended by health authorities.We need it to build and repair muscles, to help our bones stay strong, to maintain the immune system and to keep our brains, hearts and skin doing what we need them do. There’s no doubt that protein is an essential part of the diet. But how many of us really need any extra? For example, protein from peas, potatoes, rice and soybeans can all be extracted and powdered, sometimes with added flavourings to make them taste good. The powder might come from an animal source such as eggs or milk, or from plants.

There's a range of strengths available, with the highest doses aimed at bodybuilders. And there are hundreds of new food products in supermarkets – from cereal bars to ice cream and chocolate – which signal their protein-containing credentials in bold letters. People eating a vegan diet sometimes use the supplements to up their protein intake if they feel they're not getting enough. Some people use a protein drink as a snack between meals or even use it instead of a meal if they've not got time to eat.

With their popularity reaching way beyond bodybuilders and professional athletes, now seems like a good time to look at the evidence around protein powders. In the changing room at the gym, however, there are plenty who sing their praises, explaining that they simply add a scoop of powder to milk or to a smoothie, work out and then build extra muscle. Time Warped offers insight into how to manage our time more efficiently, speed time up and slow it down at will, plan for the future with more accuracy, and, ultimately, use the warping of time to our own advantage.When I go into my local health food store, there’s one corner that's always been a bit of a mystery to me – the shelves packed with dozens of white plastic tubs filled with powdered protein supplements. Along the way, she introduces us to an extraordinary array of characters willing to go to great lengths in the interests of research, including the French speleologist Michel Siffre, who spends two months in an ice cave in complete darkness. Why does life speed up as we get older? Why does the clock in your head sometimes move at a different speed from the one on the wall? Time rules our lives, but how much do we understand it? And is it possible to retrain our brains and improve our relationship with it?ĭrawing on the latest research from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and biology, and using original research on the way memory shapes our understanding of time, the acclaimed writer and BBC broadcaster Claudia Hammond delves into the mysteries of time perception.

Time warped by claudia hammond