nacci-food-nutrition

Chapter.1.b: PROTEINS
PROTEINS are made of approximately 20 amino acids. Nine amino acids out of these 20 are called
ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS; since our body is not capable of synthesizing them it needs to
assimilate them from food. These ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS are Valine, Isoleucine, Leucine,
Lysine, Methionine, Histidine, Tryptophan, Phenylalanine, and Threonine (Arginine in
children).
Without the external supply of these NINE ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS from food, the body is
not capable of building these PROTEINS.
The 9 ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS must be present in cells all together at the same time to
interact with the biological systems controlling the production of the various required PROTEINS,
in the time span of about one hour.
If one of the essential amino acids is not present, cells will not be able to build the required
PROTEINS. Therefore, the remaining 8 ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS will be used as a source of
energy (Kilocalories).
With PROTEINS, every cell in the human body is replaced by a new one, in a period of eleven
months. Indeed, PROTEINS are used to build new cells and tissues, and to repair body organs.
We can find the 9 essential amino acids in MEAT, FISH, EGGS, MILK and dairy products
(CHEESE, BUTTER, YOGHURT, MOZZARELLA CHEESE).
Fruit and Vegetables contain few of the essential amino acids.
Cereals and legumes contain up to 7-8 essential amino acids, but the complete range of 9 essential
amino acids is never contained in any of them.
Usually, cereals do not contain Lysine, and legumes do not contain Methionine.
However, if we eat LEGUMES and CEREALS in a time span of about one hour, we will give our
body all 9 essential amino acids. Besides, cooking traditions all over the world have always
associated cereals to legumes as a sort of “meat for the poor”.
In the Eastern countries rice, a CEREAL, was consumed with soybean, a LEGUME.
In the Western countries wheat, a CEREAL, was consumed with bean or peas, that is LEGUMES.
Cereals: WHEAT (soft or hard), RICE, SWEETCORN, SPELT, BARLEY, MILLET, OAT, RYE,
SORB, KAMUT, QUINOA, AMARANTH.
Legumes: BROAD BEANS, PEAS, BEANS, CHICKPEAS, SOYBEANS, LENTILS, CLOVER,
FENUGREEK, GOAT’S RUE, LUCERNE, CAROB.
Thus, PROTEINS are of vital importance for sustenance.
Without PROTEINS, children cannot grow up and develop properly. That’s why, in mammals,
evolution invented MILK, a sort of “LIQUID MEAT”: a newborn calf can become a steer in very
few months, just by drinking milk from the cow…
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