What is protein?
I get this question a lot from my clients. So let me explain exactly what protein is and what it does for our bodies. Protein is incredibly important, and without it our body composition and health greatly suffer as a result.
Proteins are an essential nutrient and can be broken down into 20 building blocks known as amino acids. Out of these 20 amino acids, 9 are considered to be essential as the body cannot synthesize its own, meaning we must obtain these from animal and plant sources. The other 11 aminos can be synthesized by the body, making them non-essential.
Protein quality
When considering a protein source, one of the most popular methods is to classify the food by its biological value (BV). The biological value of a protein is based on its quantity of the essential amino acids. So a food with a high BV (also known as a complete protein) contains all 9 essential aminos. This is commonly seen in animal and dairy products.
The role of protein
When we do consume sufficient amounts of high quality and complete proteins, it has a whole host of benefits.
Proteins provide building materials – amino acids – for growth and repair of body tissues.
Proteins form vital parts of most body structures, such as skin, nails, hair, membranes, muscles, teeth, bones, organs, ligaments and tendons.
Proteins facilitate numerous chemical reactions in the body; all enzymes are proteins.
Some proteins act as chemical messengers, regulating body processes; not all hormones are proteins.
Proteins assist the body in maintaining its resistance to disease by acting against foreign disease-causing substances.
Proteins help regulate the quantity of fluids in body compartments.
Proteins act as buffers, to maintain the normal acid and base concentrations in body fluids.
Proteins move the required nutrients and other substances into and out of cells and around the body.
Protein can be used to provide calories (4 calories per gram) to help meet the body’s energy needs.
How much protein do we need?
The debate still continues on how much protein we need daily, but there appears to be a general agreement that active individuals need a higher intake than sedentary people.
Dangers of a high protein diet
Many people will try and tell us that a high protein diet is bad for us, and that it is linked to cardiovascular disease, dehydration, calcium loss and damaged liver and kidney function. The question that must be asked is – show us the accurate research.
Protein sources
Here is a list of a few animal, plant and dairy foods that are high in protein. It’s quite amazing the level of protein some of these foods actually contain.
