Protein in our diet supplies us with essential amino acids that our body cannot synthesize.  Amino acids are key players in forming cells, repairing tissues, carrying oxygen and assisting muscle activity.  There are approximately 20 amino acids required by the body and half of these can by synthesized by our body’s cells.  The other half are obtained from our foods – these are termed ‘essential’ amino acids because they are essential in our diet.

Growth and maintenance of every cell in our body is heavily reliant on proteins.  Proteins play a crucial role in physiological processes in the formation of enzymes, hormones and antibodies.  Fluid balance is helped maintained by proteins – since they attract and absorb water.

Proteins are digested in the stomach and small intestines, they are denatured in the stomach by acids and then single amino acids and peptides are absorbed into the blood stream in the small intestines.  When we digest proteins, we burn more calories, in comparison to digesting carbohydrates and this helps in boosting our metabolism.  Proteins also help in satiety, helping us feel fuller longer and thereby suppressing our appetite.

Protein rich foods include: meats, poultry, fish, legumes (beans & peas), tofu, eggs, nuts, seeds, dairy products, grains and some vegetables.  The CDC recommends that 10–35% of your daily calories come from protein.  In general it is recommended that 0.8 gram of protein be taken in for every kilogram of body weight.  This can be higher for athletes or highly active individuals.

Take our body weight in pounds (lbs) and divided it by 2.2 (there are 2.2 lbs per kg of weight).  So if you weigh 150 lbs, you divide that by 2.2 and get 68 kg.  Multiply 68 kg by 0.8 g/kg and you get 54.4 grams.  An average 150 lb person should eat 54 grams of protein per day (on the average).

A list of protein rich foods and their content can be found on this page.