Protein Importance and its source

 

Why Is Protein Important?

Are you getting enough protein in your diet? It’s common to watch your calories, sugar and salt intake, but it’s equally as important to make sure that you’re getting enough protein to stay healthy. Protein plays an important role in the creation and maintenance of every cell in your body. Protein is a necessary component of any diet because it fuels your cells so you have the energy you need to stay active.

Here are some other important facts about protein:

• Essential macronutrient, which means you need an adequate amount of protein in your diet to stay healthy
• Needed to maintain muscle mass
• Helps with keeping blood sugars stable
• Maintains hunger
• Responsible for growth, repair and maintenance of cells – amino acids are the building blocks of protein – they play a major role in hair growth
• Not getting enough protein in your diet can result in your body utilizing muscle for energy
• Builds muscle, cartilage and skin.
  
  

  

  
  

Protein in diet

Proteins are the building blocks of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids.

You need protein in your diet to help your body repair cells and make new ones. Protein is also important for growth and development in children, teens, and pregnant women.

Food Sources

Protein foods are broken down into parts called amino acids during digestion. The human body needs a number of amino acids in large enough amounts to maintain good health.

Amino acids are found in animal sources such as meats, milk, fish, and eggs. They are also found in plant sources such as soy, beans, legumes, nut butters, and some grains (such as wheat germ and quinoa). You do not need to eat animal products to get all the protein you need in your diet.

Amino acids are classified into three groups:

• Essential
  
• Nonessential
• Conditional

Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body, and must be supplied by food. They do not need to be eaten at every meal. The balance over the whole day is more important.

Nonessential amino acids are made by the body from essential amino acids or in the normal breakdown of proteins.

Conditional amino acids are needed in times of illness and stress.