September 6, 2017

The Importance and Benefits of Protein

WHAT IS PROTEIN?

Protein are organic molecules made up of amino acids. It is one of the three most important “macronutrients” that our body needs to function normal (the others two are carbs and fat). And we need it in relatively large amounts (grams) for good health comparing to “micronutrients” (Vitamins and minerals) which we only need in small quantities (milligrams).

We need proteins and amino acids to produce important molecules in our body (enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and antibodies). Those amino acids stack on top of one another, like bricks or blocks, providing structure for several components of the body – bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. These bands of amino acids create walls of cells, build tissues, repair skin and make up vital organs. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein. All bodily fluids except for bile and urine contain protein. And without an adequate protein intake, we can’t function well cause unlike carbohydrates and fats, OUR BODIES DO NOT STORE PROTEIN!⁽¹⁾Our system automatically breaks down amino acids and continuously repairs and replaces them as needed. Therefore, we need decent amounts of protein in our diets every day for optimal functioning. This includes:

good immune function
metabolism
satiety
weight management
performance

How Much Protein Should We Eat?

For basic protein synthesis, both adult men and adult women need to consume not more than around 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. For people doing high intensity training protein needs might go up just a little. But it should still stay within Recommended Daily Allowance. There is little evidence that muscular activity increases the need for protein, except for the small amount required for the development of muscles during physical conditioning.⁽²⁾

In general, Recommended Dietary Allowance of Protein for both adult men and adult women is 10–30% of the daily calories based on 2,000 calorie diet.

Although infections, fevers, and surgical trauma can result in substantial nitrogen loss through the urine and greatly increased energy expenditure. Therefore, requirements for both protein and energy are elevated because of the need to replace wasted tissues during the healing process.

Premature infants also require special consideration with regard to amino acid composition of the formulas and level of protein intake. In fact, infants are the ones who need the highest amount of protein intake per body weight (1.52g/ kg per day) out of all age groups. And as the person grows and ages the demands for protein slowly go down. The exception would be pregnant women who have a little higher than normal requirements for protein 1.1g/kg per day, and lactating moms that is 1.3g /kg.⁽³⁾

PROTEIN DEFICIENCY

Protein deficiency rarely occurs as an isolated condition. It usually accompanies a deficiency of dietary energy and other nutrients resulting from insufficient food intake. The symptoms are most commonly seen in deprived children in poor countries. Where protein intake is exceptionally low, there are physical signs—stunting, poor musculature, edema, thin and fragile hair, skin lesions—and biochemical changes that include low serum albumin and hormonal imbalances. Edema and loss of muscle mass and hair are the prominent signs in adults. Therefore eating too little protein can result in growth failure, loss of muscle mass, a suppressed immune system, and weakness of the heart and respiratory systems.⁽⁴⁾

Signes of protein deficiency may include:

thinking hair
weak and brittle nails
skin issues
muscle pain
joint pain
headaches
anxiety and moodiness
swollen legs
low immune system
difficulty sleeping
difficulty breathing

But notably all meat-eaters get plenty of protein daily in their diets. This is because about 48% of the protein is generally derived from meat, fish, and poultry. I would give a word of precaution to vegetarians and vegans. These diets can be deficient in protein. So to follow them in a long run you need to carefully plan your daily menu and make sure that at least 10% of your calories coming from protein.

TOO MUCH PROTEIN?

Protein intakes that are moderately above requirement are believed to be safe. But excess protein intake accelerates the processes that lead to scarring in your kidneys, a common phenomenon of aging. Urinary calcium excretion increases with increased protein intake if phosphorus intake is constant. As a result high-protein diets may put a strain on the kidneys. Also a diet high in meat can contribute to high cholesterol levels or other diseases such as gout.

It can be very dangerous to consume 5.0g of protein per kg of the body weight for prolonged time (several days to several weeks). This much protein in the diet may exceed the liver’s capacity to convert excess nitrogen to urea. Low carb – low fat – high protein diets can generally call for these much protein. Dangers of excessive protein is defined as when protein constitutes > 35% of total energy intake. Symptoms includes nausea, diarrhea, and even death (the “rabbit starvation syndrome“).⁽⁵⁾

SO WHY DO WE NEED PROTEIN?

