There are over 3000 proteins in our body and people think that proteins are required for muscle building only and that athletes and bodybuilders should only worried about it.
The answer is a big NO.
Proteins are indeed the essential building block of our body’s muscles and tissues but this is only a small part of it.
Did someone tell you that insulin is a protein or protein that carries the genetic information from your father to you or that the colour of your eyes is determined by the protein?
Without protein, our formation in the mother’s Womb would not be possible and mothers would not be able to produce the breast milk. Without protein, our muscles wouldn’t move, our lungs arteries, ligaments and bladder would lose elasticity and it would be difficult for us to breathe, swallow, speak or pass urine. There would be no haemoglobin to transport the Oxygen and no fibre to clot the blood. Almost all body enzymes and hormones would not be able to carry out biological processes and the body would cease to function. Protein forms 20% of our body weight and it is the second largest constituent in our body after water.
Proteins are made up of 29 amino acids. Our body cannot produce at least 9 of them internally and be must source from outside is the food we eat daily. These nine amino acids are essential amino acids.
Now the big question is from where we can source complete protein that our body needs daily.
The dichotomy of veg versus non-veg food:
Proteins from animal sources are complete proteins and thus labelled because they contain all the essential amino acids, but they contain very high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol as well.
On the other hand, protein from plant sources like cereals, nuts, and legumes is considered incomplete protein as one or more amino acids are missing but when cereals are paired with legumes or nuts in the right combination they complete or fill each other’s missing amino acids. The best part about plant protein is that they almost have zero saturated fat and zero cholesterol. It is also packed with minerals vitamins and dietary fiber.
Some experts believe that plant proteins are synthesized into body proteins at a much slower and steady rate than animal proteins they are the best kind of proteins to have. So we can sat a fairly well-established fact, that a healthy and balanced vegetarian diet leads to a lower incidence of hypertension, heart disease and even cancer. rewrite as a news for portal