PROTEIN IMPORTANCE IN DIET
- josephplatt1979
- Jul 23, 2021
- 9 min read
Updated: Dec 27, 2022
Protein importance in diet
Are you getting enough protein in your diet? While you may watch your calories, sugar and salt intake, you should also make sure you are ingesting enough protein. Daily protein importance in diet plays a vital role in keeping your cells in good shape and should be part of any healthy nutrition plan.
What is protein
Protein is made up of amino acids known as building blocks because they are attached in long chains. These amino acids are organic compounds composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and your body needs 20 different amino acids to grow and function properly. Though all 20 of these are important for your health, only nine amino acids are classified as essential and these are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
Protein is considered a macronutrient meaning that you need relatively large amounts of it to stay healthy with average adult needing a around of 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. However, your protein needs may increase if you are very active, like people who do body building or resistance training.
Protein is commonly found in animal products, though is also present in other sources, such as nuts, legumes, and supplements.
Protein for our body
There are many reasons why you should make sure you are getting enough protein every day as every cell in the human body contains protein and it will need a daily dose. There are many important reasons for protein importance in diet and they include:
To build - Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage and skin. In fact, your hair and nails are comprised mostly of protein. This is because protein supplies the body with the essential amino acids required to make keratin. Keratin is one of the building blocks of the human body and the form of protein that makes up our skin, hair and nails.
To Repair - Your body needs protein to help build and repair muscle, skin, and other body tissues. We must make sure we take in enough protein to help you rebuild damaged muscles to prevent injury and make you stronger.
Help Digest - When you eat food, the body’s digestive system breaks down dietary protein into individual amino acids, which are absorbed and used by cells to build other proteins. About half the dietary protein that you consume each day goes into making enzymes, which aids in digesting food, and making new cells and body chemicals. Consuming protein-rich foods that are satiating enough to carry you through to your next meal is important for maintaining a healthy gut.
Strong tendons - Because protein makes up the majority of your body’s tendons and ligaments, it’s important to feed yourself plenty of protein that you can use toward these body parts. Two amino acids in particular, glycine and proline, are found in substantial amounts in your tendons. Taking supplements of these two amino acids can help improve the health of your tendons and ligaments.
Boosts immune system - Protein serves towards this critical function in the body as It helps power your immune system, stoking the cells that you need to fight off infection, both bacterial and viral, and keep your guard up against illness of all kinds. By stimulating white blood cells to help your body fight off infection.
Good for Your Bones - People who eat more protein tend to maintain bone mass better as they age and have a much lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Eating more protein helps your body absorb more calcium which will help strengthen and build bone.
To oxygenate - Red blood cells contain a protein compound that carries oxygen throughout the body. This helps supply your entire body with the nutrients it needs.
Help regulate hormones- Protein plays an important role in hormone regulation. Its the building block for our cells and creates the structural framework for hormones to develop, acting as the internal communication to carry messages between organs, cells and systems. When it comes to weight loss then eating more protein decreases the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates the production of hormones that help you feel full.
Better skin - Protein contains L-lysine and L-proline, that support the body’s production of collagen, which is an essential building block of the skin. Its important to get enough protein so we have those amino acids for that glowing, youthful skin most of us covet. One of the signs of protein deficiency is thin and tired-looking skin. if you want plump, radiant skin, eating protein particularly proteins like salmon that have other skin benefits is a great idea.
Protein importance in diet for Weight loss and muscle building
One of the reasons protein is so popular and the cornerstone of many diets is because of its link to weight loss and muscle building. Having a balanced diet with enough protein through the day, eating it with other key nutrients, and picking the right sources, can help you optimize your fitness success whether your goal is weight loss or to build muscle. The biggest misconception about protein is that you need huge amounts to build muscle or burn fat which isn’t true. You should have protein with each meal and its also possible to get extra protein through supplements if you struggle to eat a lot of protein.
BUILD MUSCLE - If you wish to build muscle, there is no escaping the importance of protein. To build new muscle then protein must be available to build new muscle on top of what is already there. Your body needs to synthesize more muscle protein than it breaks down, amino acids are also used for muscle protein synthesis (MPS), repairing and maintaining muscles after strenuous activity that causes micro-tears in our muscles. This is a natural process that happens when we exercise our muscles, and in turn it can lead to stronger muscles that are better adapted to the type of training that caused the tears. Anyone looking to build muscle needs to make sure they're getting enough protein.
WEIGHT LOSS- Protein helps people lose weight or maintain weight loss because Consuming more protein has a positive impact on resting metabolism. The body uses energy to digest and make use of the nutrients in food. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF) and protein’s thermic effect is much higher than at of carbohydrates and fat. The greater the thermic effect of a food, the greater the energy expenditure after consuming a meal. Studies have demonstrated that foods high in dietary protein have the greatest influence on the thermic effect, contributing approximately twice as much to the estimated thermic effect of food as fat or carbohydrate.
Protein importance in diet foods
Whether you’re an athlete working towards an ideal body composition or just someone trying to lose a little belly fat, consider replacing some of your carbs and fats with protein in your daily meals and snacks. You can always get a good amount of protein from fish, beef, chicken, Turkey and pork but you can also get it in other ways like:
Eggs - This is high quality protein and is something in between whey and casein, in that it is faster than casein but slower than whey. You can take a combination of whey, egg white, and casein protein any time of the day because it helps provide your body with medium-, slow-, and fast-digesting proteins.
Nuts and seeds - Nuts and seeds are a practical protein choice if you’re on the move. Around 50 pistachio nuts provide 6g of protein, plus sodium and potassium, the electrolytes lost in sweat during exercise.
