Protein is in every living cell in the body. Our bodies need protein from the foods we eat to build and maintain bones, muscles and skin. We get proteins in our diet from meat, dairy products, nuts and certain grains and beans. Proteins from meat and other animal products are complete proteins. This means they supply all of the amino acids the body can't make on its own. Plant proteins are incomplete. You must combine them to get all of the amino acids your body needs.
It is important to get enough dietary protein. You need to eat protein every day, because your body doesn't store it the way it stores fats or carbohydrates. The average person needs 50 to 65 grams of protein each day. This is the amount in four ounces of meat and a cup of cottage cheese.
- Protein(Harvard School of Public Health) - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/
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How Much Protein Do You Need?
(National Institutes of Health) - http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2008/March/docs/01features_01.htm
- Soy Protein Doesn't Lower Cholesterol(08/08/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67960.html
- Protein Content (in Grams) of Selected Foods per Common Measure(Dept. of Agriculture) - Large PDF file - http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR17/wtrank/sr17w203.pdf
- Beans and Other Legumes: Types and Tasty Tips(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/legumes/NU00260/METHOD=print
- Diabetes Food Pyramid: Protein(American Diabetes Association) - http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/protein.jsp
- Lean Meats: 10 Tips for Low-Fat Cooking(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/food-and-nutrition/NU00202/METHOD=print
- High-Protein Diets(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11234
- High-Protein Diets: Are They Safe?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/high-protein-diets/AN00847/METHOD=print
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dietary Proteins(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=dietary+proteins
- Article: Associations of maternal fish intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding duration... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18779297&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Quantitative mass spectrometry as a tool for nutritional proteomics. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18779273&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Mapping of the IgE and IgG4 sequential epitopes of milk... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18774394&tool=MedlinePlus
- Dietary Proteins -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=dietary+proteins[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(editorial[pt]+OR+letter[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Dietary Proteins - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Dietary+Proteins
- Nutrient Lists(Dept. of Agriculture) - Links to PDF - http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869
- Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion - http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/
- Food and Drug Administration - http://www.fda.gov/
- Food and Nutrition Information Center - http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
- Food and Nutrition Service - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/
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Learning about Proteins(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/protein.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sano/protein_esp.html
- Carbohydrates - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/carbohydrates.html
- Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nutrition.html
- Weight Control - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightcontrol.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Dietary Proteins is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/