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The best sources of protein

Why do we need protein and with what products is it best to absorb it?

Protein is the most important substance in our lives. It is the building material of the brain, bones, muscles, etc. Particular attention should be paid to the amount of protein ingested if you are active in sports or lose weight.

If the body lacks protein, especially wholesome, children are impaired mental and physical development, adults can develop various health problems, such as inability to resist infectious diseases, fatigue, drowsiness, muscle weakness.

Protein is made up of amino acids. Food products contain mainly 20 amino acids, which are divided into:

  • Substitute amino acids that can be formed in the human body from other amino acids;
  • Essential amino acids, which in the human body can not be formed from other amino acids, they have a total of 8, but in infants 10 and they can be absorbed only by diet.
 

A person needs about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. When composing a diet, it is best to combine different sources of protein, because if you eat protein from only one food group, your body will not get all the essential amino acids.

Respectively, not only the amount of protein is important, but also the source of its intake.

Every source of protein, be it chicken, beef or peanuts, contains different amounts of amino acids. Of the 20 possible amino acids, eight are vital for the body. These amino acids can only be obtained from food. Therefore, it is very important to properly compile your menu, including different sources of protein.

Products of animal origin (meat, eggs, dairy products) contain all the essential amino acids in various proportions, but most plant foods contain only the essential amino acid fractions. This means that if you choose to get protein, for example, from nuts alone, your body will not receive all the amino acids that are important for it to function - so vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they have all the protein they need special care must be taken when choosing foods.

Of course, this is not a reason to eat protein only from steaks when eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition to protein, beef contains a large amount of calories, fat and cholesterol, which in excess of the consumption of this product will negatively affect both your figure and your health in general.

Remember that every product you use as a source of protein also contains a certain amount of vitamins and minerals. Some foods are rich in vitamin B, others are rich in iron, and others have virtually no nutrients.

Read more about how much protein you should eat per day HERE.

 

Meat of animals and poultry

Animal and poultry meat is a complete source of protein, which contains all the amino acids needed by the human body. It is recommended to choose lean veal, beef, beef, rabbit, turkey or chicken. Cooking meat is very important. Boil, steam, stew, grill, but do not "float" the meat in fat - if you really want to fry it - lightly fry it without fat or lightly grease the pan by spraying a small amount of oil on it with a spray dispenser.

 

Seafood

Seafood and all kinds of fish are also a complete source of protein, which contains all the amino acids needed by the human body. It is best to use them fresh (lightly salted), baked in foil, grilled, steamed or cooked. I would not recommend canned food, except for tuna in its own juice, but read the labels - choose products that are as clean as possible. When choosing hot smoked or marinated fish, it should be taken into account that such products are high in salt. Cold-smoked fish contain more salt than hot-smoked fish. It would be desirable to include fatty and medium-fat fish in a balanced diet.

 

Dairy products

Contains all the amino acids needed by the human body. I recommend choosing skimmed milk cheese, low-fat cheeses (approximately +/- 10% fat per 100g), such as "Tea" cheese, "Strength" cheese, etc. I certainly do not urge you to give up fatter cheeses in principle, such as 'Parmesan', which is considered to be one of the most concentrated sources of calcium in the cheese category, but use it in small quantities - more than a dozen grams is enough to give it a taste. Use sour milk products up to 2% fat 100g - this is especially true for people with indigestion, because sour milk products are processed and absorbed more easily in the body compared to sweet milk products.

Eggs are also a complete source of protein. Soft-boiled eggs are the most valuable in terms of nutritional value - most of the vitamins (A, E, K…) and a large part of the minerals are concentrated in the egg yolk and it contains half of the protein in the egg. Eggs also contain lecithin, which improves memory and nerve cell function, helps to improve fat metabolism, etc. Of course, this does not mean that eggs should be eaten indefinitely - the diet must be balanced with the needs of your body.

 

Legumes

All types of beans, lentils, peas… If you buy ready-made, canned beans, Turkish peas, lentils, rinse with water before use to get rid of excess salt. It should be noted that legumes are equally nutritionally relevant for both the complex carbohydrate and the protein product groups. All legumes, except soy, contain low-quality protein, but by combining different sources of protein, it is possible to obtain a full spectrum of amino acids.

 

Mushrooms

When eating only mushrooms, it is not possible to absorb all the necessary amino acids. Dried mushrooms contain the highest concentration of valuable substances, and such mushrooms are also used optimally by the body. Fungal proteins, like other plant-derived proteins, are approximately 25-30% less absorbed in the human body than animal-derived proteins.

 

Seeds and nuts

Unsalted and preferably not roasted, as the wrong choice of temperature during roasting can adversely affect the positive properties of the fatty acids in nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are considered to be a source of low-quality protein that does not contain all the amino acids needed by the human body. Seeds and nuts are equally nutritionally included in the group of unsaturated fat products.

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