Spanish designer Vicky Martín Berrocal, at 54, explains her biggest change in one sentence: "Ever since I started including protein in every meal, I feel the difference in everything." Many women over 45 and 50 are starting to hear the same thing - stop eating "less" and start eating differently.

For a long time protein was trapped in the male imagination - gyms, shakes, bodybuilding. Today the expert discussion has shifted radically. Nutritionists insist that quality protein is key to women's health too, especially after a certain age. It does not mean overdoing it or going on extreme diets. It means enough protein from real food - the kind that delivers all the essential amino acids the body cannot produce on its own.

Dietitian and nutritionist Estefanía Ramo of the Viamed medical centre explains: "Proteins participate in tissue repair and the maintenance of muscle mass." But the role goes much further. They help produce hormones and enzymes, support the immune system, and through haemoglobin they carry oxygen around the body. In practice - the body works better, reacts better, and does not reach the end of the day exhausted.

For women over 50, the stakes are higher. Menopause brings a dramatic drop in oestrogen - and that hits bone, strength and muscle mass directly. "Women become prone to sarcopenia," Ramo says - the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength. Here, controlled intake of quality protein under the supervision of a professional takes on practical meaning.

The question is not to eat more, mindlessly. The question is - to prioritise better. Eggs. Fish. Greek yoghurt. Legumes. Tofu. Lean meat. And above all - to spread the protein across the day, not to cram it into one meal. That is the habit many women are starting to build, without having to live trapped in a strict diet.

The result is not "slim for the summer." The result is - more energy, less constant hunger, more stable mood. Less snacking in the kitchen. Less feeling that you have to eat something every two hours. Ramo describes it as "a lasting feeling of fullness" - and that is exactly the difference many women have lost over the years.

Muscles are life, Berrocal repeats. It does not sound dramatic, but it sounds right. At 50, muscle mass is not a cosmetic detail - it is the infrastructure that carries the rest of the day. And in that sense, a small change like "protein at every meal" can be more pivotal than any fad diet that lasted two weeks.