Why Protein is Important?
Proteins are highly complex
substances that are present in all living organisms. It is the most important
component of our body as excluding fat and water almost everything is made up
of protein. From collagen in bones, enzymes, hair, nails, to skeletal muscles
and internal organs everything is essentially made up of protein. The basic
unit of a protein is an amino acid. These amino acids are linked together by
peptide bonds to form a polymer called as protein. Amino acids
are organic compounds made up of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulphur.
These amino
acids are usually produced by body but few of them are to be obtained through
our diet and are called as essential amino acids.
There
are 20 different amino acids that make up each molecule of protein, and these
are split into 2 categories: Non-Essential Amino Acids and Essential
Amino Acids (EAAs)
- Non-Essential
Amino Acids – produced naturally by the body
- Essential
Amino Acids – not produced naturally by the body and must be consumed
through food or supplementation
There
are “9” Essential Amino Acids which are not produced by our body: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
Proteins offer a high nutritional value and are
actively engaged in the chemical processes necessary for life. Protein
falls under the category of macronutrient and required by the body in
considerable amounts along with fats and carbs that fuel the body with calories
(energy) and is significant to building muscle mass. The daily recommended
dietary allowance for protein as per USDA is from 0.8 gm to 1.4 gm per kilogram
for regular maintenance while 1.5 gm to 2.2 gm per kilogram for athletes and
body builders. Protein metabolism is associated with increasing muscle mass and
to understand that we must know that there are only two ways in which we can increase
our muscle mass.
1. Hyperplasia:
Increment of cells in the muscle fibre.
2. Hypertrophy:
Increment in the size of cells in muscle fibre.
After rigorous exercise or resistance training micro tears are formed inside muscle fibre and they require protein for their repair. As a result, when new muscle fibres are formed, they are usually bigger than the previous ones and thus lean muscle mass is increased. This is a result of hypertrophy within the muscle fibre where cells in muscle fibres expand in size and makes the muscle fibres stronger than before.
Types
of protein
Protein is an important macronutrient and can be obtained from following categories:
Plant
Protein
·
Pea protein
·
Soy protein
·
Chickpea
·
Kidneybean
·
Lentils
·
Mixed nuts, etc.
Plant
based proteins takes longer time to digest and are called as incomplete protein
as they do not possess all 9 essential amino acids. They also lack high levels
of iron and Vitamin B12 which is actively present in animal protein. However, plant-based
nutrients like phytonutrients and some antioxidants are present in plant
protein. With the increasing number of vegan plant-based protein are the only
natural sources of protein. Plants based foods like quinoa and buckwheat are considered
as complete source of protein.
Animal
Protein
Meat/poultry
based
·
Chicken
·
Fish
·
Pork
·
Eggs
·
Turkey, etc
Dairy
based
·
Casein (Milk)
·
Whey
Animal
protein is considered to be complete protein as all the 9 essential amino acids
are present in it. However, few animal proteins obtained from meat also contain
good amount of cholesterol which leads to cardiovascular diseases. Animal
proteins are also obtained from non-meat sources like eggs and milk. Whey
protein which is the fastest absorbing and complete protein source is obtained
through milk. It is the most common protein supplement consumed as protein
shakes.
can you please elaborate on how and when protein should be taken for weightloss and fatloss?
Protein should be taken according to your daily level of activity if you are more active during the day you will require more protein. An athlete or a person doing resistance training would require more protein per kilogram of body weight when compared to someone with low to moderate activity.
Protein helps in weight loss as it cuts down sugar cravings by as much as 60% and also keeps you full since it is not readily absorbed when compared to carbs. If you are looking for weight loss through running or through cardio training than regular intake of protein preserve lean body weight which is required of skeletal strength. Different people consume protein in a different manner but it is prescribed that it should be taken with breakfast and post workout.