Sources of Protein

There are many different kinds of protein and many different sources of protein that are essential to a healthy diet and body.

A lot of foods are excellent supplies of protein but the best are beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes, like black beans and lentils.

Animal protein, such as meat and milk, are called complete, because they contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Most vegetable protein sources are considered incomplete because they lack one or more of the essential amino acids.

You don't have to eat all the essential amino acids in every meal. As long as you have a variety of proteins throughout the day, your body will grab what it needs from each meal.

Vegetarians need to be aware of this. To get all the amino acids needed to make new protein—and thus to keep the body's systems in good shape—people who don't eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy products should eat a variety of protein-containing foods each day.

The importance of protein can be observed by what the lack of protein can cause - growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death.

For additional sources of protein click here to go to WebMD - The Good Protein Chart.