• 1What are Proteins? (VIDEO)
  • 2Material for Life
  • 3Fuel Your Passion
  • 4Daily Protein Intake
  • 5Pick a Perfect Protein Package
  • 6Protein Breakdown and Reassembly
  • 7Amino Acids
  • 8Building Blocks
  • 9Making Proteins
  • 10Small Changes, Big Trouble
  • 11Protein Supplements
  • 12High Protein Diets
  • 13Perilous Proteins
CHAPTER 2

Material for Life

PART 1

The Miraculous, Multitasking Nutrient

Key Word
Protein
Second only to water as the most plentiful substance in the body, protein is central to critical functions throughout your life. Protein is a miraculous multitasker, and numerous activities of the brain and body depend on it fundamentally. It is a veritable Swiss Army knife of a nutrient that, once ingested, unlocks its modest packaging to serve a variety of critical functions and capabilities. Protein takes many forms. READ MORE

Antibodies - Working in tandem with white blood cells, proteins play a crucial role within the immune system by contributing to the destruction of foreign bodies that cause infection and disease.

Enzymes - These are the body’s catalysts, responsible for thousands of chemical reactions within cells and the formation of new molecules.

Hormones - Many hormones, which transmit signals to start and stop various biological processes, are made up of amino acids.

Structural Components - Joined together in the forms of sheets and tubes, protein molecules are building materials that give structure to bones, teeth, skin, organs, and muscles.

Transport Proteins - In the form of lipoproteins, proteins shuttle vitamins, minerals, and other substances (like medicines) to be used and stored within cells and throughout the body.

Regulators - By starting and halting the creation of various substances, proteins help maintain the body’s balance of fluids.

Energy Source - Proteins provide fuel at 4 calories per gram and activate muscle movement. LESS
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PART 2

Amino Acids, Unite

Every type of protein is constructed of a long sequence of amino acids, which are organic compounds made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms. You might think of protein as a chain and amino acids as the links. About 20 amino acids (or 22, depending on how they’re categorized) are combined to make proteins in great structural variety. Protein types number in the hundreds of thousands, each with a sequence that is unique in the number, type, order, and shape of amino acids in its chain. READ MORE

There are two categories of amino acids. Essential amino acids are those that the body cannot produce. These 9 amino acids must be derived from your diet. The 11 nonessential amino acids are naturally synthesized in the body — but they are still essential to your health and well-being.

Protein in the Diet
Protein is available in numerous food sources, which provide amino acids that are deconstructed and then reconstructed into protein within the body. Animal foods, such as meat and dairy, are rich sources of “complete” proteins, which means their amino-acid chains are fully composed and can be easily absorbed during digestion. Most plant proteins, such as those in beans and legumes, are less complete in their protein makeup. Vegetarians need to take care to represent all of the essential amino acids in their diet. LESS
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