What's the Truth About Protein?

Whatever you think about protein "ain't necessarily so." Many commonly believed ideas about protein are simply out of date. Some are just wrong.

Protein is indeed the single most important nutrient. All living tissue, whether it is animal or vegetable, contains protein. Other than water, most of the human body is made up of some kind of protein.

For example, when you look in the mirror, what you see - eyes, skin, hair, fingernails - is protein. Much of what you don't see - muscles, bones, organs, blood, hormones, antibodies - is also protein.

That's why it is so important to get enough quality protein in your daily diet. The good news is that getting enough protein every day is not as big a problem as it was once thought to be. Most modern cultures get more than enough protein in their daily diet. So, for most people, it's not necessary to waste a lot of time counting grams of protein

Actually, you could be getting too much protein, especially if you're on a high protein weight loss diet and that's not a good idea. Getting too much protein is just as bad for you as getting too little. Excess protein has been linked, among other things, to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease and to a shorter life span.

It was also once thought that the only really good dietary protein was found in meat - beef, pork, lamb, fish and poultry. That's because animal protein is considered to be complete - i.e. it contains all of the essential amino acids necessary for the building and maintenance of healthy tissue. Vegetable protein is called incomplete since it usually lacks one or more of these essential amino acids.

But the latest information on protein stresses that as long as you eat a wide variety of vegetable foods every day you will get all the amino acids you need. The latest research also shows that it's not necessary to combine complimentary vegetarian foods at one meal - for example, rice and beans. As long as you're mixing up your diet pretty good, i.e. eating lots of fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds throughout the day. Vegetarian protein foods are also rich in healthy complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Eating lots of meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is also unhealthy because the extra calories only lead to weight gain and all the associated problems. Animal protein, especially red meat, also contains saturated fat, which is known to contribute to artery clogging high cholesterol counts.

If you're going to eat animal protein, limit your consumption to just a couple of meals a week rather than a couple a day. And stick to, fish, poultry and lean cuts of beef. Also substitute low-fat or non-fat milk, yogurt and cheese for whole dairy products.

About this Author

A high protein foods list can be a big help when designing your food plan around the protein content of foods. You will find a great list at CommonSenseHealth.com.

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