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Are You Taking Protein For Granted?

 
The word ‘protein’ comes from the Greek root, ‘proteios’, meaning ‘fundamental’ or ‘primary importance’. From the context of human health, it should be a fundamental part of any health improving strategy.

Proteins range from muscle tissue to skin, bones, and hair.  These are the more obvious ‘structural proteins’.  There is also a huge range of ‘subtle proteins’ that are generally overlooked such as blood hemoglobin, brain fluids, your super immune booster known as glutathione and even the structure of your DNA, to name just four.   In all, there are more than 500,000 types of protein in the human body.

Each day these proteins are breaking down, repairing themselves and communicating with each other.  Skin cells rebuild themselves every two weeks, blood cells turn over at a structural level every three months, and muscle tissue is regenerated every six months.  At a structural level, even teeth and bones regenerate once a year.

Athletes have long known that protein builds healthy muscle tissue, but we are now understanding that it is also a catalyst for weight loss (stabilizing blood sugar and increasing metabolism), cancer-prevention (immune function and glutathione levels) and longevity (cellular recovery and anti-aging).
 
Protein structures are made from ‘amino acids’, twenty-nine of them to be exact, nine of which must be sourced from our diet.  We now have access to even more complex amino acid structures, called protein ‘microfractions’, which have been shown to dramatically support immune function and cellular recovery.  The three known dietary sources of microfractions are human breast milk, whey protein concentrate (WPC80) and cold temperature cross flow microfiltered whey protein isolate (CFM).  The latter two proteins are now available for supplementation.

The technical protein comparison benchmark is referred to as Biological Value (BV).  This is the proportion of consumed protein that is retained in the body for growth and recovery.  Whey Protein Concentrate has a BV of 120 and Whey Protein Isolates (CFM) rates at an amazing BV 160.  In comparison, chicken, fish, beef have a BV of 75-80.

Everyone needs protein; not just athletes.  At a basic health-maintenance level, a general guideline is 1g of protein for each kg of body weight.  A 35 lb should consumer about 60g of protein a day.  If she is moderately active or lives in a stressful environment, then the requirement increases to 1.5g per kg of body weight, or 90g of protein a day.  For very active individuals, the protein needs could increase to 2g per kg of body weight or, in this case, 120g of protein.

Whether you’re involved in sports, making healthy choices for weight loss, concerned about anti-aging or just dealing with the stresses of modern living, protein should be an integral part of your daily healthy eating program.  Easily absorbed and well tolerated, by even dairy-sensitive individuals, high quality whey protein powder is recommended as a foundational health tool. And that’s something every ‘body’ could use!

Written by Elaine Munro, an active businesswoman and training athlete, who conducts seminars focusing on active lifestyle & healing nutrition, as well as raising consumer awareness about the natural health industry.

Iso-Pro Low Carb™ All Natural and Decadent Whey™ All Natural are available at local Health Food stores in the Okanagan, Vancouver, and across Canada.

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