Red Deer Life - January 22, 2006

As a continuation from my previous column I wanted to expand a little more on the subject of protein. We talked briefly about protein rich foods and I left you with some basic guidelines as to how much protein to consume. Today we'll discuss what protein really is and how different kinds of proteins affect our bodies.

Protein as most of us know it is the foods we consume such as meats and dairy products. I thought it may be interesting for you to know some of the ways that make some of these food choices different, and how consuming them may alter how you feel or perform.

Your body disassembles protein upon digestion into its basic building blocks, amino acids. Different combinations of amino acids make up all the different cells and tissues in our body. It's generally accepted that our protein rich foods breakdown to 23 different amino acids. Each amino acid or a combination of amino acids plays a number of roles. We need more of some amino acids than others as they perform multiple functions. In all the 23 amino acids are categorized as follows:

Non-essential amino acids - these are aminos that can be manufactured by the body, meaning if we didn't consume them our bodies will find a way to make them. They consist of: Alanine, Aspartic Acid, Cystine, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Ornithine, Proline, Serine, Taurine

Conditionally essential amino acids - these are aminos that though our body can manufacture but we require such an abundance of them that we need to consume them additionally or risk poor performance, sickness, or injury. They consist of: Tyrosine, Cysteine, Arginine

Essential amino acids - these aminos are essential in that our body cannot manufacture them in any significant amount and we need to consume them at regular intervals or we will suffer adverse health conditions. They consist of: Tryptophan, Threonine, Phenylalanine, Methionine, Lysine, Histadine, Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine

Here is a little bit of info as to some of the amino acids that are more commonly discussed and food choices for a good source of them.

Branched chain amino acids, this group consists of Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. BCAAs are commonly known to athletes for muscle energy production and performance. But BCCAs also play an important role in the formation of hemoglobin and the healing of skin and broken bones. Good food sources of BCAAs are: eggs, cottage cheese and beef to name a few.

Phenylalanine has a variety of useful effects ranging from: and increase in learning, memory, and alertness. It is used to treat some types of depression and can also curb appetite in the dieting individual. Also found in abundance in cottage cheese and almonds.

Tryptophan is an amino many have heard of, and likely experienced after the big turkey dinner. Tryptophan is the precursor to the hormone Serotonin that calms us and aids in falling asleep. Poultry is the best food source I know.

Tyrosine you can think of as the opposite of Tryptophan, Tyrosine promotes greater alertness as well as aiding in the production of melanine (our tanned skin pigment.) Tyrosine can be found in cheese and milk. Warm milk before bed anyone?

And last for this article and in my mind most important is Glutamine. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in our body. It plays a key role in immune system function and tissue repair and development. Although it is considered conditionally-essential I recommend to many people every day to focus on this important amino acid to feel and perform better. You find it in dairy products, fish and beef.