Protein - what is it and how to consume it?

Protein is the basic building block of the human body. It is thanks to it that we achieve and maintain the appropriate structure of tissues. These include skin, bones, hair, internal organs, nails and muscles. Therefore, a lack of protein in the body can wreak real havoc. As a result of its significant deficiencies, growth is inhibited, susceptibility to infections increases, intellectual and physical development slows down. That is why protein is so important in the diet of every child, although this ingredient should be remembered to an equal extent throughout life.

How much protein should we consume?

First of all, it is worth being aware that men and women have different protein requirements. Women should consume 0.7 grams per kilogram of body weight. For men, it should be 1 gram per kilogram. However, in this case, a lot depends on the age of each person or body weight. First of all, the amount of protein we consume is influenced by physical activity. If it is increased and, for example, we are professional athletes, then our need for protein increases dramatically. In such a situation, it should be consumed up to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Where to look for protein? What foods should you include in your diet? At the very beginning, it is worth realizing that proteins can be divided into complete and incomplete ones.

Each protein is made up of small molecules called amino acids. There are two types of amino acids. Some of them are essential amino acids, which the body is unable to produce on its own and must be supplied with meals. There are also non-essential amino acids that can be produced in our body, for example from other proteins found in it. Proteins containing only essential amino acids form complete proteins. Such a protein contains amino acids necessary for the growth of the body and its proper development. Incomplete proteins, on the other hand, may contain, for example, one non-essential amino acid or even consist of such amino acids alone. Interestingly, incomplete protein may also consist of essential amino acids, but in such an amount that they are not able to ensure optimal and full development of the body.

So where can you find complete protein? Among others, in meat, poultry, eggs, fish, milk and various dairy products. Incomplete proteins can be found in plants. To deliver it to your body, it is worth eating rice, whole-grain pasta, bread or groats. Legume proteins and soy protein have quite high nutritional value. Therefore, for many people on a vegan or vegetarian diet, they replace a complete protein. It is therefore worth including lentils, peas, beans and broad beans in your diet.

However, does this mean that people who do not eat meat or animal products do not have the opportunity to provide the right amount of protein to their body? Of course, nothing more wrong. It is enough to combine protein sources in your diet, for example cereal products with legumes, to supplement the deficiency of certain amino acids. Thanks to this, even by renouncing wholesome proteins, you can still provide the right amount of it to your body.

Protein supplements - are they worth using?

In the case of a standard protein requirement, there is usually no major problem with delivering it to your body every day. But what if we have an increased demand because we are very active in physical terms? There may be a big problem for us here. Providing, for example, 100 grams of protein a day is quite a challenge. That is why more and more people decide to supplement their daily diet with protein supplements. They have a powdered form, so you can drink them in the form of a drink diluted with water or milk. You can also add powdered protein to your smoothies, which is a quick and effective way to provide your body with the amount of protein it specifically needs.

Thanks to such protein supplements, protein structures in muscle tissue are saturated. The result, however, is the rapid growth of muscle tissue. Such supplementation of your diet with appropriate supplementation helps to improve the quality of the muscle tissue itself. Overall stamina is also increased. Protein supplement can therefore have a very positive effect on our results, especially if we want to build dry muscle mass.

What nutrients should vegetarians, vegans and people with lactose intolerance choose?

Choosing a supplement for a person who does not limit their diet is relatively simple. But what if our diet is somehow limited? Then we need to be much more aware of what is in a particular nutrient. Plant proteins in supplements are obtained primarily from soybeans, corn, oats, rice or wheat. Vegetarians and vegans can easily include such proteins in their diet. Whey proteins, concentrates, hydrolysates and isolates come from dairy. Some proteins, depending on how they are obtained, may contain lactose. Proteins of animal origin are egg albumin, lysates and hydrolysates obtained from poultry and beef.

In the case of protein supplements, you can often come across quite incomprehensible abbreviations. Deciphering them helps not only in verifying which nutrient we can take, but also in a much better understanding of how it can affect our body.

The first quite popular abbreviation among protein supplements is WPH. It is a whey protein hydrolyzate. It contains huge amounts of pure protein, ranging from 90 to 100% of its content. Such a protein has a huge impact on the regeneration process. It also improves strength, provides much better endurance and promotes the fact that muscle tissue grows efficiently. It is worth being aware that this is the fastest form of protein absorption.

WPI is a whey protein isolate. The pure protein content in this case can be up to 90%. It has a very strong regenerating effect. WPC is a whey protein concentrate. They contain about 60%-80% pure protein. Their absorption time can be described as average. Such protein is a very good support when it comes to building muscle mass. In addition, it also supports the reduction of body fat.

In addition to the above-mentioned abbreviations, it is worth paying attention to one more very often appearing, namely BCAA. It is a combination of leucine, valine and isoleucine. These are amino acids that cannot be produced by the human body. Their intake primarily has a very positive effect on the regenerative process. They also affect a much better mood and much more satisfying results that can be achieved during training.< /p>

When should protein supplements be consumed?

For many people entering the world of protein supplements, the most difficult thing is to choose the one that will be applicable in their case. For this purpose, it is necessary to analyze the composition of the supplement, the manufacturer's recommendations and the effects that can be achieved thanks to it. Knowing what our specific goal is and what we are striving for, we are able to quickly determine which conditioner will be the most suitable for us.

And when is a protein supplement worth consuming? Of course, there is no clear answer to this question, because each product is different. In this case, the key to success is, first of all, following the manufacturer's instructions. On each supplement, it is specified exactly when it should be consumed and in what quantity. It is very important to never treat protein supplements as the basis of your diet. It is only its complement, a beneficial supplement. Therefore, you should not give up consuming protein in other forms, for example meat or legumes. However, any deficiencies, for example after training, can be supplemented in the form of such a supplement. Very often it happens that after training we do not have the opportunity to eat a proper meal and supplement the protein in our body. In such a situation, it is most advisable to use protein supplements.

Excessive consumption of nutrients and exceeding the recommended standards for protein consumption can have a fatal effect on our body. As a result, there may be problems with flatulence, defecation and abdominal pain. If this is the case in our case, it is a clear signal from the body that perhaps the amount of protein supplements taken should be reduced.

A very important issue when consuming protein supplements is also what effects we ultimately want to achieve. Do we want to lose weight or maybe better build our muscle mass? Of course, due to completely different assumptions, in this situation you should also consume other nutrients. Whey protein is recommended for people who want to lose weight. First of all, it is absorbed into the body very quickly and accelerates fat burning.

On the other hand, people who primarily focus on mass, would prefer to consume a combination of a protein isolate with a hydrolyzate. They have a very good effect on the muscles, they also provide a relatively long feeling of satiety.

To sum up, one conclusion can be drawn, protein supplements are definitely worth including in your daily diet as a form of supplementing it. Sometimes it is impossible to consume the right amount of protein that our body needs during the day. This could result in the absorption of too many calories, as well as exceeding the intake of fats and carbohydrates, for example. That is why it is so important to use certain substitutes that provide the body in its pure form with what it really expects. Today, there are plenty of protein supplements available on the market, containing various compositions and aimed at very diverse recipients. Of course, it is best to pay attention to nutrients that are easily absorbed and support the effects we want to achieve. Other protein supplements affect the weight loss process, and others increase muscle mass. Not every nutrient is a nutrient that we can consume. When supplementing, you can never forget that it is always only an addition to our daily diet. Therefore, we should not exaggerate with the amount of protein supplements taken, choose them carefully and consume in accordance with all manufacturer's recommendations. Only then can we really expect that a given supplement will provide us with satisfying results.