Protein is often reduced to a symbol of athletic ambition, yet it quietly governs the body's most essential repairs — from the enzymes that regulate hormones to the muscle strength that lets a person rise from a chair. A senior dietitian clarifies that protein needs are not fixed across a lifetime: adults require more as they age, and the question of whether plants can meet those needs has a nuanced, affirmative answer rooted in variety rather than volume. The deeper insight is that no single nutrient operates alone — protein's value is realized only within a complete nutritional landscape of