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Healthy protein foods are the foods that contain the essential amino acids as non-essential amino acids can be produced by your body.
Digesting protein is a huge task for your body to undertake and in order for protein absorption to occur, your body must be able to break down some pretty tight bonds.
The problem occurs when your body lacks the protein enzymes responsible for breaking down proteins into amino acids.
Protein Enzymes
The protease enzymes are a family of protein enzymes that breakdown protein into amino acids.
Some of the names for these protease enzymes are pepsin, trypsin, papain, and bromelain.
Digesting Protein and Protein Absorption
Protein digestion begins in your stomach.
The hydrochloric acid in your stomach breaks down protein bonds along with the help of protein-digesting enzymes called proteases.
Digestion of proteins are completed in your small intestine by these protein enzymes, and get turned into amino acids.
These amino acids are then absorbed into your blood by the capillaries of your small intestines.
Allergies happen when whole proteins that were not properly digested are absorbed into your blood stream.
Healthy Protein Foods contain Essential Amino Acids
Essential amino acids are amino acids that your body can't make and therefore, you must get them from your diet.
There are 8 essential amino acids:
Leucine
Valine
Threonine
Lysine
Isoleucine
Methionine
Tryptophan
Phenylalanine
Considered Essential for Young Children:
Histidine
Arginine
Your individual requirements for amino acids depends on your age group, pregnancy, and your health issues.
Some people will be able to get by with only 8 of the essential amino acids and some people will need all 10 listed amino acids to stay healthy.
Protein sources that contain all 8 of the essential amino acids are called complete proteins.
Your Body can make Non-essential Amino Acids
Your body is able to make non-essential amino acids from other amino acids in your body or from the foods you consume.
These are non-essential amino acids:
Alanine
Tyrosine
Asparagine
Aspartic acid
Cysteine
Glycine
Glutamic acid
Glutamine
Serine
Proline
These two are considered essential or non-essential depending on your circumstances:
Histidine
Arginine
Healthy Protein
is a controversial subject. Some people believe you just need the essential amino acids and others believe you need more and still others believe all you need are enzymes.
