First class protein vs second class protein
First-class proteins are proteins found from animals, and second-class proteins are proteins found from plants. First-class proteins come from meat, eggs, fish and dairy products while non-animal related foods, like vegetables and fruits, provide second-class proteins. Both types of proteins provide valuable nutrients as well as essential amino acids. Many of the amino acids that first- and second-class proteins provide aren't naturally made by the human body, which makes them very important to obtain through a healthy, balanced diet. First-class proteins contain a necessary amount of these important amino acids, but second-class proteins only contain some of them. Because of this, vegetarians must be very careful about eating a balanced, nutritious diet as they could begin to suffer from protein deficiency.
9 Signs that Your Body Isn’t Getting Enough Protein
1. You have high cholesterol
High cholesterol and triglycerides are not just caused by eating fatty foods — they are also a result of increased inflammation, hormonal imbalances and high-processed/high-sugar diets. If you tend to replace protein foods with sugary snacks, refined carbs and packaged convenient goods, your cholesterol can start to rise as your liver and cells process fats less efficiently. Some studies have even found an inverse relationship exists between protein intake and risk of heart disease.
2. You’re feeling more anxious and moody
Amino acids are the building blocks for neurotransmitters which control your mood. Proteins help the brain synthesize hormones like dopamine and serotonin that help bring on positive feelings like calm, excitement and positivity.
3. Your workouts are suffering
You’re probably already aware that protein is needed to build new muscle mass, but it’s also important for sustaining your energy and motivation. A low protein diet can result in muscle wasting (or muscle atrophy), fatigue and even fat gain — it can also be behind female athlete triad. In fact, you can workout more, but see less results if your diet isn’t adequate to support tissue repair or your energy needs.
4. You aren’t sleeping well
Poor sleep and insomnia can sometimes be linked to unstable blood sugar levels, a rise in cortisol and a decrease in serotonin production. Blood sugar swings during the day carry over through the night. Carbohydrates require much more insulin than fat or protein does. Eating foods with protein before bed can help with tryptophan and serotonin production, and they have a minimal effect on blood glucose levels; in fact, protein slows down the absorption of sugar during a meal.
5. You have “brain fog”
Protein is needed to support many aspects of healthy neurological functioning. Brain fog, poor concentration, lack of motivation and trouble learning new information can be signs that you’re low in neurotransmitters you need to focus including dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Neurotransmitters are synthesized in the brain using amino acids, and studies show that balanced diets with enough protein can boost work performance, learning and motor skills.
6. You’re gassy and can’t go to the bathroom
Many metabolic and digestive functions depend on amino acid intake. If your body feels fatigued and run down in general due to protein deficiency, enzyme production, muscle contractions in your GI tract and digestion in general will suffer.
7. Your clothes are feeling tighter
Although sometimes higher in calories than carbs, high-protein foods cause increased satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrates or fats do, so they can prevent overeating and snacking. They also help stabilise your blood sugar, allow you to retain more muscle which burns more calories all day, and can reduce cravings.
8. Your menstrual cycle is irregular
One of the most common reasons women suffer from irregular periods and infertility is the condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Two major risk factors for PCOS are obesity and pre-diabetes or diabetes — in fact, insulin resistance affects 50–70 percent of all women with PCOS. Low-protein, high-sugar/high-carb diets can contribute to insulin resistance, fatigue, inflammation and weight gain that disrupts the delicate balance of female hormones (including that of estrogen, progesterone and DHEA) needed to sustain a regular cycle.
9. You’ve been getting injured more often and are slow to heal
A low protein diet can raise your risk for muscle loss, falling, slow bone healing, bone weakness, fractures and even osteoporosis. Protein is needed for calcium absorption and helping with bone metabolism. Studies show that older adults with the greatest bone losses are those with a low protein intake of about 16–50 grams per day. Research also shows that a diet high in amino acids can help treat muscle loss due to aging (sarcopenia).
Choose Your Protein Wisely
Knowing what to eat, how much, and when can be overwhelming for many. It seems today in order to stay healthy and keep your family healthy you need a degree in nutrition – and even with that there all seems to be conflicting evidence and studies. I want to help to simplify this sometimes confusing topic for you.
When it comes to protein there are a few basic guidelines to follow; first you must understand that you (and your loved ones) need to consume protein on a regular basis; secondly, you must eat the right kinds of protein for it to have the desired, positive impact on your health.
Overall, eating a mix of plant-based and animal-based options is the best approach to getting enough protein. Some call this approach the flexitarian diet. While animal products have more protein per calorie than most plants do, eating too much meat, dairy, fish or eggs everyday isn’t the best idea and has its own drawbacks (such as being less environmentally sustainable, more expensive and more acidic).
Vegetarian proteins often double as a great way to get more fiber, antioxidants, electrolytes and other nutrients, so try including them in your meals often in place of meat.
Vegetarian and vegan protein options that still provide a good deal of amino acids include: all types of beans and legumes, especially adzuki beans, mung beans and lentils; nuts and seeds such as almonds, flax, chia and hemp; unprocessed/ancient grains like oats, buckwheat, amaranth, farro or quinoa. It’s an added bonus if you consume sprouted nuts, legumes and grains since this helps make their amino acids more absorbable once eaten.
Even some vegetables have a fairly high concentration of protein, especially considering how low in calories they are. Veggies which help boost your protein intake include: spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and mushrooms.
When it comes to using protein powders, several new and noteworthy types have recently hit the market. These include pea protein, cricket protein (yes, made from ground-up bugs!) and also protein powder made from bone broth. There are many benefits to consuming these types or powders since they offer much more than simply protein – for example, bone broth also supplies collagen and glucosamine which are great for your GI tract, joints and skin.
For meats, the best forms of protein you can be getting are going to be things like grass-fed beef, organic chicken and turkey, and wild-caught salmon.
