Nutrition Quarterly Summer 2022

ALL ABOUT PROTEIN BY: CARRIE GERENCHER What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word protein? For some, an image of an athlete or someone that goes to the gym and drinks protein shakes made from powder. For others, it might be an image of a juicy steak at a restaurant. One might also list in their head, the most obvious food sources of protein such as beef, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, eggs, milk, Greek yogurt and cheese. Hopefully, we all learned in grade school, or maybe even middle school, that the main macronutrients we need to consume every day are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of our cells that are made up of amino acids. Every cell in our body houses protein. Your entire immune system comprises approximately 30% of all your cells – that’s 20 trillion cells, and these are 100% Amino Acids. Amino Acids come from….wait for it, Protein! We also need it to maintain muscle and lean body mass, repair cells or tissues when damaged, growth & development and lastly, for a general feeling of satiety because it takes longer to digest than carbohydrates. Protein is an essential nutrient the body cannot make, so we must get it in our daily diet. At various stages of our lifecycle, we will have different requirements for protein. In general, a healthy adult will need about 0.8g per their body weight in kilograms. For a 150lb person, approximately 54.5 g protein is needed daily. TIP: A serving of protein should be about the size of the palm of your hand not including your fingers. 18 Nutrition Quarterly · Series 3 – Volume 3 Featured Articles