Protein essentials

You could say we’re living in a world that’s more protein-aware than ever before. Everyone’s worried about not getting enough with the result protein has moved from being a basic requirement for life to being a global food trend. Everything from yogurt to chocolate bars is now being touted as high protein. It’s a key trend that shows no sign of stopping.

Protein is an essential nutrient. Essential for many of our basic bodily functions enabling our bodies to grow, repair themselves and maintain good health. We’re all individuals, at different stages of our lives, and we certainly don’t all share the same lifestyles. Some of us are in less than perfect health. Our differences mean we need differing levels of protein at different stages of our lives.

While people may obsess over whether a protein is complete (i.e. contains all 9 essential amino acids at least in the minimum amounts), it’s much more important to ensure that between the proteins you’re consuming in a day, you have all bases covered.

Our latest Health Hack gives you a swift protein 101 so you can see if you’re getting enough and varying your sources of protein.

So if you’re pondering on protein, here are 3 points about protein to focus your mind:

• Get a handle on how much protein you’re consuming in a day in relation to your needs
• Maintain diversity of your protein sources so that you cover off all the amino acids your body needs
• If you’re following a vegan diet supplementation with plant protein powders is a useful way to bump up your levels, particularly if you have higher protein requirements (e.g. athletes). Ensure it is a good quality plant protein with a complete amino acid profile, and, where required, consume additional specific amino acids to suit your needs.