Protein - A Nutrient Your Body Requires

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There is a pattern that happens in your body when you eat food that contains protein. Protein is made of individual molecules called amino acids that are linked together. Your body breaks down the protein from your food back into those individual amino acids. Then your body links the amino acids together in a new order, building different proteins it requires. The order in which the amino acids are linked determines what that protein does. This is why it does not matter whether the protein came from an egg, beans, or fish.

Protein builds things in and on the body. For example, it builds new muscles when your muscles get stronger, new bone when a break heals, new skin over a cut, and new blood cells, hair, and nails.

Protein repairs your body by fixing and replacing what is already there and worn down. The cells in your body have a working life, and when a cell reaches the end of its life, your body breaks it down and clears it away. Then your body builds a new cell to take its place, using amino acids from the protein you eat.

This fixing and replacing happens constantly, whether you are moving or resting. For example, the lining of your intestines replaces itself every few days. Red blood cells are replaced about every four months, and the outer layer of your skin is replaced about every month. Your muscles are broken down and rebuilt continuously, even while you sleep.

Protein comes from both animal and plant food. Examples of foods that have proteins are fish, chicken, beef, pork, goat, eggs, yogurt, cheese, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and some grains. Eating a wide variety of these foods gives your body a wider range of protein it requires. Animal foods generally contain all nine essential amino acids that the body must receive from food; whereas plant protein may be lower in some, so variety fills the gap.

Protein does more than build and repair the body.

First, protein keeps the body satisfied longer because protein digests slowly. Rather than having the urge to look for more food soon after eating, the body stays fed without the quick rise and drop that can come from eating other foods that digest fast.

Amino acids from protein are used to build hormones that travel through your body and regulate things such as your blood sugar, metabolism, sleep, growth, and stress response.

Your brain uses amino acids from protein to build chemical messengers that carry signals between nerve cells. Some of those affect your mood, focus, and ability to think clearly. When your body is not given enough protein, your body may not have enough amino acids to build these messengers.

The amino acids from protein are used to build antibodies. Antibodies are proteins your immune system creates to find and fight infection. Without enough protein, the body has fewer amino acids to build antibodies.

Last, amino acids are used to build hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein inside your red blood cells that binds to oxygen and carries oxygen throughout your body.

If you are increasing the nutrient dense food you eat, foods that contain protein along with other nutrients are an important place to start.

Stacy 🌺

I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.