An Informational Report ULTIMATE GUIDE to

PROTEIN

The Building Blocks of Life

Disclaimer: The information in this report is presented for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified healthcare provider. We do not intend to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. Consult with your healthcare provider prior to using any advice or product mentioned in this report. The reader of this report is highly recommended to investigate the safety and efficacy of any natural or alternative therapy, diet, nutritional advice, supplement or health modification program before commencing.

Proteins What are they and why are they needed for life itself?

Proteins are astonishing because they are so fundamental to our very make up and existence as . Our cells, organs, muscles, connective tissue, and even our bones could not hold together as the key body parts they are without the help of . This importance of protein to our very structure is only one function played by proteins and are equally important to our because all enzymes in our body that help trigger chemical reactions are proteins.

Many of our most important regulatory hormones, like insulin, are also proteins. So are many of the key molecules in our immune system as are the major molecules used to carry nutrients around our body. Whether they are structural proteins, immunoproteins, hormonal proteins, transport proteins, or enzymes, proteins are of utmost importance to our health.

• It is a component of every cell in your body. In fact, hair and nails are mostly made of protein. • Your body uses it to build and repair tissue. • You need it to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. • It is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.

Like and , protein is a “macronutrient,” (the slang buzz word going around today means , Proteins and Carbohydrates) meaning that you need relatively large amounts of it to stay healthy. ( and minerals, which you only need in small quantities, are called “micronutrients.”) Unlike carbohydrates and fat, your body does not store protein, so it has no reservoir to draw from when you’re running low.

Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. As I mentioned - hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. As a matter of fact, your DNA is a protein itself!

Of all the major food molecules, proteins are the most challenging and ever changing. Expose proteins to a little heat, acid, salt or air and their behavior changes drastically. This changeability reflects their biological mission. Carbs and fats are mainly passive forms of stored energy, or structural materials. But proteins are the active machinery of life. They assemble all the molecules that make a cell, themselves included, and tear them down as well. They move molecules from one place in the cell to another and in the form of muscle fibers, they move our whole bodies around. They’re at the heart of all organic activity, growth, and movement. So it’s the nature of proteins to be active and sensitive.

Structure of Protein Proteins are made up of smaller molecules called amino acids that are strung together by chemical bonds like beads on a chain. To become an active, functional protein, this string of amino acids folds in on itself forming a twisted and entwined three-dimensional structure. Proteins come in many sizes. Some chains of amino acids are quite small, like the hormone insulin that is only 51 amino acids long. Most proteins however, are larger. Most of proteins in your body contain between 200-400 amino acids. So proteins are formed by linking the amine nitrogen of one with a carbon atom of another amino acid, and then repeating this “peptide bond” to make a chain dozens or hundreds of amino acids long.

Amino Acids There are about 21 different kinds of amino acids that occur in significant qualities in food. Particular protein molecules are dozens to hundreds of amino acids long and often contain many of the 21 different kinds. Short chains of amino acids are called peptides.

Amino Acids and Peptides contribute flavor. A couple aspect of amino acids are especially important for us when it comes to cooking proteins. First, amino acids participate in the browning reactions that generate flavor at high cooking temperatures. Second, many single amino acids and short peptides have tastes of their own, and in foods where proteins have been partly broken down (aged cheeses, cured hams, soy sauce) these tastes can contribute to the overall flavor. Most tasty amino acids are either sweet or better to some degree, and a number of peptides are also bitter.

A large proportion of our cells, muscles and tissue is made up of amino acids, meaning they carry out many important bodily functions, such as giving cells their structure. They also play a key role in the transport and the storage of nutrients. Amino acids have an influence on the function of organs, glands, tendons and arteries. They are furthermore essential for healing wounds and repairing tissue, especially in the muscles, bones, skin and hair as well as for the removal of all kinds of waste deposits produced in connection with the metabolism (in other words – they help take out the trash).

The study of the importance of amino acids for well-being is on the increase. Meirion Jones, a well-known BBC journalist, reported that contrary to years ago, many doctors have now confirmed that a supply of amino acids (also by way of nutritional supplements) can have positive effects.

Jones explains the changes in medical opinion in the following way: “Unfortunately, in the real world countless factors are working to prevent our bodies from receiving a full and balanced supply of these all-important substances. Among these factors are the pollution caused by burning fossil-fuels, the hormones fed to cattle, the intensive use of fertilizers in agriculture, and even habits such as smoking and drinking, all of which can prevent our bodies from fully using what we eat. Worse still is the amount of nutrition that is lost from our food through processing before we actually get to eat it. By providing the body with optimal nutrition, amino acids help to replace what is lost and, in doing so, promote well-being and vitality.”

A recent study from Germany has revealed that older people in particular are more prone to suffering from . “If the body is lacking in the minimum energy and nutrients, the body cannot carry out its bodily and mental functions. Without the necessary vitamins, proteins (amino acids), trace elements and minerals, there is a risk of debilities and metabolic disorders which can have serious consequences.”

Of the 21 amino acids coded for by the DNA of multicellular organisms, adult humans can only synthesize 12 of them. The other nine must be consumed in the diet, so we call them essential amino acids.

