Protein
Protein is an important nutrient required for the building, maintenance, and repair of tissues in the body. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, can be synthesized by the body or ingested from food. There are 22 different amino acids in the food we eat, but our body can only make 13 of them from carbohydrates, fats, and other amino acids. The 9 essential amino acids which cannot be produced by the body must be obtained from our diet. A variety of grains, legumes and vegetables can easily provide all the essential amino acids the body requires. There is no need to buy expensive amino acid supplements to complement your diet as they can be found naturally and should be eaten from natural sources with fibre content and other valuable nutrients intact. For instance, soybean contains all the nine essential amino acids, fibre, a rich source of B-vitamins, essential fatty acids, saponins, phytosterols, lecithin and vitamin E.
ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS
- Phenylalanine
- Lysine
- Isoleucine
- Methionine
- Threonine
- Leucine
- Trytophan
- Valine
- Histidine
NONESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS
- Glycine
- Glutamic acid
- Proline
- Alanine
- Serine
- Hydroxyproline
- Cystine
- Citrulline
- Tyrosine
- Arginine
- Aspartic acid
- Norleucine
- Hydroxyglutamic acid
Protein requirements
In reality most of us eat more protein than our body needs. Additionally, the main sources of protein consumed tend to be animal products which are also high in saturated fat. Most of us will be surprised that our protein needs are actually much less than what we have been consuming. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein for the average, sedentary adult is only 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. To find out how much protein an average person needs simply use the formula below:
- Body weight (in pounds) X 0.36 = recommended protein intake
- Body weight (in kilograms) X 0.80 = recommended protein intake
How much does the average person needs? A 138-pound woman needs about 50 grams of protein a day and a 175-pound man, about 64 grams. This would be about two to three 3-ounce servings of lean meat, fish, or chicken (21 grams of protein each). A vegetarian could meet the same protein intake by eating a cup of tofu (20 grams), 4 slices of bread (3 grams each), 2 eggs (12-16 grams) and a cup of yoghurt (10 grams). As you can see, protein deficiency in Malaysia is unlikely.
Does eating more protein than we need cause a problem? Over time the answer is “Yes”. The extra protein we eat is either burned for calories or turned into fat. Our kidneys, too, are overworked by animal protein. The harder the kidney has to work, the more it becomes prone to disease and failure over time.
