What is protein

Protein is one of the most important constituents of our food because it is the chief constituent of the body cell, of body tissues and of body fluids. You must supply yourself with fresh protein daily, since proteins are constantly needed to replace the wear and tear of the tissues and keep up the protein concentration in the blood serum.

While protein can take the place of some fat and carbohydrate, fat and carbohydrate will not serve the body need for protein. That is why the minimum amount of protein, from a good source, must be consumed daily. The best sources of protein for optimum health are milk, eggs and meat.

It is not necessary to devour pounds of steak, dozens of eggs or gallons of milk daily for that purpose. In fact, excessive amounts of these foods may do more harm than good. But one pint of milk, an egg or two, and a quarter to a half pound of meat daily are an absolute necessity.

Proteins are made up of amino acids containing nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus in addition to the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that are present in fats and carbohydrates as well as in proteins. We can also obtain protein from the legumes, beans, lentils and peas, but the proteins from this source do not contain all the amino acids and are not as easily assimilable as the animal proteins.