‘Life in us is like water in a river’

Henry David Thoreau

If we translate this quote in the language of our body mechanism it means that every cell in your

body is constantly being recycled. You have a new stomach lining every five days. You are

continually replacing old blood cells with new ones. The proteins in your muscle are continually

turned over as old tissue is broken down and new tissue is synthesised. So where are these new

cells/tissues coming from? The answer is: from your food, most precisely from protein.

18-20% of our bodies are made up by protein. Water is the only other substance more plentiful in

the body. There would be no life without protein.

All proteins are made from building blocks called amino acids and there are 20 of these in total.

The three groups of amino acids are: essential, non-essential and conditionally essential.

Out of 20 amino acids 9 are considered to be essential to the daily diet because the body is unable

to produce or synthesise them itself.

Non-essential amino acids are made by the body from essential amino acids. They are present in

many foods but are not always required to be part of the daily diet.

Sources of protein:

Fish and shellfish

Turkey and chicken with skin removed

Lean cuts of beef or pork

Nuts and seeds including almonds, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds

Black beans, kidney beans, lentils, split peas

Tofu, tempeh and other soy protein products

Low-fat dairy products

YOU CAN DIVIDE PROTEINS INTO FURTHER TWO CATEGORIES: COMPLETE AND INCOMPLETE PROTEINS.

1. Complete Proteins contain all nine essential amino acids.

Sources: Eggs, meat, poultry, dairy (animal source)

Soy foods, Buckwheat, Quinoa (non-animal source)

2. Proteins are originated from plants:

Sources: Vegetables, Cereals and grains, Cereal products (bread, pasta), Pulses, Nuts

Quickstart:

Eat a high- protein food with every meal (lean meat, fish, eggs or diary products)
and aim for approximately 1g of protein per pound of body weight per day and your protein nutrition is covered.