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Protein: More than just muscle food

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Protein is arguably the most important of the macro nutrients as it is vital, not just for growth and recovery of muscle tissue, but for virtually every process that goes on in our body. For this reason, maintaining proper dietary intake of protein is essential for life. The functions of protein in the body range from structural and movement applications as found in muscle tissue, to enzymatic reactions necessary for digestion, to cellular communications as seen in hormones, and much more. Proteins, like carbohydrates, have a caloric value of 4 calories per gram. General recommendations for protein intake are between 20-35% of your daily calorie intake, while in lowered carbohydrate diets protein intake can be increased above 50%. However, for individuals with kidney issues, high protein diets are not recommended as increased nitrogen levels that occur when protein is utilized for energy can put added strain on your kidneys.

Proteins are complex structures that are made up of smaller molecules called amino acids, which are the building blocks of the body. Amino acids are broken into two categories based on our body’s ability to manufacture them. Nonessential amino acids can be can be synthesized by the body when needed, where as essential amino acids (EAA’s) must be taken in through what we eat. There are eight essential amino acids: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, leucine, and lysine. All of these amino acids are ingested in sufficient quantities in a normal balanced diet consisting whole sources of plant and animal proteins, however, if you are on any type of restrictive or specialized diet you may need to supplement your intake.

There is further classification of proteins as complete or incomplete. Complete proteins are proteins that contain all of the EAA’s and include just about all of the animal proteins such as chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc. Incomplete proteins are missing one or more of the EAA’s. These proteins are generally found in plant sources. If you are on a vegan or vegetarian diet, you can still take in all of the necessary EAA’s by eating the proper combinations of plant proteins.

Proper amino acid intake becomes even more important when you are engaging in exercise. Regardless of the type of training you are doing, protein intake is vital for the rebuilding and recovery of muscle tissue following exercise. Think of your body as a house and amino acids as the building material. If you run out of nails while you’re building a wall the process comes to a halt in the same way that muscle recovery is delayed when the proper amino acids are not available. If those nails don’t arrive, the workers building the wall may take nails from other areas of the house to finish their project thereby weakening those other parts of the house. Glutamine, for example, is an amino acid that is heavily utilized by your immune system. If you are not taking sufficient quantities of this amino acid in your diet and your body needs to rebuild from an intense workout, it can potentially take the glutamine that would otherwise have gone to powering your immune system leaving your more susceptible to illness.

Related articles: Carbohydrates: Not always the enemy, Fats: The good, the bad, and the ugly, Building healthy meals

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