Protein
What is Protein Anyway?
Proteins are large, complex molecules that are made up of chains of amino acids. Some proteins are called complete proteins, as these contain all the amino acids required to build new proteins. Complete protein is mainly found in animal sources as well as soy products. Other proteins which do not contain all the amino acids required are called incomplete proteins, and these are found mainly in vegetable sources such as beans lentils and spirulina. Vegetarians in particular need to make sure that incomplete protein sources need to be combined to make complete proteins, otherwise deficiencies in certain amino acids can occur. This is not as hard as it sounds since protein can stay in the body for quite a while. Starting the day off with cereal and then having a soy burger for lunch is one of many easy ways to combine two forms of incomplete protein.
So, What’s Good About Protein?
Protein is essential in our diet because we haven’t yet evolved the ability to synthesise all the amino acids in our bodies, and thus must seek some of them from external sources. Proteins are utilized in every process that occurs in our cells. The body does not store these protein molecules, and that makes protein a pretty important dietary requirement.
Good sources of lean protein are fairly easy to find these days, with consumers aware that there are certain cuts of steak that contain more fat than others and so on. Meat eaters will find that fish provides the leanest protein source, particularly oily fish like salmon and tuna. Vegetarians can find good protein sources in lentils, beans, soy products and brown rice. Other good sources include brown bread, cereals, nuts, eggs, milk and last but not least spirulina, a blue-green algae that is 60 percent lean vegetable protein.
Do I Need to Pump Up My Diet?
Contrary to what you’d believe if you stepped into a body building shop, you are probably getting enough protein in your diet. Adults need between 0.75 -1 grams of protein per kilo of their own body weight. A person who weighed 60 kilos would therefore need 45 -60 grams of protein per day, and that’s easy to achieve with the western diet. A bowl of cereal in the morning, sandwich for lunch, and a piece of steak with veggies for dinner would more than cover this requirement. Protein deficiency is very rare in Australia and other western countries due to the availability of protein in everyday sources.
It’s a common misconception that working out at the gym requires a diet that is super-pumped up with protein. Even if you are interested in bulking up your muscles, it has been shown in some studies that people who stayed on their normal-protein diet gained muscle as quickly as those who supplemented their normal diet with protein shakes and bars. It just isn’t necessary unless your are not eating a balanced diet.
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