I personally find it a bit amusing how protein obsessed we are in the United States.  You would think there is a chronic protein shortage.  In one way there is; we don’t eat nearly enough plant protein.  However, we as a culture are obsessed with animal proteins.  This obsession is so dominant that many people supplement their diets with protein powders, collagen supplements, and consume massive amounts of meat, eggs, and dairy.  I dream of a day when this energy is channeled into an obsession with fiber and whole plant foods.  Our health and the health of our planet would look vastly different!

This week, let’s take a look at protein.  We will explore what it is, why it’s needed, what “complete proteins” are, how much protein we need, and how to make sure we are getting the right amount in.  I will also touch on the environmental and ethical implications of where we get the majority of our protein.

What is protein? 

Simply put, proteins provide our bodies with their structure and do a majority of the work of life.  

Proteins like collagen and elastin form our skin, our connective tissues, and provide the matrix of our bones.  A fun science experiment is to soak a raw bone in vinegar for a couple of weeks.  The acid will remove the minerals from the bone leaving behind the protein structure.  The bone will look almost the same, but you will be able to twist it and bend it and it will still be quite hard to tear.  Other proteins form our hair and nails, and still others create the gel-like substance found between cells.  Gelatin is an example of that gel-like substance, and if you have ever made Jello, you know that a small amount can absorb a lot of water and provide a jiggly structure. 

When it comes to work, proteins in the form of enzymes push chemical reactions along.  This  allows our bodies to break molecules down and turn them into new things.  Proteins also move substances across our cell membranes allowing things like hormones and nutrients in and out of our cells.  In our blood, proteins act like shuttles moving substances to their intended destination and when needed, create blood clots to stop us from bleeding to death from a papercut.   Many proteins also act as hormones.  Basically, they perform the work of life.

In a cross between structure and work, the proteins actin and myosin create our muscles.  Actin utilizes the energy we create from fats, carbohydrates, and protein to pull on myosin, making our muscles shorter and allowing us to move through the world, have a heartbeat, swallow, get goose bumps, and even push a baby from the cozy womb into the world. 

Proteins can be broken down into smaller molecules called amino acids.  These chemicals are used to make new proteins, neurotransmitters, DNA and RNA, vitamins, and other important molecules.  Excess amino acids can be broken down to make energy. 

Complete proteins: 

There are twenty different amino acids used in the human body.  Of these, nine are considered essential, which means they must be consumed through our food.  To be considered a complete protein, a food must have all nine of these amino acids.  

Additionally, two amino acids are conditionally essential, meaning that there are times when we cannot make enough to function properly and need to supplement them through our food. 

Essential amino acids: 

The nine amino acids that we must always get from our diet are: 

1. Histidine

2. Methionine

3. Threonine

4. Valine

5. Isoleucine

6. Phenylalanine

7. Tryptophan

8. Leucine

9. Lysine

Conditionally essential amino acids: 

The two amino acids that we sometime need from our food are: 

1. Cystine

2. Tyrosine

It’s okay if these words are all new to you.  Most people do not track their amino acid intake, and many popular nutrition trackers don’t either.  One reason I recommend people use the app cronometer is the fact that it tracks all of the above amino acids and helps people ensure they are meeting their nutritional needs.  Try it and play along this year as we discuss different nutrients!  The free version works fantastically for this!

Amino acids can be used therapeutically.  Lysine for instance is prescribed for persons living with a herpes virus to help reduce disease activity.  Another common use is to take Tyrosine to aid with anxiety and depression.  

Before you start self medicating with a concentrated source of any amino acid, be sure to discuss the idea of amino acid therapy with your healthcare team. This is especially important if you are taking other supplements or medications.  Amino acids cannot work alone and need the right balance of vitamins and minerals to help.  You also need to make sure that you are targeting the right amino acid and neurotransmitters for your biochemistry - not just your symptom picture.  Just because an amino acid worked well for a friend, doesn’t mean that one will work well for you!  Supplements are concentrated medicine and need to be used safely, no matter what their advertisements say.  

A better approach is to balance the amino acids in your diet and fill any gaps created by chronic eating patterns by incorporating new foods. 

How much protein do I need? 

Not as much as you might think!  We need enough protein to form all of our structures and do the work of our cells, but excess turns into energy.  

Implications of too little protein: 

In the industrialized, wealthy West we mostly see problems of too little protein in hospitalized patients, the elderly, situations of neglect, and individuals struggling with eating disorders.  However, long term protein malnutrition is not uncommon in areas of the world where famine is common.  

Infants and young adults who chronically lack protein can develop permanent changes in brain function.  Protein deficiency also results in a depressed immune response and can create severe damage to the digestive tract, allowing microbes from the gut to move into the blood, resulting in deadly septicemia (blood poisoning).  If people survive these dangers, damage to their kidneys may develop, causing life-threatening kidney failure. 

