Protein – Why do we need this essential nutrient?
What is protein?
Protein is one of the three macronutrients you need to consume in relatively large amounts every day (the other two being carbohydrates and fat). Protein is basically a large number of amino acids strung together. The digestive system breaks down proteins into amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of the body – most parts of the body require protein from amino acids to function properly, and not just muscles.
Protein serves as a source of energy for the body and to form various structural components of the body (such as muscles, bones, nails, hair, and skin).
Protein also has important functional roles in the body: protein from food is used by the body to create the multitude of protein required in the body. Some of the actions of proteins in the body are: activating enzymes, moving skeletal muscles, transporting various important substances across cell membranes, activating the communication of various hormones, facilitating blood clotting, as well as regulating balance. of liquids and pH.
Protein makes up at least 50% of the human body (which is not made up of water).
Essential and non-essential amino acids
Protein contains various amino acids, which are necessary to sustain life. There are 20 amino acids found in proteins. Amino acids come in three forms:
Essential Amino Acids – These amino acids cannot be produced by the body (either at all or not enough to be effective) and must be consumed through the diet. There are 9 essential amino acids:
- histidine
- isoleucine
- leucine
- lysine
- methionine
- phenylalanine
- threonine
- tryptophan
- Valine
Non-essential amino acids: These amino acids can be synthesized from essential amino acids (and also from glucose), so they do not need to be consumed through the diet. There are 11 non-essential amino acids Conditionally Essential Amino Acids: These amino acids are normally non-essential, but become conditionally essential in special circumstances (infants/toddlers cannot make their own taurine, phenylketonuria makes the amino acid phenylalanine essential for the person with this disease since it cannot synthesize it, in addition there are other moments in which some non-essential amino acids can become essential).
protein sources
Animal sources of protein tend to have higher levels of some essential amino acids than plant sources of amino acids, except soy (a type of vegetable), which contains all the essential amino acids. Other legumes (such as dried beans, lentils, peas) and peanuts also have balanced levels of essential amino acids and are considered a good source of protein, especially for vegetarians.
Fruits, vegetables, and grains do not contain a large amount of protein compared to meat protein sources.
protein quality
Protein quality is considered to be:
- high-quality protein, gold
- low quality protein
Protein quality is determined to be high or low due to:
- Digestibility (or bioavailability) – the ease with which a protein source is digested and absorbed in the gastrointestinal system is a factor
- Essential amino acids – a food source that contains all the essential amino acids in abundant amounts and at a similar level, is another factor (complete proteins have all the essential amino acids in the correct combination and levels, while incomplete proteins do not).
complete and incomplete protein
Carnivores generally eat plenty of high-quality protein foods, while vegetarians (and especially vegans) need to combine specific foods to get a meal that has high-quality protein; while not impossible, it requires additional work and some vegetarians may not be. aware that the quality of the protein is a factor in the amount of protein you are absorbing. A protein-rich food is considered a complete protein if it contains all the essential amino acids in large amounts. They are considered foods rich in protein, but do not have adequate amounts of essential amino acids. incomplete protein.
Most meat, fish, eggs, and other meat by-products are complete proteins, so most people will get the adequate protein and essential amino acids they need simply by eating regular foods. Vegetarians, on the other hand, have a little more work to do to get all the protein and essential amino acids they need, since most vegetables, beans, nuts, and peas are incomplete proteins.
To get the correct amount of protein recommended each day, we need to eat protein at every meal, or at least a combination of incomplete protein foods to get a complete protein.
protein for vegetarians
Vegetarians need to make sure they are getting enough high-quality protein in their diet from the foods they eat. Since soy is the only plant food that is a high-quality protein, it can sometimes be difficult (but not impossible) for some strict vegetarians (vegans) to obtain adequate protein from their dietary intake. Lacto-ovo and lacto-vegetarians (who eat eggs and dairy or dairy only) have less difficulty getting high-quality protein because both milk and eggs in particular are very good high-quality protein foods.
Vegetarians (or those wanting to adopt a vegetarian diet) would do well to seek the help of a dietitian to ensure they are consuming adequate amounts of all nutrients and specifically high-quality protein (to ensure they are consuming enough essential amino acids). ).
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