IMPORTANCE OF PROTEIN IN DIET

Your body needs a daily input of protein, because it doesn’t keep a reserve of excess dietary

amino acids (the building blocks of protein), the way it reserves the extra carbohydrates or

fats you eat. Protein is one of the components of all your cells which support muscle growth,

immune and circulatory health, tissue structure, endocrine function and enzymatic reactions.

Without sufficient protein in your daily diet, your body can experience a number of negative

consequences. Lesser consumption of protein can affect the following areas of your body

Muscle Tissue

One of the initial effects of low input of protein in our body is a decrease in muscle mass,

which can also lead to increasing physical weakness. When you don’t consume enough

amino acids from the protein-rich foods in your diet as needed by your body , your body

breaks down muscle fiber and sends the amino acids to cells with a more immediate need for

protein. Over time, you can experience muscle wasting.

Immune Function

Protein is a key component of your immune system, making up white blood cells, antibodies,

blood proteins and a variety of immune molecules. These proteins work together in concert to

attack foreign bodies we may encounter as a threat to our immune system like bacteria’s or

viruses and chemical or physical threats like toxins

Bone Health

The amount of protein in your diet can affect your body’s calcium levels. A low-protein diet

can impact your digestive tract’s ability to absorb this mineral, resulting in increased

excretion into your urine.

Hair Loss

Your hair is composed mostly of protein known as keratin. If you don't get enough protein,

your body may try to conserve what little protein it has by limiting protein output. This can

cause hair loss

Bloating

The R.D.A. of protein varies from 1-1.5 gms /body weight depending upon the levels of

physical activity and age.

Vegetable sources, such as nuts, seeds, legumes (beans, peas, lentils, and soy products),

grains (breads and cereals), and green leafy vegetables, contain incomplete proteins. This

means that not all of the amino acids are found in one food. Mother Nature is tricky — the

amino acids absent in some foods are present in others. Rice and beans, which together

have all the essential amino acids, form a complete protein. This is an example of a way

vegetarians can make sure they get complete proteins from their diet; however, according to

research, it's not necessary to get complete proteins for every meal. Having some amino acids

during breakfast and the others during lunch will have the same effect as consuming them

together, during the same meal. Your body has the ability to combine complementary

proteins as long as their eaten on the same day.

Some good sources of vegetarian protein is soybean, sprouts, lentils, millets, nuts and seeds .

Protein content of some Indian foods we eat daily

 1 Roti-4 gms;

 1 cup rice-2-3 gms;

 1 cup dal 4-5 grams:

 1 cup peas-4-5 gms:

 1 cup milk 4-5 gms;

 paneer 100 gms 18 gms;

 1/2 cup peanuts-13 gms;

 100gms nuts -20 gms;

 100gms soyabean-13gms;

 1 cup soya milk -7 gms

 1 cup cooked quinoa-8 gms[all essential amino acids]

 1 cup cooked amaranth/chaulai-9 gms[all essential amino acids]

 1 cup sprouts-3-4 gms

Effect of high and low protein diets

“Loss of lean body mass starts in the 30s and 40s,” says Douglas Paddon-Jones, PhD, a professor in the

department of nutrition and metabolism at The University of Texas Medical Branch. “Women need to understand the impact diet has on muscle loss the same way they understand how diet affects osteoporosis risk.

In addition to participating in physical activity to maintain and build muscle, women in

midlife also should strive to eat protein

during meals to promote muscle-protein synthesis, which is essential to the body’s ongoing growth, repair, and maintenance of skeletal muscle

Menopause occurs one year after the last period, typically at age 51. These hormonal changes increase the rate

at which women store visceral fat, which surrounds the vital organs deep within the abdomen, and precipitate

changes in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, putting them at increased risk of cardiovascular disease

and diabetes.2 Emerging research has revealed that changes at the cellular level cause menopausal women to

store more fat with a diminished ability to burn fat.3

“Due to a loss of estrogen, fat is metabolized differently,” says Colleen Keller, PhD, regents professor and

director of Arizona State University's Center for Healthy Outcomes in Aging. “It's actually laid down differently in

the body as subcutaneous fat.”