19 Jul Protein Is The Thing To Eat If You Are Stressed
Protein is the thing to eat if you are stressed, tired, can’t think clearly or want to lose weight. That’s the short list.
I have some people come into my office very confused about protein. They are actually scared to eat it and they have no idea how good it is for them! Not just good, but essential. They get confused from various media sources such as the morning news, the Internet or their next door neighbor, so I thought I would do a little article on it in case they were just the tip of the iceberg of people who were confused on the subject.
Protein is the building block of life and provides the structure for all living things. It is essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin and hair, internal organs and muscles. Protein assists the body in its efforts to repair damaged cells and make new ones. It is also the major components of your immune system and hormones.
So if you don’t care about being having a muscular system, nice hair and skin, good hormones, energy, a strong immune system, not aging before your time and being able to combat stress, you can quit reading and go back to your poor diet of bread and pasta. If you would like a better quality of life – read on!
Protein is made up of Amino Acids. Amino acids contain about 16% nitrogen which is what distinguishes them from sugars and fats. Not only do amino acids sustain life, they enable vitamins and minerals to perform their jobs. The liver produces about 80% of the amino acids needed. The remaining 20% must be obtained through the diet and are called Essential Amino Acids.
If the body becomes depleted of any of the essential amino acids, it can’t produce the proper proteins you need to support the body. This obviously leads to a body that doesn’t function well.
I am not a proponent of “protein only” diets. You need to eat a lot of vegetables, some fat and a little fruit for a treat, too. People are individuals and need different amounts of protein. Each of us need to find what is good for our bodies and what amount gives us the most energy. Yes, energy. Protein is what gives you sustainable energy as opposed to carbohydrates and sugar which gives you a big surge of energy, and then makes you hungry very quickly (not to mention fat). I have clients start with 2 to 3 ounces of protein a meal for women and 3 to 4 ounces for men. If you are very active and athletic, you could need a lot more. If you are recovering from an illness, you need a lot more protein, too.
Best Sources of Protein
If you eat animal and or fish protein, it needs to be hormone and antibiotic free and if it’s beef it should be grass fed. Then it’s safe and won’t give you cancer. Of course, if the animal and fish protein is full of hormones, antibiotics and nitrates it might.
Beef
Lamb
Duck
Chicken
Turkey
Fish
Seafood
Eggs
Undenatured Whey Protein
Cheese
Yogurt (full fat without ANY sugar or anything added)
Nuts
Tempeh
Miso
Natto
Legumes (beans) are not complete and yes, you can combine them with rice to make a complete protein, BUT if you have any of the following problems I don’t advise eating legumes, rice, quinoa, or wheat to get your protein: Stress, low energy, excess weight, poor sleep, bad digestion, depression, blood sugar issues or diabetes, unbalanced hormones, weakened immune system and pain.
Amino Acids:
Here are the 20 Amino Acids and a brief description of what they do compiled by Dr. John Anne:
Alanine
It is one of the most significant among the 20 common amino acids. It offers energy to your system. It releases into the blood stream during exercise time and induces carbohydrate-consuming effect to the health system. It promotes enhancement in the area of protein synthesis and nitrogen balance.
Arginine
Synthesized normally in the body, arginine is known to be a semi-essential amino acid. Sometimes more is required than normal production. Deficiencies may include poor wound healing, weakness in muscles, hair loss, irritations in skin, and constipation.
Asparagine
It is one of the 20 common amino acids. It is needed to maintain homeostatic balance in the nervous system. Amino acid transformation and ammonia synthesis are largely dependent on asparagine.
Aspartic Acid
Aspartic acid is one of two acidic amino acids belonging to the group of 20 common amino acids. It promotes enzyme activity, maintenance of solubility in the body, as well as homeostasis in ionic characters of proteins.
Cysteine
It is present only at the rate of 2.8% into proteins but it provides the 3-dimensional stability of the protein molecule. It also plays a crucial role in the metabolic process of many important enzymes.
Glutamic Acid
It is one of the important amino acid among all 20 common amino acids. It is responsible for transportation of glutamate and other amino acids to the blood barrier.
Glutamine
Glutamine is able to eliminate excess ammonia from the body system. It enhances immune system. Apart from that, glutamine possesses anti-anxiety property that permits the mind to be relaxed.
Glycine
Glycine is known as the second most common among the group of amino acids. It helps transforming harmful toxic substances within the body to a non-toxic form.
Histidine
Histidine is required for infant development. Histidine deficiency may result in eczema, a kind of skin disease. There are few genetic disorders that promote non-metabolic state for histidine. This results in speech disorders and mental retardations among infants and toddlers.
Isoleucine
This amino acid is particularly important for stimulating the brain in order to produce mental alertness.
Leucine
It is particularly effective in producing other essential biochemical compounds in the body. These chemicals are important for producing bodily energy and mental alertness.
Lysine
Lysine is one of the most important amino acids among all 20 common amino acids. It functions against herpes virus in particular by providing body required nutritional supplements.
Methionine
It is an essential amino acid which functions at initiating the translation of messenger RNA.
Phenylalaine
This amino acid profoundly affects brain cells at biochemical level.
Proline
It significantly affects human nutrition. It is believed to act as a source of nitrogen
Serine
Serine is intimately related to various bodily functions such as fat metabolism, tissue growth, enhancement of immune system and many more. It is an essential ingredient of brain protein.
Threonine
It helps in maintaining protein balance and also in assisting collagen formation.
Tryptophan
This is particularly needed in the body for the production of vitamin B3.
Tyrosine
This is crucial in building link between dopamine and norepinephrine. It also reduces fat by suppressing appetite
Valine
It is effective in promoting tissue growth and maintaining nitrogen balance in the health system.
Posted by Kay Curtis
These recommendations are for the reduction of stress only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease, or as a substitute for regular medical care.