What is Protein? Types Of Protein & Sources

What is Protein?

Proteins are biomolecules that are made up of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen Oxygen, and the same amount of sulphur and phosphorus. when two or more than two molecules of amino acids are combined then it is called protein. amino acids are building blocks of proteins, 20 types of amino acids are made of different types of protein. (different types of amino acids make different types of protein in our body). Essential and non-essential these two types of amino acids are present in our body. Essential amino acids are those amino acids that are necessary for our body, but these are not produced in our body.

 All proteins are polymers of amino acids. 

Benefits:

  1. Give instant energy- usually, the body gets energy from carbohydrates and fats. Still, if you are taking fewer calories for weight loss, or if you are an athlete, then protein works to give you the same energy.
  2. Build muscles – protein is required to maintain the size and shape of muscles. Protein protects the muscles during weight loss. If you lift weight for strength, then protein has an important role in this because it works to strengthen your muscles.
  3. Strengthens bones- according to studies the right amount of protein improves bone health. It reduces the chances of osteoporosis (a decrease in bone mass begins to interfere with the normal structure of the bones, this condition is recognized as osteoporosis).it maintains the density of bones, and prevents them from weakening in old age.
  4.  Burns fat- a high amount of protein in the diet increases metabolism this means that you burn many calories in a day, even if you rest. At the same time, taking less protein in the diet does not reduce fat easily.
  5. Important for building and repairing muscle fibres after exercise.
  6. Help in building antibodies for the immune system.
  7. Aids in digestion and absorption of food.
  8. Transports oxygen to tissues.
  9. Building the structure for muscles, ligaments, organs, hair, and skin.

Sources of Protein

There are many vegetarian foods rich in protein, which you can include in the diet. Milk, curd pulses, gram, and soybean are good sources of protein. Protein is required to give energy to our body. To stay healthy we should include a good amount of protein in our daily diet. About  15 to 30 percent of our diet should be protein. Protein is very important for growth and fitness.

1. Vegan( from Plant ) Protein.

Generally, people consider non. veg to be a better option for protein requirements, But this does not mean that a vegetarian diet does not contain protein. If you are a vegetarian, then pulses, soya, milk, beans, oats, sprouted grains, fruits, and vegetables are good options for protein. Today we are discussing foods rich in protein that are completely natural.

Soybean – About one full cup of boiled soybean (172 grams) consists of 31 grams of protein.

Almonds – 100 grams of almonds contain 21.15 grams of protein

Lentils – 100 grams of lentils contain 26 grams of protein.

Peanuts – 100 grams of peanuts consists of 20gram of protein and 32 grams (2 tablespoons) provide 7.2 grams of protein.

etc.

2. Non- Vegetarian Source of protein

1 Egg (50gram) provides 6.3 grams of protein. 

Meat – About 100g grams of meat contains 22.2 grams of protein.

Fish- Half of the salmon fillet (124 grams) provides 30.5 grams of protein, while a 180 gram of cod fillet provides 41 grams of protein.

Chicken- 86 grams of chicken breast consists of 26.7 grams of protein.

3. Milk protein

Milk- Curd- About one cup (100 grams) of milk consists of 3.6 grams of protein. Apart from this, drinking curd, buttermilk or lassi also provides protein 

Paneer- 226 grams of cottage cheese contains 28 grams of protein.

What Is Whey Protein & Casein Protein?

Casein and whey protein are two types of proteins that are present in milk. 

1) Whey protein is a complete protein consisting of 9 essential amino acids. The water left after the process of making cheese from milk is whey protein. 

Types of whey protein 

1. Whey Protein Concentrated (WPC) – whey protein concentrate is the most common and cheaper to other types of protein, and most people consume it. concentrate protein contains 80% of protein and the rest is fat, carbohydrate, lactose, and a small amount of calories. Concentrate protein is an ideal protein source to consume post workout for athletes because of its fast absorbing and good nutrition value.

2. Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) Whey protein isolate is a highly filtered protein.  Carbohydrates, fats, and lactose are completely removed after the ultra filtration process. Isolate protein is 90-95% of the pure form of whey protein. Isolate whey protein is fast digestion and has a higher nutrition value than concentrated protein. Because whey protein isolate is more processed, its price is also higher than the concentrate. 

3. Whey protein hydrolyzed (WPH) – whey protein hydrolyzed is the purest form of protein; it consists of 95 to 100 percent of protein. Whey protein hydrolyzed is a pre-digested form of protein; it does not require as much digestion as the other two types of whey protein. There is absolutely no amount of fat and lactose in hydrolyzed protein.

4. Blend protein- blend protein is any kind of supplement or product that include more than one type of protein, it is the mixture of different type of whey protein such as whey protein isolate and whey protein hydrolyzed. Blend protein contains slightly more carbohydrates and fat and slightly less protein than the isolate. Blend protein is available to you at a lower price than isolated protein. 

2.) Casein protein – Casein and whey protein are two types of proteins that are present in milk. The amount of casein in milk is 80% and whey is 20% of the protein. Casein protein is known as slow digestion protein because it takes at least 6 to 7 hours to digest. It gradually fills the amount of protein in the body. We cannot take casein protein as a pre-work-out or post-work-out because we need quick digestion protein before and after exercise. When our body does not get complete nutrition then our muscle-building process stops and Changes into catabolic, in which our muscles start breaking down. casein protein is used to prevent muscle breakdown due to the slow digestion process. Casein protein is useful for those people who are big bodybuilders who need the amount of protein throughout the night.