What You Need to Know About Protein

Why are protein foods such an important part of a healthy diet? The answer is simple. The amino acids found in protein are the basic building blocks of the human body. Every cell, muscle, organ, gland, hormone, enzyme, anti-body and almost all body fluids, including blood, is made up of various specific amino acids.

When you eat protein foods, the digestive juices go to work. They break the protein down into individual amino acids that are then recombined to help build and repair body tissues.

Think of protein as a necklace with different shaped beads that are called amino acids. These beads are joined together in unique ways to create thousands of different proteins. Scientists have identified 22 specific acids that are important for human health.

The human body can only make 13 of these 22 amino acids on its own. The other nine amino acids are called essential because they must be supplied by eating high quality protein-rich foods.

Many foods contain protein, even fruits and vegetables. The most valuable sources of protein, however, are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, diary products, nuts, seeds and legumes (beans, peas and lentils).

Animal source protein foods are called complete because they contain all nine essential acids. Vegetable foods, on the other hand, are considered to be incomplete since they usually lack at least one or more of the essential amino acids.

This acid deficiency can be a concern for people who either never eat animal foods or are just not getting enough complete protein in their diet. But there is a simple solution.

For example, you can't get the essential acids you need from a bag of peanuts, but a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread will do the job. A serving of brown rice and beans will do the same. As long as you eat a variety of protein-rich vegetable foods every day, your body will get the amino acids it needs from each meal.

How much protein do you need to get from your diet every day? The basic rule of thumb for optimum protein intake for adults is about one gram of protein for every two pounds of body weight. If you're pregnant, very active or recovering from an injury, you'll need more.

Remember that not all protein foods are created equal. Not only are some protein sources complete and others incomplete. But many complete animal source protein foods should be avoided because they are very high in saturated fat. For example, always look for the leanest cuts of beef and skip the skin when eating poultry.