Thursday 18 July 2013

Proteins: The Building Blocks of Life

Ever wondered what the largest and heaviest land mammal on earth feeds on? Well, amazingly, the largest and heaviest land mammal on earth is vegetarian!
Protein rich foods building blocks of life

Many amongst us believe that for size and strength consuming animal protein is a must. Hence, people commonly stress on consuming meat and dairy products for protein enrichment. However, the mighty elephant is big and strong without any animal protein intake even.

Proteins are the building blocks of life. They are necessary for cell growth and repair as they form major structural components of cells and tissues. Additionally, they contribute largely towards the proper functioning of the human body by working as hormones, enzymes, antibodies, transport entities, movement aides, virus attackers, gene controllers, oxygen carriers, and so on. In fact, after water, proteins are the second most demanded nutrient by the body.

In essence, proteins are made of chains of amino acids. Amino acids contain nitrogen in addition to carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The latter elements constitute carbohydrates and fats with different chemical formulae combinations. Twenty amino acids are required for healthy functioning of the human body. While most of these building blocks can be astonishingly synthesised within the body, some of the essential amino acids need to be acquired from external food resources.


The need for essential amino acids can be fulfilled from both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources. Though foods such as milk and meat are high in protein-content, it has been reported that several vegetables have sufficient proteins to comfortably satisfy the recommended levels of protein intake required by the body to supply the desired amino acids.


Amazingly as well, people often take up high-protein diets to discard the excess weight baggage from their bodies. As they shift their attention from consuming carbohydrates and fats towards incorporating more proteins in their daily diet plans, the excessive focus on proteins helps in building muscle tissue and reducing the undesired layers of fat. In this way, proteins also adequately meet the body's energy requirements, and simultaneously take care of the maintenance of cells and tissues and proper functioning of important bodily processes.


References:
"Living Raw, Living Well". Published on January 23, 2013. Accessed on July 18, 2013 from <http://news.goraw.com/2013/01/the-truth-about-protein/>
Fred Kummerow, "Protein: Building Blocks of the Body". Published on October 4, 2011. Accessed on July 18, 2013 from <http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/protein-building-blocks-of-the-body>

No comments:

Post a Comment