FERNWOOD FITNESS - PULSE eMagazine - Issue#10 - Flipbook - Page 25
We need protein for all of our cells to grow, repair and func琀椀on. It’s key to building muscles
and maintaining a strong immune system. Protein can also be used as a source of energy.
Proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that join
together, in di昀昀erent combina琀椀ons, to form proteins. There are two types of
amino acids, essen琀椀al and non-essen琀椀al.
Essen琀椀al: These are amino
acids that cannot be made by
the body and are therefore
essen琀椀al to get through our
food and drink. There are nine
essen琀椀al amino acids.
Non-essen琀椀al: These are
amino acids that can be made
by the body and therefore are
not essen琀椀al to get through
our diet. There are 11 nonessen琀椀al amino acids.
Sources of protein
The nutri琀椀onal quality of
protein is determined by the
number of essen琀椀al amino
acids it contains. These can
be divided into complete and
incomplete sources.
Complete sources of protein:
These contain all the essen琀椀al
amino acids and are high-quality
sources of protein. Complete
sources are predominantly
animal-based, but there are
some plant-based sources.
Incomplete sources of
protein: these lack at least
one essen琀椀al amino acid and
are a lower-quality source of
protein. Incomplete sources
are plant-based.
Incomplete sources of protein
can be combined to form
complete sources of protein.
These combina琀椀ons are called
complementary proteins.
It is easy to eat complementary
protein by combining the amino
acids from nuts, legumes and
wholegrains by having:
• peanut bu琀琀er or hummus
on wholegrain bread, wraps
or crackers
• baked beans or a
legume-based soup with
wholegrain toast
• oats sprinkled with pumpkin
seeds or chopped nuts.
While dairy foods are already a
complete protein, they can be
combined with grains and seeds
to boost the quality of the plantbased protein. For example,
simply add adding muesli to your
yoghurt or enjoy some cheese
with wholegrain crackers.
