Is Protein a super-nutrient I should be having more of?
I know it can’t just be me that has noticed this, but many common foods and recipes have been pushing the “high-protein” agenda for some time. And why is that? Should we be concerned about not having enough protein in our diet? More importantly, what is protein and do we need to include more in our day-to-day diets?
Protein is one of the three macronutrients the body needs to produce energy. Each gram of protein provides us with 4 calories of energy. I like to think of proteins as the builder macronutrient because it is one of the most important building blocks for the body. Proteins are made from hundreds of smaller molecules called amino acids, which can combine in a variety of ways to produce muscles, enzymes, hormones, immune cells, skin, hair and nails.
Although the body can recycle its protein through the breakdown of old protein to make new ones, it is not a perfect process. This is why having adequate amounts of good quality protein in our diet is important to carry out repairs, maintenance and growth.
