The Power of Protein
By Sierra Nielsen
So what’s the big deal with protein? What most people don’t realize is this super powerful nutrient is literally used in every single cell in our body and is critical for daily function. Not only is it important for building muscle mass, but also in supporting neurological function, digestion, balancing hormones, supporting energy levels and metabolism, keeping our mood upbeat and building and repairing tissue.
But what exactly are proteins? Simply put, proteins are long chains of amino acids. Without an adequate intake of amino acids our bodies are put in a net negative protein balance. Unlike carbohydrate and fat content of the body, it’s quite difficult to maintain a consistent amino acid balance without ingesting protein through our diets. Our bodies do, however, have the ability to make certain amino acids, the 12 non-essential ones. The other 8 amino acids, known as the essential amino acids, must be supplied by the diet. Each of the amino acids are unique and serve a certain purpose in the body so it’s important to eat a variety of high-protein foods.
Symptoms you may experience from eating too little protein include:
- Low energy
- A sluggish metabolism
- Harmful blood sugar changes
- Moodiness
- Trouble losing weight
- Trouble building muscle mass
- Brittle hair or hair loss
- Low immunity
- Poor concentration
- Muscle, bone and joint pain
- Turkey
- Chicken Breast
- Grass-fed Beef
- Eggs & Egg White
- Salmon
- Tuna (Low-sodium canned)
- Ahi Tuna
- Halibut
- Mahi Mahi
- Trout
- Nuts
- Beans
- Greek Yogurt
- Protein Bars (be cautious of ones packed with sugar!)
- Whey Protein
- Organic Plant-Based Protein (My favorite is Orgain)