In the short term, lack of protein can quickly lead to muscle wasting as our body breaks this stored protein down to keep the functions of life humming along.

Hazards of too much protein: 

Just as with fat and carbohydrate calories, if you consume more protein than you need, it can be turned into stored energy - body fat.

Additionally, the breakdown of excess protein into energy occurs mostly in the kidneys.  If a person has kidney damage, this activity can create more problems and speed the disease progression.  We cannot live without functioning kidneys, and while life-saving, dialysis is not a pleasant experience.

Protein needs for adults: 

A body’s need for protein will be different based upon size, activity, and health status.  For those with a goal of bulking up muscle mass, more protein will be needed to reach this goal.  The recommendation below is for a healthy adult between the ages of 19 and 50 who is meeting the exercise recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity weekly and incorporating moderate strength training 2-3 days per week.  

The recommendation is the same for everyone!

0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight every day.  

For instance, I weigh 125 pounds and fit within the parameters of activity above and I do not have a goal of building mass.  125 pounds calculates out to 56.7 kilograms.  If I multiply 56.7 by 0.8 I get a daily requirement of 45 grams of protein.  

To put that into perspective, I ate 22.6 grams of protein in my morning bowl of buckwheat with peanut butter, blackberries, hemp hearts, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds, and it had all essential, and both conditionally essential, amino acids in balance making it a complete protein meal.  There are a lot of ways to get your protein in in the morning, and many of them do not include eggs!

Sources of protein: 

Animal sources: 

Animal proteins have the benefit of being complete proteins.  The downsides are their lack of fiber and their tendency to have a higher amount of omega-6 fatty acids, saturated fat, and the presence of trans fats.  For a refresher on why this is important, give my article on fat a look. 

Animal sources of protein include:

• Meat: red meat, poultry, pork, etc.

• Fish and shellfish

• Milk and other dairy products like cheese and yogurt 

• Eggs

• Blood and blood products like black pudding

• Gelatin

• Organ meat like liver or brain

• Other animal products like chicken feet

Plant sources: 

Plant sources of protein are diverse, and while they are most often not complete proteins in and of themselves, we humans have learned to combine them to create complete proteins.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread is a complete protein, as is a plate of beans and rice.  When in doubt, eat whole grains and legumes together.

The benefits of plant protein include lots of fiber to help reduce inflammation and improve digestion; a higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids; and tons of antioxidant flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. 

Plant sources of protein include: 

• Nuts and seeds

• Whole grains

• Legumes

• Lentils

• Vegetables, especially the broccoli family veggies!

• Mushrooms

• Sea vegetables like spirulina 

Applications: The environmental and ethical implications of where we source our protein: 

If you have been with me this year as I’ve been writing about nutrition, you know that I am a huge advocate for whole-food-plant-based eating.  It is healthy for our bodies.  It’s also much more sustainable for our planet, and it eliminates the need for factory farming practices, where animals are treated as commodities instead of living organisms with just as much right to a quality life as us.

That being said, I do not believe that everyone needs to eat a 100% vegan diet.  I have enjoyed animal proteins for most of my life and making the choice to not to eat them has had its difficulties and disappointments in addition to all of the benefits.  Of the four humans living in my household, I am the only vegan.  We each get to make the decision on how we choose to feed our bodies.

It is very easy and pleasurable to increase the proportion of plant protein in one’s diet.  It also saves a ton of money in your grocery budget.  With the money that you save by eating less meat, you can budget better tasting, higher quality, ethically produced meat.  Perhaps you can opt to purchase animal proteins from local farmers like Kookoolan Farms, through a delivery service like Butcher Box, your neighbor down the road who sells eggs and rabbit meat, or you could make a connection with a local farmer at this year’s farmer’s markets.  You could even choose to hunt and fish for your animal protein, if this is accessible to you. 

There are so many good reasons to reduce meat consumption including the humane treatment of animals, preserving and protecting natural resources, lowering your carbon footprint, and your personal health, there are ample reasons to incorporate more plant protein.  Starting with a meatless Monday is great, but what if meat was the exception instead of the rule?  How about a meaty Monday or Sunday dinner and meals that feature plant protein the rest of the week? 

On a social justice level, the more we push for environmentally and economically sustainable choices in our communities, the more those choices become available to all of our neighbors.  If our small scale, local, organic farmers are doing well, and receiving support from the community, they can make their products accessible to more people.  This is a way that we can use our dollars to vote for our values rather than our conveniences.

Next Week: 

Next week, we will round out our exploration of energy-supplying macronutrients with Carbohydrates.  They aren’t nearly as scary as they are made out to be!

To our health!

References

1. Institute of Medicine 2005. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10490.

2. USDA, “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025: Make Every Bite Count With the Dietary Guidelines - Ninth Edition”, www.dietaryguidelines.gov, Accessed 2/15/2021

3. Ferrier, D. Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry: Seventh Edition, Wolters Kluwer, 2017