The ‘Protein’ industry is huge now, its prevalence in products now is starting to get frankly silly, Mars, Snickers, Boost and now even Weetabix have been re-branded in a protein revolution. Be careful, as protein quantity only needs to be 1g higher to call it high protein.
Anyway, protein is everywhere now, but why?
Protein is the only macro-nutrient that we require daily, carbohydrates and fats can be stored as muscle glycogen and adipose tissue respectively. This is why is it is important, and a focus on branding for many products.
How much we need differs on activity level, lifestyle, age, weight, body composition and a couple of other things, but we can say that you need between 1.2-2g/kg as a minimum.
But what does Protein do?
Firstly, protein builds, repairs and retains muscle mass, it is the building blocks of which everything in our body is made. If we train we want to see the benefit, don’t we?
Secondly, it is the highest satiating macronutrient of the 3 we regularly consume, meaning that you will feel fuller for longer following consumption. This is why it’s the staple of meals throughout the year for gym-goers and people aiming to lose body fat. So splitting up your daily intake into 3-4 meals daily will limit hunger signals and therefore limit snacking.
Protein can come from many sources, meats, cheeses, beans, yoghurts, tofu, soy and a couple more. These are categorised into two categories, complete and non-complete Protein is broken down into amino acids, of which there are 20, 9 essential and 11 non-essential.
Essential amino acids cannot be made in the body, therefore have to be consumed from foods, where as non-essential can be converted from other amino acids.
Why is Protein Important?
Well, if the essential amino acids aren’t consumed, then the effect of protein becomes diminished, almost negligible. Some protein sources (meats, dairy, quinoa and soy) are complete, so we get the full complement of amino acids, allowing for maximal growth. However, sources like beans, legumes, hemp, and most other vegetable sources aren’t complete proteins, so you need to couple them together with sources that complement the missing amino acid.
Here’s a link to guide for completing your protein…