Essential Nonessential Histidine Alanine Isoleucine Arginine* Leucine Aspartate Lysine Cysteine* Methionine Glutamate Phenylalanine Glutamine* Threonine Glycine* Tryptophan Proline* Valine Serine* Tyrosine* Asparagine* Selenocysteine

* = conditionally essential

It’s actually far more complicated than “essential” or “non-essential”. Some amino acids can be converted to each other, but not created from scratch. Some amino acids can be synthesized, but not rapidly enough to meet all our metabolic needs. And children can’t synthesize some of the amino acids that adults can.

Peptides Peptides are chains of amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins in the skin. To put it simply, they are basically just small proteins. When peptides form a long chain of amino acids, they become proteins. They are able to penetrate the top layer of our skin and send signals to our cells to let them know how to function. There’s a lot of buzz about peptides in the fitness world these days. Various peptides are recommended for burning fat, building muscle, and improving athletic performance.

Peptides have many functions in the body, some act like neurotransmitters, others like hormones. Many control and influence how our bodies react to diet and physical exercise. Glutamine and creatine peptides are very popular as you end up with quicker absorption, fewer side effects, and more bang for your buck from these versions of the supplements that are now available. There are also the more general amino acid peptide formulations available that deliver a whole spectrum of amino acids in a pill or powder form. They usually are referred to as “pre-digested” proteins or peptides. They may be beneficial for many who are looking to ensure an adequate amount of amino acids in a stable, more easily digested form.

On a side note here that may interest you:

One important protein in our skin is collagen. Collagen gives our skin its thickness, suppleness, and tone. When collagen breaks down in the skin (from age and environmental factors like the sun and stress), wrinkles form. Peptides applied topically to the skin can send a signal to collagen to prompt the formation of new collagen, and voila, you have the appearance of more youthful, healthy skin.

Why Do We Need To Eat Protein Every Day?

Some nutrients, like B12, are stored within the body and released when needed—although we must consume a certain amount on average, we don’t have to do so every day in order to keep ourselves healthy.

Unfortunately, we have no way to store amino acids. We have a tremendous capacity to store fat in fat cells, and a very limited capacity to store glucose (as glycogen in our muscles and liver)—but we must either use amino acids to synthesize proteins, burn them for energy, convert them to glucose, or (very rarely, and if all else fails) excrete them.

Therefore, humans have a daily requirement for each one of the amino acids necessary to life, in the quantities required by whatever proteins the trillions of cells in our bodies are making (minus our ability to synthesize some of them).

Why “Complete Protein” Is Important

Imagine a factory that assembles cars. Let’s say you have 400 wheels and tires in inventory, 200 headlights, 100 chassis, 100 engines…but only ten steering wheels. It doesn’t matter that you’ve got almost enough parts to build 100 cars: ten steering wheels means you can build ten cars. Whichever part you have the fewest of limits how many cars you can build.

Our bodies have the same problem when building proteins. For instance, lysine is an essential amino acid—so if we haven’t consumed any lysine, we can’t build any proteins that contain lysine, no matter how many of the other amino acids are available. This leaves us with two options:

• Don’t build that protein. This is not usually a viable option, as it results in signals not reaching the intended recipient, damaged cells and tissues not being repaired, pathogens not being attacked…in other words, the failure of basic metabolic processes.

• Disassemble existing tissues in order to get the amino acid(s) we need. This is known as catabolysis or ‘going catabolic’, and is what actually occurs. Muscles are the first tissues to be catabolized, as becoming slightly weaker is usually less harmful than impairing the function of other organs.

WOW! -ALERT – we don’t want either one of those options to happen to us! Now here is the most important part of this report What are the best sources of protein to consume? (even if you are a vegetarian – I haven’t forgotten about you)

High-Protein Dairy And Eggs Greek Yogurt Cottage Cheese Swiss Cheese Eggs Whey Protein High-Protein Meat Steak (Top Or Bottom Round) Ground Beef (95% Lean) Chicken Breast (Boneless And Skinless) Turkey Breast High-Protein Seafood Yellowfin Tuna Halibut Sockeye Salmon Tilapia (American farmed – less toxic) High-Protein Canned Foods Anchovies Corned Beef Light Tuna Chicken Sardines Navy Beans Dried Lentils High-Protein Deli Roast Beef Roasted Turkey Breast

High-Protein Snacks Jerky Nut Butters Mixed Nuts Bean Chips High-Protein Produce Protein Smoothie Drinks Tofu (if you are a vegetarian) High-Protein Frozen Foods Green Peas Corn Frozen Greek Yogurt (make your own) High-Protein Grains Wheat Germ Soba Noodles (a buckwheat Japanese noodle) Quinoa Vegetables - Fresh Peas Spinach Kale Broccoli Sprouts Mushrooms Brussel Sprouts Artichokes Asparagus Corn

Conclusion

I’m going to make this real short and sweet. Daily requirements of protein depend on a lot of variables – age, height & weight, sex and activity level. The amount of protein we need will also be argued for many years to come by doctors, nutritionist, dietitians, scientist, and all the other health care professionals; and yes even personal trainers. So I will just give you my opinion and leave it at that - I would suggest you try to get your body weight in protein as often as you can on a daily basis from a variety of foods spread throughout the day. As an example if you weight 150 pounds shoot for getting 150 grams of protein per day in your diet.

Because there is one thing science knows for sure – the protein you eat is broken down into amino acids that are used for every chemical reaction in your body. Without the proper intake of proteins your body simply cannot achieve all the building it has to do...period.