Protein - For Growth and Repair

Wear and tear of these tissues caused by everyday activities, so protein is needed to repair and in a lot of cases, gaining strength and muscle growth. This means that protein needs to be created all the time in order to keep the body maintained.

What Makes Protein?

Proteins are built of multiple compounds known as amino acids. These amino acids make up a chain, which once completed can be used by the body for growth and repair. There are 25 Amino Acids of which 8 are essential core and the rest (17) are the protein structure, all of which are needed to make the chain.

The body manufactures a certain amount of these aminos itself; however a number of these are still needed from your diet. The human body takes amino acids from all foods and pieces together its own structure which once complete is absorbed by the body for repair, growth and energy during the day, the rest it will destroy and eliminate.

How much should I have?

Protein is given as a percentage in most cases on food packaging showing you how much protein you will get from that particular food.

All the different health organisations give different amounts that should be your recommended daily allowance (RDA) which is between 4.5 - 12%. As no one person is the same these figures will vary, so just use them as a guide. Higher amounts may be taken by those doing strenuous exercise / jobs /body building but do not go overboard as high amounts carry health problems.

Can you eat one type of protein?

Fortunately the human body takes proteins from many different foods e.g. fruit, vegetables and meat. Therefore it is not advisable to solely eat one or two types of pure protein in order to get your amino intake. This is another reason why specialists advise you have a balanced diet.

High Protein Diets

Due to the fact that protein releases energy very slowly during digestion, it means that calorie intake can be lower as well as quantity intake. There is one main diet that follows this philosophy but has been taken to extremes by people trying to shed the pounds.

Protein is broken down in kidneys (which are delicate organs) and excess causes them stress.

Meat (red especially) protein causes more stress than fruit and vegetables as well potentially being high in saturated fat, another downside. Too much protein leads to a slowing of food movement in the body and eventually leads to kidney failure. Another common problem can be flatulence, which also occurs from excess protein consumption.

Sources of Protein

There is some good news, not all protein comes from meat and tastes just as good. Fruit and vegetable provide excellent sources, some of which can be higher in quantity than meat and fish such as pulses, lentils, beans and quinoa. It is recommended that fish (possible as an alternative to red meat) should only be consumed 2 – 3 times a week as some fish contain low levels of mercury that in small amounts is harmless but in small amounts over time can be fatal.

Anchovies
Beans (including Baked Beans)
Eggs
Lentils
Low – Fat Cottage Cheese
Mackerel (Good Omega 3 Source)
Peanuts, Walnuts, Hazelnuts & Pecan nuts
Peas
Prawns
Pulses
Quinoa
Salmon
Sardines
Seeds (Good Omega 3 Source)
Tuna