What is Protein
Protein is a macronutrient, which means that our bodies need a large amount of it. Since most proteins are water-soluble we need to eat that amount every day. There are 3 types of proteins: fibrous, globular, and membrane. It is the globular protein that is the most water-soluble and which causes protein as a whole to be water-soluble. Protein is made up of 20 different amino acids that can occur in various amounts and strengths. This changes the way a given protein functions in our bodies. Remember, I said that there are thousands of possibilities when it comes to proteins. We will talk more about amino acids later in this paper.
Benefits
Two of the most popular benefits of protein are weight loss and building muscle mass. However, there are strong differences of opinion about these two benefits. It is beyond the scope of this paper to adequately present both sides. For that reason, I will leave that topic for a later date. Protein does offer many more benefits beyond these two depending on the make-up of the amino acids. A brief, but not a complete list, would include strengthening the immune system, treating arthritis and allergies, enhancing quality sleep, lessening the problems in dealing with depression raising energy levels, and improving memory and mental alertness. This link will take you to a list that includes all 20 amino acids and the benefits that each provides. Again, this is not a complete list. Remember, I said there are thousands of possibilities when it comes to protein.
How Much is Needed
As with everything else concerning protein, this is not an easy question to answer. It depends on your gender, height, weight, age, activity level, muscle mass, the current state of health, and the health goals that you have. Most researchers agree that an average sedentary man should eat about 56-91 grams a day and the average sedentary woman about 46-75 grams a day. If you would like to narrow it down a little more, you can multiply your body weight by (.36) for women and (.6) for men. The other factors will still alter this number.
While the amount of necessary daily protein may seem high compared to other nutrients, it is relatively easy to eat that amount. Deficiencies are rare but can happen. Symptoms of a protein deficiency include weak muscle mass, fluid build-up, brittle hair, loss of muscle mass and, stunted growth in children. So far there is no evidence that eating too much protein will hurt you, depending on the source of the protein you are eating. If that source is meat, you get a large amount of fat and cholesterol that you do not want. This could hurt you. It is better to get your protein from other sources and lose the fat and cholesterol.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are called the building blocks of protein and are responsible for the thousands of protein possibilities. I saw one analogy that compared the beads in a necklace to the amino acids in a protein, ie: beads are to necklace as amino acids are to protein. I have always thought of it like a family. Each of the 20 amino acids has its own name with a common last name of protein. This I equate to 20 people in the same family. Depending on the situation one or more members will step forward to help solve the problem.
Amino acids are considered essential or non-essential. Essential amino acids, which are 9 in number, are ones that you must get from the foods you eat. There are 11 non-essential amino acids. They received this title because under normal circumstances our bodies are able to provide them in the amount in which they are needed. It is only in times of extra stress, either physical, mental, or emotional, that we need to get additional amounts from the food we eat. As one researcher said, “You do not need protein, you need amino acids”. I have included 2 links. Link 1 takes you to a list of the 20 amino acids and the benefits they provide. Link 2 takes you to a list of the 20 amino acids and the foods in which they are found.
Once again the subject of proteins can be quite confusing and due to the amount of information available, we have just begun to scratch the surface. I hope that what we said here was beneficial and we plan to continue at a later date.
A Reminder
Again I must remind everyone that the content of this blog is strictly for information purposes. If you want to make a change in your diet or exercise routine, it is very important that you contact a health care professional.