August 9, 2017
When it comes to your body and your health, amino acids are one of the most important nutrients that you need to get in your diet.
Amazing Amino Acids
The reason for the importance of amino acids is the sheer volume of metabolic and functional activities that they are involved in! Amino acids are the critical building blocks for everything from your bones to your hormones to your enzymes. With wide-ranging impacts, amino acids are key to just about everything that your body does.
And how do you get amino acids?
It’s simple: you get them from the protein in your diet.
Proteins are, at their most basic level, long chains of amino acids. Each protein will have its own shape and function in the body – and in some cases, may be used in the form that your body absorbed it or may be broken down into its component parts and reassembled into new proteins.
Because your body gets amino acids from proteins, you might think that you need to eat animal products in order to get enough in your diet. Most of us associate “protein” with “meat.” However, you don’t have to eat meat to get amino acids. While animal products are still generally the easiest way to get what is called a full protein, that contains a full complement of your essential amino acids, proper combinations of plant foods can also get you the amino acids you need.
The best way to ensure a good intake of amino acids – as well as ensuring that you get all the essential ones – is to keep food combining in mind. In this case, we mean combining certain foods in order to ensure a full protein.
So how do you get a “complete protein” in a vegetarian meal? You combine legumes (dried peas or beans) with whole grains. Great examples come from Mexican cuisine which often involves combinations of rice and beans. Other good combinations include lentils with barley or even peanut butter on whole wheat or whole grain bread. You can also combine legumes with nuts or seeds for a complete protein. However, there is also one grain – quinoa – which is a complete protein in itself.
You don’t need to have all the essential amino acids in every meal you eat. Researchers now believe that as long as you get the full range of essential amino acids over the course of a day, you’ll be fine.
So how much protein do you need per day? It may be less than you think! For an adult man, the daily requirement is 56 grams. For adult women (unless you are pregnant or breastfeeding), the requirement is just 46 grams. When you get your daily requirement of protein, your body will be getting the amino acids that it needs.
