Points of discussion:
- Introduction
- Definition
- Importance of Protein
- How much it is needed?
- Sources of Protein
protein source
Protein is an essential nutrient for everyone. It is one of the major macronutrients which your body needed to perform different functions as build and repair different tissues. It is considered to be the building block of different bodily parts like bones, muscles, hairs, skin, and, blood.
What are Proteins?
Proteins are a long chain of amino acids. They are macromolecule which your body needs to function properly. Macromolecules are large chemical compound which human body ingest through food for the sake of energy. The structure of the protein is very complex as they are macronutrients.
There are a total of 20 types of amino acids that are used for protein formation. From these 20, 10 amino acids are considered to be essential amino acids and the other 10 are non-essential amino acids.
Amino acids which body prepare by itself are called non-essential amino acids. While those which body cannot prepare by itself and consume through diet are called essential amino acids.
Importance of Protein:
Proteins are considered to be the building block unit of life. The body uses protein to build and repair different tissues. Protein is used to make enzymes, hormones, and other bodily chemicals. It also plays a role in metabolic reaction.
How much protein do you need?
Protein is essential for good health. It is a dietary fiber for your hair, nails, blood, tissues, and other bodily functions. Not only bodybuilders and athletes need to intake the protein-rich diet but every individual needs it in their daily diet.
To determine daily intake protein for your body, you can multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.36. The amount of protein your body needs depends on the number of factors such as your age, sex, activity level, and body weight.
You can calculate how much protein you need each day by this interactive Dietary Reference Intakes calculator from the USDA. If you are a bodybuilder or an athlete then surely your protein consumption will be high.
Sources of Protein:
There are different natural sources of protein but some people take it in the form of protein supplements to increase their protein level.
Both plants and animals provide a good source of protein but keep it in mind all plants and animals do not provide with all essential amino acids.
Meat, milk, fish, yogurt, eggs, and soybeans are considered to be the best source of protein. It means they can provide all the ten essential amino acids. You can get a rich amount of protein from plants as well in the form of fruits, seeds, nuts, whole grains, and cereals but they can not provide you with all the essential amino acids.
It means that if you get half of your protein from an animal source you can get the rest of your protein from plants. Therefore it is necessary to eat a variety of food to get the exact amount of protein that your body needs.
Although protein is an important nutrient, there are many other nutrients such as carbohydrates and fats that are also very important. A healthy diet is crucial to maintain good health.
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