Protein ( "the good" part 1)
In case you have not observed what I ate very closely, I eat a pretty high protein diet. The biggest reason I do is because I have always felt better when I eat more LEAN protein and lots of fruits and vegetables compared to when I eat more grains or more fat. In the past few classes I have had, what I have learned really helped me understand what might be going on!
Metabolism yesterday was the beginning of Protein! I am sure there will be more information to come, including “the good, the bad and the ugly” sides of proteins. For now, I will post about my class notes from yesterdays’ first class.
Proteins are made up of three groups, an amine group that contains nitrogen, an acid group usually a carboxyl, and a side group that varies giving each amino acid its different names. Amino acids link together, forming a protein.
Essential amino acids are “essential” to get through your diet and right now there are 9 considered essential ( since I will need to memorize them, they are:
Valine
Leucine
Isoleucine
Theonine
Methionine
Lysine
Histidine
Phenylalanine
Tryptophan
If we consume the essential amino acids and other compounds, our body can typically make the nonessential amino acids ( I won’t list them but there are 11 )
Of course there is more to it than just essential amino acids. Looking at one important amino acid, Methionine, its’ food sources include cheese, eggs, fish, meat and poultry. If we have enough Methionine we can make the nonessential amino acid Cysteine. Since we can make it, its not considered required to get in your diet. However, if we don’t have enough Methionine, we can’t make the nonessential Cysteine, making Cystein “conditionally indispensable” ( essential).
B vitamins are required in the metabolism of protein. Specifically Folate and Vitamin B 12 help convert homocysteine ( a compound that increases your risk of Cardiovascular Disease and apparently elevated homocysteine is also related to depression) back into Methionine, that essential amino acid.
Folate and or B 12 deficiency has been shown to interfere with normal cell division, hence, the deficiency is linked to early stages of cancer and also depression, dementia and anemia. (Folate sources include: green vegetables, mushrooms, legumes, and the liver. Fortified sources like grains and cereals are also good sources)
Back to protein..
So what happens when we eat TOO MUCH and don’t exercise enough? We “gain weight” and store it all over our bodies don’t we?! Well, unlike our bodies system of storage of excess carbohydrates as glycogen in several tissues or the storage of excess fat in adipose cells, excess protein is not stored in any organ or tissue.
Wait a second though, before we all jump on the Low Carb bandwagon…
Each day. the body undergoes what is called Protein Turnover [considerable protein synthesis and break down ( catabolism)]. On an average day, our body will make and degrade about 300 grams of protein overall, which includes the dietary protein intake ( usually around 100 g for American diets) used for the process of making it and breaking it down.
In general after we eat a meal, our protein synthesis increases because we are combining all the amino acids we just ate. If we are in a state of starvation, our protein synthesis will decrease as will the breakdown of Amino Acids because our body will strive to keep the protein it has.
Here is what I found most interesting, athletes and body builders that consume a sufficient amount of protein but not enough overall calories to balance their exercise calorie deficit require MORE protein. Why?
Well, when they consume sufficient protein but not enough overall calories, the body has to use protein as an energy source. So when you use the protein for energy, the body doesn’t have enough leftover for its normal protein functions like in Protein Turnover ( our liver cells need protein, our muscle cells need protein, we use it for connective tissue, etc. etc. ). So they need MORE protein for all of these functions.
I realize I am not employed as a professional athlete, but I do run several miles 3, 4,5,6 ) on most weekdays and usually longer on weekends at a pretty fast pace ( My speedwork is at a 6 minute mile pace, and my regular pace is between a 7:30 – 8:00 minute mile). On top of that, I am strength training, doing yoga, or doing the Shred circuit training.
ding ding ding Light Bulb goes off….With all of that taken into account, I am pretty sure that the reason I am always “craving” more protein with all of my meals, is because I actually NEED more protein!
Okay, so aside from the self defense of my dietary protein intake, I thought this information was pretty cool. We will probably focus on protein for the rest of the semester, so stay tuned for what will probably be “the bad” and “the ugly” of protein!