Protein bars - You can have protein bars when you do not have enough time to prep every snack and meal. You can easily find protein bars that contain a mix of protein, carbs, and fats, which actually make these bars a small meal.
Whey protein - Bodybuilders use whey protein supplements but anyone can make use of whey powders to increase their intake of protein. It helps stimulate muscle growth before and after your workouts. It is better to opt for whey powders that contain whey protein isolate because your body can digest them quickly.
Casein Protein - Your body takes no time to absorb whey protein, but sometimes you will need a type of protein that takes longer to digest. That is when casein protein comes into picture. Have it before going to bed to provide your body with a steady supply of amino acids. cottage cheese is a great source of casein.
Soy Protein- Your body can digest soy protein isolate quite quickly, but the real benefit of taking soy protein is that it increases nitric oxide levels and improves muscle recovery after workouts.
Beans and pulses - Beans and pulses are great, cheap protein sources. They are also a useful plant source of iron and are rich in fibre.
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO WE NEED
We all need to make sure we have protein with each meal so we know that we are hitting the daily required amount. Eating enough protein daily is essential to cover your body's needs as protein helps your body maintain a proper fluid balance, builds and repairs tissues, transports nutrients, and provides other vital functions.
How much protein do you need? It is recommended to have anywhere from 10% to 35% of your calories from protein. So, if your needs are 2,000 calories, that's 200–700 calories from protein, or 50–175 grams.
There are certain times and certain people that will require a little more protein than most. Some people may need more protein depending on age and activity. The people who need more protein than most are:
ATHLETES - They need protein to maintain and repair muscle tissue, which intense physical exercise can break down. Protein needs for an athlete are greater than for the average sedentary individual. This is a result of the effects of exercise on metabolism. Endurance athletes metabolize protein differently during long-lasting activity. For strength-training athletes’, muscles tear during a workout and protein is required to repair and rebuild these muscles.
OLDER PEOPLE - As you age, your body requires roughly 40% more protein than a younger adult to better preserve muscle mass and strength to maintain a certain quality of life. Having sufficient protein also helps to increase the body’s immune functions and reduce recovery time from illness. As we age, our bodies do not process amino acids as efficiently. We also lose muscle mass, which decreases overall strength and mobility.
PREGNANT - Eating enough protein during pregnancy also supports the baby's development, since amino acids are required for normal cell growth and function. Meeting your daily protein needs may also lower the risk of complications like fetal growth restriction and preterm labor. These women need at least 71 grams of protein per day to help build the baby's muscles, bones, and tissues.
AFTER SURGERY - People recovering from surgery need more protein to help repair skin and tissues. Following surgery, your body needs a high amount of protein and iron. Your muscles have been potentially damaged, moved and manipulated during the surgical procedure and now needs to repair those muscles. Amino acids in the protein help repair muscle damage by regenerating tissue and speeding up wound healing.
Lack of protein
Protein importance in diet is to make sure you're getting enough protein but what happens when you don’t eat enough protein? Well, it depends on the severity of the protein deficiency. True protein deficiency is typically seen in developing countries leading to serious conditions but if we do not have enough then we can cause ourselves problems no matter where we are from.
Below are some symptoms of protein deficiency—keep in mind that as with any nutrient deficiency, symptoms can have other causes, so this is a general list and not to be used to self-diagnose.
Slow recovery from injuries
to heal and rebuild new cells, tissue, and skin and for immunity, we need a sufficient amount of protein. Meaning, a protein deficiency could significantly slow your recovery time if you do ever get injured.
Hunger and cravings.
Constant food cravings and needing snacks often between meals may be a sign that you're low in protein. Protein is the most satiating nutrient, meaning that it helps keep you fuller for longer. If you're low in this satiating nutrient, you might experience some hunger pangs throughout the day. Protein can even out blood sugar highs and lows, you might be yearning for sweets to satisfy your hunger—leading to that all-too-familiar blood sugar spikes and crashes cycle.
Muscle weakness or joint pain.
A lack of protein can lead to a lack in muscle. Eating a low amount of protein is found to have an increased rate of muscle loss. Animal protein in particular is good for joints, as the collagen in these protein sources has been shown to alleviate joint pain. A daily intake of protein was also found to help alleviate pain in patients with osteoarthritis.
Getting sick regularly.
Frequent illness means you have a poor immune system and immune cells are made from proteins. Study have found that people who consumed a low amount of protein for nine weeks had a significantly lower immune response than those who ate a good healthy amount of protein.
Brain fog.
Brain fog, fatigue, and a lack of concentration may be related to fluctuating blood sugar and lack of protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Those deficient in protein are also deficient in neurotransmitters that can impact mood, anxiety, and sleep.
Hair, skin, and nail troubles.
Thin hair, hair falling out, peeling skin and nails, and ridges in nails are some of the first signs your body may not have enough protein. Biotin, a water-soluble B-vitamin, is required for the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids found in proteins—and it helps keep our skin, hair, and nails healthy and looking vibrant. Usually, protein-loss and biotin-loss go hand-in-hand, which is why many people experience hair loss when depleted in protein.
Bottom line
Protein importance in diet is vital for us to be able to function from day to day. Protein is used for nearly all processes of the body. Not consuming enough protein results in a protein deficiency, which can reduce your muscle mass, impair your immune response, and reduce bone density, leading to osteoporosis and many other illnesses. Make sure you get enough protein from either animal, supplement or plant sources but whichever type you choose, make sure to include a variety of sources throughout the day.
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