PROTEINS
STRUCTURE
WHERE DO WE FIND THEM AND WHAT BENEFITS DO THEY BRING?
They are present mainly in foods of animal origin such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and its derivatives. But they are also found in plant foods, such as soybeans, tofu, peanuts, oats, legumes and cereals, although to a lesser extent. Its intake provides the body with 4 kilocalories for each gram of protein.
It provides a feeling of fullness, stimulates metabolism, helps muscle maintenance, helps muscle recovery and growth, helps generate antibodies that strengthen the immune system and maintain good health, preventing infections and diseases.
CLASSIFICATION
DEFINITION AND IMPORTANCE
The most important nutrient responsible for many of the functions in our body is protein, it is made up of "amino acids", which are small molecules present in it. Thanks to it, the construction of the muscles, tendons, organs and tissues of the body is carried out; it also participates in the production of enzymes, hormones and many more important molecules for the body.
They are one of the nutrients that cannot be lacking in our daily diet
Proteins thus provide the body with all those complex elements and nutrients that the human body cannot generate by itself, so if you do not consume proteins, health will begin to deteriorate rapidly.
ANIMAL PROTEIN
Animal protein is present mainly in meat, fish or eggs. Animal protein is found in foods such as meat, fish and seafood, eggs, milk and dairy products.
PROTEIN VEGETABLE
There are plant foods that are complete, high quality proteins, such as soy, quinoa or amaranth. Soy, a legume, actually contains as much proteinas many meats or fish, with hardly any fat.
Proteins are built from a set of only twenty amino acids, each of which has a unique side chain. The side chains of amino acids have different chemistries. The largest group of amino acids have nonpolar side chains. Several other amino acids have side chains with positive or negative charges, while others have polar but uncharged side chains.
The chemistry of amino acid side chains is critical to protein structure because these side chains can bond with one another to hold a length of protein in a certain shape or conformation.