Health, Fitness & Nutrition

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:57:17 +0000

Protein is needed by our bodies for our muscles, skin, hair and internal organs, protein travels around the body in blood as hormones, red blood cells and enzymes. Protein is the only food source of nitrogen and is made up of chains of amino acid and there are 22 amino acids, eight of these acids are called the essential amino acids because our bodies cannot make them we must get them from our diet.

What does protein do?
» Anti bodies which consist of protein are essential in helping our bodies fight and resist diseases.
» You use up protein in everyday living just to keep your body running smoothly.
» Everyday we lose protein in the form of hair, skin and nails.
» Protein is supplied to the body to help heal and repair injuries.
» For growing children protein is needed for growth of the entire body.
» If you have an operation protein is needed to help build your body back to fitness.

Where do we get protein from?
Protein comes from the food we eat and are classed as either complete or incomplete proteins, complete proteins come from animal products such as chicken, fish and dairy products and they contain all the essential amino acids which are needed to help keep our body fit and healthy.

Incomplete protein are found in plant foots such as grains, nuts, beans and vegetables and provide a limited array of amino acids. Incomplete proteins must be eaten in a vast amount to enable us to receive all that is needed for protein building.

Incomplete and complete proteins can be combined together to compliment each other, for example many cereals are low in lysine but high in cystine, kidney beans are high in lysine but low in cystine.

Examples of combining proteins are, rice and beans, bread and cheese and cereal and milk. Recent studies have shown that the combinations don’t have to be eaten at the same time, the necessary building of muscle and tissue is still done providing they are eaten during the course of the day.

How much protein do we need?
The body’s protein needs on a daily basis depend on your age, sex and weight, on average the amount of protein you need can be worked out by multiplying your weight in pounds by the numbers shown below:
» An adult who doesn’t exercise much – weight x 0.4
» An adult who exercises on a regular basis – weight x 0.5
» An athlete – weight x 0.6
» An adult who is body building for muscle mass – weight x 0.7
» A growing teenage athlete – weight x 0.9

Action Nutrition bars are full of the protein and nutrition that every diet needs.