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Health & Fitness

Protein Power

Find out the best sources of protein and what they can do for you and your health.

What is the best source of protein for the human body?

We’re talking the most complete and the highest biological value. Sound Greek to you? I’ll explain.

Well, if it sounds Greek, that’s because it is: Protein, literally translated from the islands means “of the first quality.”

You Complete Me: The essential aminos

Protein molecules are formed from the linkage of up to thousands of amino acids. Protein is made up of 22 amino acids, nine of which are ‘essential,’ meaning we have to get them from the diet because they cannot be manufactured by the human body. The more essential amino acids in a particular protein, the more “complete” it is.

Protein and amino acids can be considered as the building blocks of life. It’s protein’s job to make structural proteins like muscle. We also rely on protein to synthesize hormones like growth hormone and insulin. Hormones basically tell the body to do something. These hormones in particular can influence many functions in the body which include: muscle growth, strength, and recovery from damage.

BV: It’s not just a vineyard in Napa Valley

Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from a food which becomes incorporated into the proteins of the organism's body.

In other words, BV refers to how well and how quickly your body can actually use the protein you consume. An article from the Journal of Nutrition in 1942 concluded that the whole egg had the highest biological value of protein for human ingestion.

There have been some changes since 1942. Not only has the Foxtrot gone out of fashion - whey, a byproduct of cheese making - which was normally disposed of and only known as a lyric in a nursery rhyme, now is an increasingly common sports supplement for athletes, and has moved ahead of the whole egg at the top of the BV podium:

1. Whey Protein (BV: 100+)

2. Whole Egg (BV: 100)

3. Meat, Fish, Fowl, Dairy (BV: 70-100)

Due to its superior amino acid profile, solubility and digestibility, whey has a very high biological value, and therefore tops the list of proteins. But if we’re talking about whole foods, the whole egg is number one.*

*If we’re being technical, the best source of protein is actually human flesh. Sorry to disappoint Hannibal Lecter, but I’m not advocating cannibalism.

Protein and Satiety: The incredible, edible, egg

Meals rich in protein appear to be more satiating. In a recent study, the quality of the diet dictated the quantity of the diet: researchers demonstrated that consuming eggs for breakfast reduced the amount of food subjects ate when compared to a group eating a bagel  - both eating the same number of calories - for their morning meal.

In another study, researchers, including Daivd Ludwig at Children’s Hospital, studied people consuming a low glycemic index (foods that do not raise blood sugar significantly) meal of an omelet for breakfast and lunch compared to two other groups eating oatmeal for both meals: one group was “high-GI,” eating instant oatmeal, the other “medium-GI” eating steel cut oats.

The result? “People consumed 81% more calories during the five hours after eating instant oatmeal than after eating the same number of calories as an omelet and fruit, and 19% more calories after eating steel-cut oatmeal than after eating an omelet and fruit,” writes J. Stanton at gnolls.org.

Your body uses protein to make reactions that it needs for muscle contraction, cardiovascular function, and immunity from disease. It’s also important for the growth and maintenance of hair, skin, nails, antibodies, and for the proper use of enzymes and neurotransmitters.

In short: protein is necessary for any diet, especially for those engaged in an active lifestyle, and it appears to help control food consumption without having to use a calculator.

Meet your local butcher and fish monger. Check out the local farmers market. The best proteins are the most natural sources of food. Find the closest farm and support locally raised animals and plants.

Choose pasture-fed animals over grain-fed animals. Wild caught fish over farm raised. Organic over conventional.

Think about enjoying that Thanksgiving Day turkey with your family. Make an effort to procure this meal from local, fresh, and organic sources.

Eat complete proteins. In other words, eat real food, and your health will follow.


Bob Kaplan holds advance degrees in exercise physiology and business, an undergraduate degree in nutrition, is a nationally certified personal trainer, and owns four Get In Shape For Women locations in Bedford, Wellesley, Westford, and Winchester.

For more information about Kaplan's services at Get in Shape For Women in Westford, please call 978-589-0927 or visit at 142 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA  01886, or online at www.getinshapeforwomen.com for a free week trial.

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