Protein food includes products with more than 10-15 g of protein per 100 g. Proteins are divided by origin into animal and vegetable. By the way, substances of plant origin are more easily assimilated. However, the body needs animal proteins no less. It’s just that you need to be more careful with animal proteins, otherwise you can get extra waste, extra calories, and as a result, extra weight.
Why is protein food important?
The role of proteins in the work of the human body is to ensure metabolism. They work at the cellular level, are part of intracellular structures. They transmit signals at the intercellular level. After entering the body, they are broken down to the level of amino acids. Part of amino acids goes to the synthesis of own proteins, and part is broken down further to obtain energy with the help of which we live. That is why protein food is so important in the human diet.
Humans need both animal and vegetable proteins for normal life. The average daily consumption rate for an ordinary person is 100-120 g per day. If a person is prone to strong emotional or physical stress, the need for protein food increases.
Products are rich in animal proteins
The main source of protein food for humans is meat. Chicken and rabbit contain 20-21 g of protein per 100 g of meat. There is a lot of it in lamb – up to 25 g, in beef and pork a little less – 19 g and 15 g, respectively. Beef and pork liver contain 17-18.5 g. Turkey meat contains 21.6 g.
An excellent source of protein is red fish (22 g). It is slightly less in white fish: 18 g in mackerel, 22.7 g in tuna, 17.7 g in herring, 16 g in pollock. In crustaceans, the protein content is 23 g, and in shrimp and caviar, it is up to 28 g.
Protein foods also include dairy products. Hard cheeses contain up to 26 g, sour-milk cheese – 12 g. Low-fat varieties of sour-milk cheese contain more protein – up to 18 g. In milk itself and sour-milk products (yogurts, kefir, ryazhanka), it is much less, only 3-4 g.
It should be noted that eggs, cow’s milk and goat’s milk have the highest percentage of protein digestibility, up to 100%.
The products are rich in vegetable proteins
The absolute leader in terms of protein content is soy and its products. 100 g of soy meat contains 52 g of protein. Soy contains 35 g of protein.
Legumes take second place. It is ahead of all peanuts, it contains up to 26 g of protein. In peas – 23 g, in beans – 22.3 g. Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts) contain from 14 to 18.5 g. And in sunflower seeds – 20.7 g.
Cereals occupy the next row. Buckwheat groats, millet and oatmeal contain 12-12.5 g of protein, rice only 7 g. Baking contains much less, only up to 7 g per 100 g of product.
Protein food in nutrition
Refusal of protein food in favor of carbohydrates threatens to significantly slow down metabolic processes in the body. When a person consumes less than 0.5 g of pure protein per 1 kg of his weight per day, muscle dystrophy occurs, swelling develops due to metabolic disorders, and the work of the heart muscle and circulatory system suffers. Motor activity is greatly reduced.
No diets or healing programs that exclude the consumption of protein food, and the probable positive effect from them, do not stand such health problems. The best slogan of a healthy person: everything is good in moderation. Therefore, eat healthy protein food and be healthy!