What is protein and why does your body need it?
What is protein? Put simply, it is the body’s building material: your muscles, immunity, recovery and many everyday bodily processes depend on it. If you eat too little or your diet lacks variety, your body will let you know sooner or later.
What does protein do for your body?
Protein is made up of 22 different amino acids. In different combinations, these amino acids form thousands of proteins that your body uses every day. Some help build muscles and tissues, some help maintain immunity, and others act as enzymes and hormones involved in metabolism.
Your body can produce most of the amino acids it needs. These are called nonessential amino acids. However, there are 9 amino acids that your body cannot produce in sufficient amounts and must obtain from food. These are known as essential amino acids.
These are lysine, methionine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine and threonine; in young children, histidine is also included. The list may sound dry, but the idea behind it is simple: your body needs a range of amino acids from food to function properly.
Why does protein really matter?
Protein is not just for gym-goers. Yes, you need protein to maintain and build muscle mass, but it is just as important if you simply want to recover normally, feel less tired and resist illness more effectively.
Dietary proteins provide the building material for synthesizing the body’s own proteins. They are involved in antibody production and the development of immunity to infectious diseases. They also act as catalysts and regulators and help transport various compounds around the body.
If your diet contains too little protein or too little of a necessary amino acid, children’s growth may slow. Adults may lose muscle mass and become less resistant to infectious diseases. Susceptibility to respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases may increase in particular. A diet low in protein may also slow blood formation and disrupt central nervous system function. In children, psychomotor and intellectual development may slow.
What is dietary protein and how do you assess its quality?
The biological value of dietary proteins depends on their amino acid composition. A complete protein contains all the amino acids your body needs to synthesize proteins in organs and tissues. These proteins are found mainly in animal foods: milk, meat, eggs and fish.
These proteins have a high digestibility of approximately 90 %. This does not mean other foods are poor choices. It simply means that animal sources often provide a combination of amino acids that your body can use very readily.
Proteins found in plant foods do not always contain all the essential amino acids, or they contain too little of some of them. This is why they are called incomplete proteins. Their digestibility is lower, at approximately 60 %. In practice, this can be improved by combining different sources of plant-based protein.
Water-soluble protein, meaning protein that dissolves in water, describes a property of protein rather than a separate miracle substance. From a nutrition perspective, the bigger picture matters more: whether your daily diet provides enough quality protein and whether you eat a variety of foods.
Practical protein sources for your everyday diet
Almost all unprocessed foods are sources of protein. The main sources of animal protein are meat, milk and eggs. These are considered good sources in terms of both protein quality and quantity.
Among sources of plant-based protein, legumes are good choices in terms of both protein quality and quantity. Potatoes contain relatively large amounts of protein, but it is not considered particularly high quality. Grain products, fruit and root vegetables are not considered particularly good protein sources, but they can still contribute to your intake.
Frankly, eating just one source of protein every day is not the best approach. It makes more sense to combine different foods: for example, eggs and dairy products, meat or fish with grains and vegetables, or legumes with other plant foods. This gives your body a wider range of amino acids.
You should also be careful about overconsumption. Excess protein may affect the kidneys’ excretory function, meaning that metabolic waste products may not be adequately eliminated from the body. Disruptions to antibody production, reduced resistance to infectious diseases and an increased incidence of allergic diseases have also been reported. Calcium retention in the body has been observed with high dietary protein intake, which may cause excessive mineralization of a child’s skeleton.
FAQ: what is protein and what should you remember?
Do only people who exercise need protein?
No. Everyone needs protein because it is involved in tissue building, immunity, metabolism and recovery. Training simply means you often need to pay more attention to the quantity and quality of your protein intake.
Can plant-based protein be enough?
Yes, but plant sources need to be combined more thoughtfully. Legumes are a good starting point, but your diet should be varied because different plant foods provide different amino acid profiles.
Can you eat too much protein?
Yes, you can. A very high-protein diet that lacks variety is not automatically healthier. Alongside protein, your body also needs carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and enough fluids.
Get your daily protein here: https://turg.fitness.ee/et
Author: Ero Viik
Source: WHO – healthy eating.
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