Protein Intake

How can protein benefit your everyday intake? Protein isn’t simply a chemical compound, it does so much more. Protein is a macronutrient that is required to help build muscle mass. Protein is commonly found in animal products, though is also present in other sources, such as nuts and legumes. Chemically, protein is composed of amino acids, which are organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are the building blocks of muscle mass, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).1 

                                 

The real question here is how much protein does a person need? According to the Institution of Medicine, the recommended intake of protein is about ten to thirty-five percent of grams. The amount of protein a person should eat depends on age, sex, and level of physical activity. A safe level of protein ranges from 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight [2.2 lbs.], up to 2 grams of protein per kilogram for very active athletes,” said Crandall. “But most Americans truly need to be eating about 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.” All food made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts and seeds are considered part of the protein group, according to the USDA.1 There are two different types of proteins people intake daily.

·       Incomplete proteins are those that don’t contain all 9 essential amino acids or don’t have sufficient quantities of them to meet the body’s needs, and must be supplemented with other proteins. Plant foods are considered incomplete proteins because they are low or lacking in one or more of the amino acids we need to build cells. Incomplete proteins found in plant foods can be mixed together to make a complete protein.2 This is more based on plants.

·       Complete proteins are those that contain all essential amino acids in sufficient quantity – these are typically animal-based proteins, but a few plant sources are also considered complete.2 This is more based on animals. 

When consuming protein, there are different foods that have more protein that others. These source of protein foods are incomplete and are nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, vegetables. While other protein foods are meat, fish, dairy products (milk, yogurt, whey), eggs, quinoa, buckwheat, hemp and chia seed, spirulina.2

References:

1Szalay, B. J. (2015). What Is Protein? Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/53044-protein.html

2List of Complete vs. Incomplete Protein Sources - BuiltLean. (2012). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.builtlean.com/2012/10/03/complete-vs-incomplete-protein-sources/