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Quick Overview of Protein
| Protein is a food substance
composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. It is because of protein
that our bodies can grow and be repaired.
Protein molecules are made
up of amino acids which are linked together in structural chains, and it
is the type of linkage of these chains that determines the characteristic
of the protein. Twenty amino acids are required to build a protein and
half of these are synthesized by the human body. Those amino acids not
synthesized by the human body are termed essential amino acids.
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The essential amino acids
are: leucine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine,
valine, and tryptophan with histidine and arginine being considered semi-essential.
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Most Common Soures
of Protein
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Meat products (beef, pork,
chicken, fowl, tuna, etc.)
Seafood and fish
Milk products (cheese, cottage
cheese, yogurt, etc.)
Eggs
Dried beans and peas (legumes)
And to a lesser extent grain
products. |
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