Protein Daily Diet

Protein is an important part of healthy functioning of your body. It makes up 45 percent of the human body and 20 percent of muscle mass. It is necessary to keep a proper level of protein in your diet. Protein promotes healing. It also increases your energy and can help prevent disease.

Amino acids

Amino acids are the basic unit of protein. There are 22 amino acids in total. Fourteen of these are made in the body. However eight of them are not and must be consumed in your diet. These eight are called essential amino acids. Protein consumption will give your body the essential amino acids needed for optimal health.

Protein's functions

Protein is important to promote healthy body function. It helps create energy and decrease fatigue. It also builds and repairs body tissues by providing amino acids. It contributes to the body's ability to resist disease. In addition, It is necessary in the mechanisms of muscle contraction, water balance regulation and transportation of nutrients.

Types of protein in food

Many foods contain protein. Some of these foods are made up of complete proteins, meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids. Complete proteins are found in meats, fish and dairy products. Incomplete proteins are those that contain some of the essential amino acids, but not all. In order to get the benefit of protein, you need to eat these with other incomplete proteins. The foods that contain these protein types are some grains, vegetables, legumes and seeds or nuts. Eat from at least two of these four groups in one meal in order to meet your protein needs if you are not also consuming a complete protein. This is especially important for vegetarians and vegans.

Protein intake recommendations

There are various recommendations and opinions on what is an adequate amount of protein intake. One source is the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). This suggests that protein should be about 10 percent to 15 percent of calorie intake. Protein contains 4 Kcal/g energy. Therefore, in order to find the amount of protein calories in a food, take the protein amount listed in grams and multiply it by four. For instance, if there are 5 g of protein listed in a food, 20 calories from that food will be protein. It may be even easier just to count grams. The RDA protein grams recommendation is based on age and gender. (See Resources section)

Work with your medical provider

Educate yourself on your nutritional needs. You may see positive changes in energy level and satiation level just by increasing your protein intake. Or, you may have too much protein in your diet, which can cause joint pain and gall bladder problems, among other health issues. Therefore, remember to discuss any lifestyle changes with your medical care provider to tailor your diet to your individual needs.