T1-Protein-P3

Topic 1 -Protein- Part 3.

I hope this makes sense and is easy enough to follow, please any questions, go ahead and post/comment them on here at, Facebook- ‘Human Health: Fitness, Nutrition and Wellness’ or here on this Blog.

The previous two parts of the protein topic have sort to explain the role and importance of protein in our nutritional intake. Looking at the importance of insuring we have an intake of the essential amino-acids in our daily nutritional intake. Not just for muscle and exercise but most functions of the body from building organs and tissue to enzymes and hormones.

Just a quick reflection, protein is a nutrient needed by the human body for growth and maintenance. Following water, protein is the most abundant substance in the body. It’s found in all cells of the body, including muscle, organs, hair, skin, blood etc. They are used as precursors to vitamins and help form enzymes and hormones which in turn aid to regulate metabolism, support the immune system and other bodily functions.

This is all well and good; great you’re eating the whole unprocessed food, getting your essential amino-acids, digesting them, but what if you’re not absorbing them?

What if you’re not producing them enzymes or the good gut bacteria to allow efficient absorption of these nutrients? This would still mean that you’d be deficient in these essential-to-life nutrients.

Ok, so let’s absorb them!

Pretty much all protein we digest is broken down into amino-acids and this starts in the stomach and continues into the small intestine. The absorption into the body of the protein, or by then the amino-acids, takes place in the small intestines.

The amount of absorption of a nutrient varies slightly individual to individual, but also the food source of the nutrient affects this. This is called the Biological Value of a food, for example the protein in milk is about 90% absorbed by a healthy body. So you think you are getting a 30g protein portion but really you are only absorbing 27g. Other examples are chicken at 79% and soy 74%, so with the same 30g portion only really absorbing 23g and 22g respectively.

So this explains Biological Value, so already we may not be absorbing everything we think we are, and that’s if we are healthy with a full spectrum of enzymes and Probiotic’s.

What Enzymes and Probiotic’s do we need?

First we need adequate healthy Hydrochloric Acid in the stomach; this is where the breakdown of protein starts. Heartburn, gas, bloating, belching, constipation or diarrhea can all be signs that your Hydrochloric Acid is low, antacids just compound this, making is worse I the long run.
Hydrochloric Acid can be supported with reducing stress, chronic and acute stress reduces the amount of hydrochloric acid, so stress directly relating the ability to absorb nutrients. So firstly get rid of stress, chill out a bit and relax. Nutrients or foods that help Hydrochloric Acids levels are Peppermint, not the gum, the herb. It is used to aid the various processes of digestion due to its antibacterial and gastric-acid-promoting effects. There is much thought that drinking the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon will help increase the acid levels of the stomach which will help with the start of the absorption process.

So, fresh lemon and peppermint in the mornings to get you digestive and absorptive system started, and getting healthy. You suffer from heartburn? try a lemon instead of an antacid!

The enzymes for protein absorption are collectively called proteinases or proteases. If these are present they can break the protein into amino-acids that can be absorbed into the blood supply of the small intestine.

So where do these enzymes come from? Well they are made from proteins! So actually eating/supplementing* with digestive enzymes won’t help because the enzymes will be broken down by stomach acid before they can help in the small intestines. Basically again, make sure we get the essential amino-acids in out nutritional intake.

What can help is Probiotic’s; these can be found in fermented whole foods, most notably yoghurt. They have been shown to improve the digestibility of nutrients such as protein. They can also improve the pH of the gut which can again aid with enzyme numbers and so absorption of protein and other nutrients.

So, in summary, Peppermint herb with fresh squeezed Lemon juice and Yoghurt in our daily nutrition, along with those foods that supply our essential amino-acids mentioned in the earlier parts to this topic, (egg, seaweed and oats), maybe not all together though!

cheers!

*they may be a benefit from an enzyme found in Pineapple.