The great, vast majority of your physical body is composed of protein. The framework around which the minerals of your bones are assembled is pure protein. The muscles of your body are 98% protein. The connective tissues, the ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that hold your bones and muscles together are almost pure protein. The skin that covers your body and the membranes that cover your organs are almost pure protein. The formed elements of the blood, your platelets, red and white blood cells, as well as the vessels themselves, are almost pure protein. The organs which make up the interior of the body are almost all protein. The enzymes which do all the work within your body, are almost pure protein. If you take away the water from your body, over 90% of what is left of a normal weight person will be protein.
The proteins of your body can only be constructed from the amino acids derived from the proteins found in your diet. Obviously a diet that supplies adequate protein is critical to maintaining a healthy body. Fortunately due to the highly efficient way in which the body uses its existing proteins, and the effective way it breaks dietary protein down into amino acids and peptides, we actually only need about 8 ounces of high quality protein in our diet each day in order to have a really healthy body. But, we do need those 8 ounces of top quality protein and if we don’t get them each day, important enzymes will not be produced, leaving vital work undone. Key immunoglobulins will not be built, leaving us vulnerable to infection. Tissue repair will not be completed, resulting in premature aging. Due to the key role proteins play in our health, there are 8 amino acids which are called “essential”, meaning we must have them in our diet every day or our health will suffer.
Tags: health