Protein on the Menu

New nutrition studies, diet trends and health claims flood the media. Protein gets a lot of attention because, well, the human body relies on protein to build and maintain so many structures, such as muscles, skin, hair, internal organs, blood supply, to name a few.

Protein found in food also promotes a feeling of “satiety” or fullness, cueing the brain that “I’ve had enough” with small portions of protein-contain food. Protein is an important nutrient, but most healthy people can obtain sufficient daily protein from the foods they include on their menu.

Protein is one of the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein) that provide energy (calories) to the body. Proteins are made of amino acids that bind together in different ways to create the different types of protein. That is one of the reasons that different protein foods have different tastes and textures.

The human body needs about 20 different types of amino acids to stay healthy. We can produce eleven amino acids from the foods we eat, but the nine amino acids (called “essential amino acids”) we cannot produce need to be obtained from the foods we eat. Foods that contain all nine of the essential amino acids are largely animal products. All kinds of meat, seafood, dairy and poultry.

But there several plant-based foods, such as soy (edamame, soy milk, tofu, veggie burgers made largely with TVP or soy, quinoa and  buckwheat, to name a few, that contain all the essential amino acids.

Some plant-based foods contain most of the essential amino acids. These include oats, beans, lentils, nuts and nut butters, seeds, such as sesame or chia seeds and  rice. Eating a variety of these foods throughout the day can provide all the essential amino acids.

Protein is often called “the building block of life,” as proteins are involved in every cell in the body and in most body functions, including digestion, blood clotting, immunity, hormone production, such as thyroid hormone and insulin, and is the main component in hair, skin and nails. This does not mean that including large amounts of protein in the diet will make nails stronger, increase the production of insulin or build muscles. It does mean that inadequate amounts of protein may lead to some health issues.

The good news is that a small amount of protein goes a long way. Everyone is different, but a generalization for healthy adults is about 50 grams of protein per day (that’s about two ounces or four tablespoons). Put another way, many of us may meet at least half our daily protein needs by breakfast time. A cup of Greek-style yogurt and a handful of nuts can contain about 28 grams of protein. One egg, an ounce of chicken (and most of us eat more than an ounce, about 2 tablespoons, of chicken in one serving), a cup of lentil soup, or about 4 tablespoons of humus each contribute about 8-10 ounces of protein.

Many protein-enhanced products, such as protein shakes, contain whey. Whey is a dairy by-product, the watery component of cottage cheese. Remember Miss Moffett sitting on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey? That’s cottage cheese to non-Ukers.

Whey is produced in massive amounts, as a side ingredient of cheese and other dairy item products. Whey was originally used in animal feed, as it was inexpensive, very available and had such an unpleasant aroma that humans would not use it. Modern whey may not have an odor, depending on production methods. Whey is a dairy derivative, so people with a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance may want to avoid it.

Healthcare professionals often use the formula of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of weight for a healthy adult. This looks like pounds of weight divided by 2.2 (this converts pounds to kilograms) times 0. 8.. This provides the number of grams of protein needed on a daily basis. We’ll remember that individual needs differ and  that this formula is based on minimum daily needs.

The amount of protein included on the daily menu can be dependent on preference, economics and  availability. Protein foods in the United States are more available and more economically priced than in many countries, so protein food portions tend to be larger in the US.

Questions or ideas for topics? Please contact Nancy at foodprof2@gmail.com.