While we can follow low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets, and in some conditions they are even indicated, we cannot live on a low-protein diet. Because proteins, apart from being a source of food, are part of the basic structure of the human body. And they cannot be stored and used later like carbohydrates and lipids. Proteins must be present at every meal. We’ll talk about that later in the article as we get into the secrets of protein.
What role do proteins play in the body?
Proteins are the “skeleton” of the human body. They are the basic elements of all cells and participate in all processes in the body. Cells repair themselves periodically, and without the right proteins, they cannot do this properly. It participates in the production of antibodies, the “soldiers” that protect us from infections, toxins and bacteria. It participates in the formation of enzymes and hormones, without which we cannot exist. They maintain the acid-base balance of the blood. In short, no organ, tissue, fluid, nothing in our body functions without a constant and correct supply of protein.
Protein digestion begins in the stomach and continues in the intestine. After being broken down into their basic components, amino acids, they go to the liver, where they are distributed where they are needed in the body, or, a small part, is used as fuel. The waste resulting from the “burning” of proteins is eliminated through urine, with the help of the kidneys.
How much protein do we need?
The protein requirement is represented by the amount of protein the body needs in 24 hours and varies in relation to the physiological state of the body, the environment in which we live and the physical activity performed. In general, protein intake is between 10% and 30% of the total food intake. A little more precisely, between 3-4g/kg body for the artificially fed baby and 0.8g/kg body for the normal, young and healthy adult, who does not go to the gym and is not a lumberjack.
The minimum need of a perfectly healthy organism, which lives in ideal environmental conditions and does not exert too much physical effort, is 0.5g/kg body, provided that the rest of the calories it needs are adequately covered by carbohydrates and lipids.
Who needs to increase protein intake? Someone in poor health, with infections or chronic diseases; if it is a pregnant or breastfeeding woman; if a person makes great physical effort; an elderly person or growing children; a person exposed to special living conditions (low temperatures, microbial or toxic attacks).
How do we know we’re not getting enough protein?
The general impression is that if we live in a civilized country and not in a village in Africa, we eat enough protein. But if you have brittle nails and hair, you’re always tired and you have a tantrum for everything, you can’t lose weight and you’re always hungry, you have an autoimmune disease, you get colds often, you get those nasty cold sores on your mouth or nose, you’ve lost muscle mass inexplicably and that cut on your finger is taking forever to heal, you’re not getting enough protein. If you easily fracture your bones, i.e. you have osteoporosis, your protein deficit is already too big and prolonged.
It is possible for you to consume the recommended amount of protein for your body weight, stage of life, and level of exertion and still not absorb amino acids properly.
Amino acids
Amino acids are the “bricks” that make up proteins. There are 20 kinds of amino acids, which are divided into 2 categories: essential and non-essential. They are just as important, don’t let the term “non-essential” fool you. They are called non-essential because the body can produce them on its own, so we don’t have to worry too much about them. They are there, our body can handle it. We have to take care of the intake of essential amino acids, which our body does not produce, but needs them as much as the non-essential ones.
Essential amino acids
There are 9 essential amino acids and we can get them into the body only from food. We need all 9 of them daily, at every meal. We cannot say: ok, today I will only have histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine and methionine, and I can eat phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine tomorrow. It does not work that way. The body cannot store amino acids (that is, proteins) for later, as it can with lipids and carbohydrates. We need complete proteins every day, at every meal.
Animal products contain all the essential amino acids. So, if we eat eggs, fish, meat of any kind, dairy, we are sure to get all the essential amino acids at that meal. Few plant products are complete (meaning they have all 9 amino acids). Among them are soybeans, quinoa, hemp seeds and buckwheat.
Other vegetables are also full of protein, but are incomplete, meaning they don’t have all 9. These are legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. And the rest of the vegetables contain protein, but in small quantities, we cannot ensure the daily protein requirement from them alone. We would have to eat whole buckets of fruit and leaves for that, which is not possible, we are omnivores, not ruminants.
How to ensure our daily requirement of essential amino acids?
If we eat animal products, we will have all 9 essential amino acids. That is simple. We just have to pay attention to the quantity and intake of the other nutrients. If we do not eat meat, the consumption of eggs (considered the perfect food, because it contains everything needed for human nutrition), fish, seafood and dairy products (small amounts of fermented dairy products, which are friendly to the intestine) are arrived
If we are vegetarians, we need to have enough nutrition knowledge to know how to combine grains, legumes, nuts and seeds to get all 9 amino acids at one meal. We cannot be vegetarians with only vegetables and fruits except possibly with intake of protein powders or other supplements, or, in the short term, in a detoxification cure.
But what if we have an autoimmune disease?
If we have an autoimmune disease, this means that our antibodies are no longer able to distinguish between real enemies and parts of our own body, and they attack these parts. Antibodies are the “soldiers” of the immune system, and the immune sistem is mostly found in the intestine. The immune system is composed of the most energy-consuming cells in the body.
The mechanism by which the immune system attacks the body’s own cells is not fully understood. Medicine has made remarkable progress, but not in the field of autoimmune diseases. An unfortunate combination of factors is believed to contribute to this: genetics and environmental factors (lifestyle, diet, certain infections, and certain medications). Timidly, emotional and psychological factors have also begun to be invoked, which could also contribute to the triggering of autoimmune diseases.
As I said, most of the immune system is in the gut, and the gut of people with autoimmune diseases is usually affected. They have leaky gut, which leads to favoring the inflammation always present in autoimmune diseases. In addition to inflammation, leaky gut leads to malabsorption of nutrients. That is, even if they have a normal intake of nutrients, those with autoimmune diseases are not able to use them properly.
Autoimmune diets are diets that aim to heal the leaky gut, thereby decreasing inflammation and increasing nutrient absorption. The most well-known healing diets are the Autoimmune Protocol, Low FODMAP, the Wahls Protocol, GAPS, and other low- or no-starch diets. I wrote about these diets here.
In them, the emphasis is on quality proteins, of animal origin, and on the exclusion of foods that could damage the intestine. Among these potentially harmful foods are most plant-based foods that are high in protein: grains, legumes, and most seeds and nuts. Therefore, great attention must be paid to the quantity and quality of protein ingested. Firstly, because they can only come from animal foods, and secondly because the leaky gut prevents the normal absorption of proteins.
Conclusions
Proteins are indispensable nutrients, which must not be missing from the diet, in adequate quantities.
The daily protein requirement is variable, depending on life stage, health status, living environment and physical effort.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. They are of 2 kinds, essential and non-essential. Non-essential amino acids are produced by the body, and essential amino acids are obtained from food.
Foods of animal origin contain all the essential amino acids, while those of plant origin are incomplete, and it is necessary to combine them with each other at each meal, to obtain complete essential amino acids.
People with autoimmune diseases have a leaky gut, and thus the proper absorption of nutrients, including proteins, is impaired.
