Protein Power

Last issue we discussed how important carbohydrates are for supplying fuel for your body and brain. Many people think that when they’re on eating programs such as restricting bread, pasta and rice, this means that they’re on low-carb diets, not realizing that they’re getting all the energy and fiber they need from relatively lower calorie vegetables and fruit, which are definitely carbohydrates too!

Today we discuss the importance of one of the other Macronutrients – Proteins. There are many misconceptions about proteins so it’s high time we took a minute to find out what they’re really all about.

What Exactly is Protein?
In recent years there has been a lot of excitement about Protein. We should know how much of this hype is fact and which is fiction so that we can properly use protein to our advantage in our goal to lose, gain or maintain weight.

We get the protein we need to build our bodies from foods. Protein builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body. Every cell in the body contains protein your muscles, organs, and immune system are made up mostly of protein. Protein helps build bones, muscles, blood, cartilage and skin. Whether you’re working out or at rest, protein is being used to keep your body moving and functioning.
Proteins are classified as complete and incomplete. Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids, while incomplete proteins do not.

Protein from animal sources, such as meat and milk, is called complete, because they contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Most of the protein from vegetables is considered incomplete because they lack one or more of the essential amino acids. But people who eat a vegetarian diet can manage to get all of the essential amino acids if they eat a wide variety of protein-rich vegetable foods, such as whole-grain bread, soy, beans and nuts.

However, although the body can keep stores of carbohydrates and fat, it does not stock protein because amino acids deteriorate, so the body has no reserve to utilize for its needs. Therefore, protein must be included in the diet regularly in adequate not excessive amounts.

Adults need approximately 60 grams per day of protein, depending on their weight, their condition and how much exercise they do in a day. Children, teenagers, people who are pregnant or recovering from an injury need more protein, to assist with growth and recovery.

It’s an old wives’ tale that eating more protein builds more muscle. You can eat all the protein you want but if you don’t exercise, you won’t become stronger and you won’t gain a pound of muscle.

Amino Acids
Protein is made up of 22 different Amino acids. Digestion breaks down the protein you consume into amino acids which can then be used to make the proteins your body uses.
Nine of these 22 amino acids are called essential because the body cannot create them, they must be obtained from food. The 13 other amino acids can be made in the body, these are called nonessential.

Benefits of Eating Protein
As you may imagine, there are many benefits we get from protein. If we get hurt or cut, protein will help repair the injured tissue. Like carbohydrates, protein also provides energy so we can function longer without getting tired. If we don’t get the protein we need, our immune systems will not be able to fight off illness and disease.

Even if you’ve managed to build a significant amount of muscle, without adequate protein, your muscles will decrease in size and strength. This does not mean that lowering your carbohydrate intake and increasing proteins in your diet will not cause problems. Eating too few carbs combined with an excessive amount of protein makes the body go into a state of ketosis which means that ketones have been released into the blood. You can feel this happening when you feel sluggish and nauseated.

It’s important to consider the kind of protein you’re getting. Eating meat may provide you with essential amino acids that you need but a fatty chunk of steak will also give you artery clogging saturated fat. If you’re going to eat meat, by all means go ahead, but choose your cuts and cooking methods wisely so you get the benefits without the problems.

Choosing the Right Proteins
High fat proteins are what should be avoided for general health, whether we want to lose weight or gain quality muscle or even shapely curves. Knowing what your best choices are gives you better chances of success. For example, salmon, a protein that does contain fat, is chock-full of Omega 3 fatty acids, which is great for the skin, hair and helps lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. On the other hand, a hotdog or a sausage does give you protein but also has the kind of fat and chemicals which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers.

For optimum health, nutrition experts recommended choosing fish, poultry without skin, beans, nuts and whole grains as your sources of protein.
Next issue all you need to know about Fats.

(source: Manila Bulletin)