Proteins are essential for building bones, moving muscles, and repairing tissues. They are made up of chains of amino acids and can be found in meat, dairy, and certain grains and beans. Animal foods provide complete protein, while plant foods have incomplete protein, which can be combined to create a diet of essential proteins for vegetarians and vegans. Dietary protein is involved in many bodily functions and requirements range from 1.4-2.5 oz (40-70 g) per day. Too much or too little protein can cause health problems.
Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids that form chains known as peptides. Our bodies need dietary protein to perform many basic functions, such as building bones, moving muscles, and repairing tissues. Dietary protein, an essential nutrient, comes from meat, dairy, and certain grains and beans.
Proteins differ according to the types and order of the amino acids they contain. Although there are only 20 amino acids, they create almost infinite variations in chains of up to 500 links. Proteins are formed within animals (including humans) and plants through processes that synthesize peptides. For humans, we cannot synthesize certain “essential proteins”, so we must ingest them through food. These essential proteins are made of phenylalanine, threonine, methionine, tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and valine amino acids.
Plant foods, such as corn, have incomplete proteins, which means they do not contain all the necessary amino acids. Only animal foods, such as cheese and fish, provide complete protein and do not need to be combined with other protein sources. Examples of complete protein foods are milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, poultry, pork, or any meat. Incomplete proteins include oats, wheat, pasta, lentils, nuts, rice, soybeans, pears, and seeds. Eating a combination of complementary protein sources, such as grains mixed with legumes, results in a diet of essential proteins. This is how vegetarians and vegans stay healthy without eating meat or dairy.
As building blocks of our tissue and a catalyst in metabolism, the jobs of dietary protein are almost too many to list. Our digestive system breaks down proteins into their amino acid components. They are involved in the nervous system, repairing and maintaining tissues such as bone and skin, and carrying energy to cells. Dietary requirements range from 1.4-2.5 oz (40-70 g) of protein per day. Too much protein can deplete calcium, while too little causes a form of malnutrition called kwashiorkor. Insufficient protein weakens the heart and other muscles, which ultimately leads to death. By the way, proteins are responsible for most food allergies.
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