Hello and welcome to Hopkins Family Med & Urgent Care, PLLC Blog.
In this section we will be talking about proteins as part of our nutritional series. This blog will be going along with the YouTube video below.
Protein
Protein plays a major role in structural and functional mechanisms of the human body.
It is one of 3 macronutrients that provides a source of energy
It can be seen in muscle, organs, hair, nails, skin, teeth, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.
Protein is also part of enzymes, membranes, antibodies, hemoglobin, and some hormones
It also helps to create muscle tissue to fight illness
Research shows we require only about 10 percent of our daily total calories to come from protein.
Let's talk Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein
Includes nitrogen to the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in its makeup.
From a total of 20 amino acids, protein is assembled from strings of amino acids in different sequences.
Your body is unable to manufacture nine of these amino acids known as essential amino acids, so you must get them from your diet. Your body can produce the other 11 amino acids.
The following list breaks down all 20 amino acids into their respective categories based on whether or not they are required in your diet:
When a protein needs to be built, the body restrings the amino acids together in the order required to make whatever protein is necessary at the time.
Lets talk about some protein myths
Did you know Human breast milk contains only 5% of its total calories from protein?
Bananas contain 5 percent of their total calories from protein, white potatoes have 8 percent, and brown rice has 9 percent.
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) - the meaning behind this concept is that, for a complete diet a range of energy sources such a protein, fat and carbohydrate should be associated with reduce risk of chronic disease while giving the body enough essential nutrient to thrive and maintain its functions. For protein it is 10 to 35 percent of total calories.
We actually need only 5 or 6 percent of our total calories from protein to replace what we lose every day.
Research shows that once protein intake increases to levels about 10 percent - specifically from animal sources - disease processes begin.
Best to maintain protein consumption at approximately 10 percent of total calories.
Some plant foods are very high in protein, including beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Lentils have 36 percent, and, believe it or not, leafy green vegetables have almost half their total calories from protein.
Protein combining is based on the notion that the body requires all nine essential amino acids present in every meal.
please remember- Our body requires and utilizes amino acids- not intact proteins!
Do you know how much protein we really require in a day?
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is 0.8 gram per kilogram of bodyweight per day (g/kg/day) for adults 19 years old and above.
The RDAs for children are higher on a gram-per-body weight basis than for adults.
People who eat a whole-food, plant-based diet automatically get perfect amounts of protein, carbs, and fat.
the bottom line is most people who consume a whole grain plant base from a variety of foods, don’t need to worry about calculating, weighing, measuring, or counting calories.
Excellent Sources of Protein Can Be Found In Plants
You can find a good quantity and varieties of amino acids come packaged with phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Including excessive amounts of protein not only is unnecessary, but it also can be dangerous. The kidneys, which metabolize protein, have to work hard to break down the nitrogenous waste that occurs with a high protein intake especially when the protein is from animal products.
Lets try to save our kidneys from large quantities of protein which can lead to kidney stones and other, more serious diseases!
The chart below provides excellent examples of plant protein sources
We would like to thank you for visiting our blog and please subscribe to our YouTube channel as we will be bringing more educational content; have a blessed one! -----Fikisha L. Warden, MD