We need to include adequate amount of protein in our diets every day. And here are some good reasons for that. First of all, because our bodies do not store protein, as I have mentioned above. Also:

Protein is important for:

optimal functioning of the body
good immune system function
metabolism
satiety and curbing hunger
weight management
performance
increasing levels of the hormone glucagon
producing hormones in general
growth and development during childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy
building and repairing tissue
making enzymes, which aids in digesting food, and making new cells and body chemicals
carries oxygen throughout the body supplying the entire body with the nutrients it needs

PROTEIN AND EXERCISE

Protein is essential for exercise. Anyone who does any kind of exercise routine is definitely going to need more protein than someone who doesn’t. With that being said, 10% of protein intake is just enough for normal functioning of the body. But the person who does high intensity and/or resistance training would need to consume higher amounts of protein (about 20-30%). This is because when you exercise, you are effectively tearing and breaking muscle fibers. Then the body need to be repair those fibers. And this process requires protein to do so. You should consume some protein before and after training to ensure adequate recovery. Cause if you work out regularly, you build more muscle mass and your body pulls amino acids from protein to build new muscle tissue and repair muscle tissue that becomes damaged.

COMPLETE VS. INCOMPLETE PROTEIN

Complete proteins provide all of the essential amino acids, also called “high quality” proteins. Meat, seafood, dairy and eggs are all complete proteins. Proteins derived from plant foods (legumes, seeds, grains, and vegetables) are generally complete as well. Some of them just don’t have enough amino acids to cover the daily needs of the body for the essential ones. That is why they were put into another group of incomplete proteins. Incomplete proteins provide only some of the essential amino acids you need each day. Until recently it was believed that plant-based proteins, such as whole grains, nuts, beans and lentils, are incomplete proteins. But the fact is the only truly “incomplete” protein in the food supply is an animal protein: gelatin, which is missing the amino acid tryptophan. ⁽⁶⁾

Nevertheless, even taking into consideration that plant-based proteins are incomplete, one can get all of the needed essential amino acids by combining different foods and having a variety of them every day.

AMINO ACIDS

Generally speaking, there are about twenty common amino acids. They are divided into 3 groups:

Essential amino acids (amino acids that must be obtained from the diet, because they cannot be made by the body)
Nonessential amino acids (are made by the body from essential amino acids or in the normal breakdown of proteins)
Conditional amino acids (not essential, except in times of illness and stress)

Essential amino acids:

Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lycine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine

Nonessential amino acids:

Alanine
Asparagine
Aspartic acid
Glutamic acid

Conditional amino acids:

Arginine
Cysteine
Glutamine
Glycine
Ornithine
Proline
Serine
Tyrosine

Having a variety of different foods throughout the day will make sure to get enough of amino acids that our bodies need for optimal functioning.

PALEO LIST OF COMPLETE PROTEIN SOURCES

Paleo List of Common sources of Complete proteins are:

Eggs
Meat
Fish
Poultry/Fowl
Hemp and chia seeds
Spirulina

Paleo List of Common sources of Incomplete proteins are:

Vegetables
Green Peas
Nuts
Gelatin (the only truly “incomplete” protein in the food supply is an animal protein, which is missing the amino acid tryptophan)

See the complete list of Paleo approved protein foods[…]

Paleo diet can be very hight in protein if you don’t plan it right. Thus, if concentrate only on eating meat, poultry and fish you might end up getting too much protein. Make sure to include lot of veggies in your menu. The plate should consist of 2/3 plant-based food and 1/3 animal food. Equally important to include healthy fats. Actually, healthy FATS should be the main source of energy in the Paleo diet. Therefore, oils like coconut or flaxseed oil, nuts, olives and avocados must be on the menu to ensure you don’t get dangerously high amounts of protein in your diet. You can also check the full Paleo Food List of Fats here.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the key to protein (well… as well as everything else in life 🙂 ) is BALANCE. Protein is a vital part of our diet. We can not survive and function normally if we don’t have enough of it every day. But you SHOULD NOT eat your protein all in a single meal. Instead, spread it out throughout the day. Have a variety of foods to make sure you get a complete range of essential amino acids in your diet. But also remember that the quality and type of protein is as important as how much we consume. Choose organic, grass-fed, pastured-raised, free-range, unprocessed, with no additives type of proteins.