What are proteins?
Proteins are one of the essential nutrients in the diet. The human body is made up of almost 50% proteins; they are part of the muscles, the tissues of the organs, the skin, and the hair. Including products rich in protein in the diet is essential for the body to function as it should.
Proteins are made up of amino acids. As the building blocks of a house, amino acids are part of the structure of proteins. Both products rich in animal and vegetable proteins provide amino acids.
The quality of protein supplements and products can be measured by their amino acid composition and rate of assimilation when its composition is more similar to human proteins, the better.
To achieve complete muscle recovery, protein-rich products must provide the nine amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body. These are the essential amino acids .
How many proteins to eat per day?
Studies recommend a daily amount of a minimum of 1 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. (1) (2) That is, about 120 g per day for a 75 kg man should consume 100 g of protein per day.
The amount of protein to increase muscle mass should be up to 30-40% more, between 1.2 Kg and 1.5 per kilo of body weight.
It should be borne in mind that the digestive system can assimilate approximately 10 grams of protein per hour. While the importance of protein cannot be denied, a higher amount will not have additional health benefits.
List of high protein foods and products
The protein-rich foods par excellence are meats, dairy products, and eggs. Whey protein supplements are similar in content and assimilation. As for plant products, pseudo-cereals (quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth) and legumes (beans, beans, lentils) are the wealthiest protein.
| Food | Protein content in 100 g | Assimilation percentage 2) |
| Protein supplements | 25 – 30 | 90- 95% |
| Red meat | 20 – 25 g | 90 – 95% |
| Chicken breast | 20 – 25 g | 90 – 95% |
| Pork Meat | 15 – 25 g | 90 – 95% |
| Fish | 15 – 25 g | 90 – 95% |
| Chicken egg | 10 – 15 g | 95 – 100% |
| Cheeses | 10 – 15 g | 95 – 100% |
| Skim milk | 10 – 12 g | 95 – 100% |
| Soy protein | 20 – 30 g | 90 – 95% |
| Beans | 18 – 22 g | 65 – 70% |
| Quinoa | 14 – 22 g | 65 – 70% |
| Red lentils | 12 – 20 g | 65 – 70% |
| Buckwheat | 12 – 15 g | 50 – 60% |
| Avena | 10 – 14 g | 50 – 60% |
| Barley | 10 – 12 g | 50 – 60% |
| Integral rice | 12 – 16 g | 50% |
| Whole wheat flour | 10 – 15 g | 40% |
Foods with animal vs vegetable protein
To measure the quality of proteins, the concept of biological value is used. The proteins of high biological value are their amino acid composition similar to proteins of the human body.
In general, proteins of animal origin have more biological than vegetable proteins. For example, meat and fish proteins have a biological value of between 0.7 and 0.8; Foods of plant origin usually have values of 0.5, and in gelatin, the physical matter is 0.
Protein content in dairy products
When it comes to protein-rich dairy products, white cheese ranks first in the ranking. White cheese or quark cheese contains 15-25 g of protein per 100 g of product, figures comparable to sports supplements.
Lean cheeses are the protein-rich dairy foods par excellence. In the case of Parmesan and other cheeses with a more robust flavor, the fat content is higher. Therefore its protein content is lower. Milk and skimmed yogurts are products that contain approximately 10-12 g of protein per glass.
Products rich in vegetable proteins
The content of vegetable proteins depends not only on the type of food. But of the parts of the plant that are used. Grains and their derivatives (cereals, flours) are protein-rich foods. At the same time, its stems and roots contain less of this micronutrient.
Kidney beans, buckwheat, quinoa, and red lentils provide about 10-25 g of protein per 100 g of grain. They are the wealthiest protein content products of plant origin.
Vegetable protein is not absorbed in the same way as animal protein.
Even though cereals are considered high-protein foods, their absorption coefficient is lower. When calculating the amount of protein needed per day, this factor must be considered.
In addition, products with vegetable proteins tend to have an incomplete amount of amino acids. Therefore, they must be appropriately combined to obtain a protein of the same quality as the animal origin.
For example, rice protein is high in methionine but low in lysine. In legumes the amino acid content is inverse. If these two plant products are eaten at the same meal, the amino acid in one protein can make up for the deficiency in the other. (4)
High Protein Products – Sports Supplements
Whey protein powders, casein, and whey isolate are high-protein sports supplements. Most are made from whey.
One particular type of protein-rich product is mass gainers. These also have high carbohydrate content, so they are recommended for the ectomorphic body type.
The main difference between sports supplements in the content of lactose (the sugar in milk) and their fat content. Whey isolates are the wealthiest product in purified proteins.
| components | Protein powder | concentrated whey | Isolated Whey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11 – 14.5 | 25 – 89 | 90 + |
| Lactose | 63 – 75 | 10 – 55 | 0.5 |
| Fat | 1 – 1.5 | 2 – 10 | 0.5 |
As for the branched chain amino acids bcaa 2: 1: 1 , it cannot be said that they are protein supplements. These are isolates of particular essential amino acids: lysine, isoleucine, valine. Although they are highly absorbed, they do not complete the necessary amount of elements to form a protein.
Meat, eggs, and dairy are protein-rich products par excellence. These products contain between 20-and 25 g of protein per 100 g. Furthermore, the assimilation percentage of these foods is 90-95%. Products rich in protein of plant origin: quinoa, red lentils, and buckwheat provide 10 to 20 g of protein per 100 g. However, its assimilation coefficient and its amino acid profile are lower. To have proteins of the same quality, they must be combined correctly
