You’ve heard of protein, but what about complete protein? Incomplete protein? What are these two things and their role in your daily diet? What happens if you only eat incomplete proteins?
When it comes to prioritizing your health and wellness, ensuring adequate protein intake is essential. Protein serves as the building blocks of the human body, playing crucial roles in muscle mass maintenance, immune system function, and overall wellbeing.
While animal products are known for being complete protein sources, there is a wide array of plant-based options that can also provide all the essential amino acids your body needs. In this article, we will explore the concept of complete protein foods, the importance of protein in your diet, and various plant-based sources that can help you meet your protein needs for optimal wellness.
We’re here to provide you with all the information you need to know to answer those inquiries, eat a healthy diet full of complete protein, and more. Just keep reading!
What Is Protein?
Protein is an essential part of your daily diet. It’s one of three macros (macronutrients) you must eat to remain healthy. For the record, the other macros are carbohydrates and fats, but the third, protein, is what’s important here.
Not only does protein consist of a category of foods that you need to eat regularly, but it also provides some important functions. A diet high in protein can help you build muscle mass. Also, eating protein-rich meals can leave you feeling full longer, and this macro even gives you some energy to help you get through the day.
How does protein manage to do all of these things and more? It’s made up of amino acids, that’s how.
What Are Amino Acids?
Protein is made up of amino acids. You can think of amino acids as tiny Lego bricks put together to make a large structure, like a building. The building is the protein source, whether plant-based or designed for an omnivore.
Overall, there are around 20 different types of amino acids. Your body makes some of them naturally and gets the others from your food. Each amino acid serves a different purpose, from helping your body heal to creating energy and more.
Examples of Amino Acids
For example, tryptophan is an amino acid in the dark meat of a turkey, among other places. Tryptophan helps your brain create serotonin, which plays a role in your sleep health and assists in regulating your overall mood. This is why eating that dark meat on Thanksgiving makes you sleepy.
Another amino acid is called histidine. You can probably guess what it does due to its similarity with the word histamine. And yes, histidine helps your immune system function properly and can even help regulate your seasonal allergies.
Some amino acids help your body recover from a workout, assisting with muscle repair via the regeneration of tissues. This one, called valine, also helps your body produce energy, which helps you get through the day, let alone a workout in the gym.
These are just a few examples. It’s clear that amino acids are incredibly important and play several important roles that help your body function correctly. This is why it’s necessary to ensure that you get plenty of them each and every day.
Complete Protein Versus Incomplete Protein
When finding sources of protein to add to your daily diet, you need to know the difference between complete and incomplete. As you probably anticipated, complete protein sources contain all the amino acids your body doesn’t naturally produce, while incomplete protein sources only have some amino acids. Depending on the food, they may contain one or more types of amino acids,
How can you tell the difference? Generally, meat and dairy products contain all amino acids, making them complete proteins. Most, but not all, plant-based forms of protein are incomplete and only contain specific amino acids.
How Can You Eat a Balanced Diet of Amino Acids?
You have two choices when it comes to ensuring that you receive all of the amino acids in your daily diet. The first is an omnivore's diet. An omnivore eats both plant-based foods as well as meats.
The second is for those who eat only plant-based foods. If you’re a vegan or a vegetarian, you’ll need to mix and match your protein accordingly, eating a variety of different types of foods that contain amino acids.
Here are a couple of examples:
- Example 1: For breakfast, have some whole-grain oatmeal with almond milk. Lunch can consist of legumes, such as cooked chickpeas and black beans, mixed with a variety of veggies. Finally, for dinner, think soy in the form of tofu.
- Example 2: Consider having a few pieces of whole grain bread with nut butter spread on them, followed by a banana. Lunch can be a large garden salad complete with sliced almonds and tofu crumbles, plus the dressing of your choice. Your dinner option can be vegan sushi with a side of edamame.
By eating more than one plant-based form of protein throughout the day, you’re ensuring you get all of the possible amino acids your system needs.
Complete Protein
If you’re looking for a source of complete protein, then add some of these options to your meals:
Meat
Every type of meat contains all of the amino acids your body doesn’t naturally produce. Need some ideas? Lean red meat, such as roasts and steaks from grain-fed cows, is a good place to start.
Other options include chicken and turkey, as well as fish. Just stay away from fatty meats, like ground beef, because they don’t contain the health benefits.
Dairy
Another versatile category is dairy products, which are filled with protein and other essentials like calcium and vitamin D. Consider adding cheese, milk, or yogurt to your daily diet. If you need suggestions, string cheese and yogurt are easy to carry around.
Eggs
Although you could include eggs in the dairy category, they’re so versatile that they stand on their own. Eggs, which are easy to cook up for breakfast but make a great meal any time of the day, contain plenty of amino acids and other macros.
Soy
The soybean contains every amino acid that your body doesn’t naturally produce. This includes universal options like tofu, which can be added to just about any meal, as well as edamame, miso, and even tempeh. If it contains the entire soybean, then you’re in luck.
Incomplete Protein
Even though vegans and vegetarians eat plant-based foods, this doesn’t mean that they are out of luck when it comes to finding sources of protein. These options are incomplete, but when paired together, they can give all of the amino acids that your body needs:
Whole Grains
There are plenty of whole grains out there, so don’t limit yourself to things like wheat and barley. You can use quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and more to make everything from bread to cakes. All contain more protein than white bread, and many are both low in carbs and gluten-free.
Beans and Legumes
Legumes make a great side dish for any meal, although you can include them in the main course as well, especially if you’re making a stir fry. Also, consider chickpeas, standard peas, vegetarian black beans, and more, as all are very versatile, tasty, and protein-rich.
Seeds and Nuts
It may seem weird to consider adding seeds to your diet, but chia, hemp, sesame, and other seeds contain a lot of protein. They also make great salad toppings. As far as nuts are concerned, you can add plain walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and others to your diet, although nut butters and almond milk are other options.
Vegetables
Did you know that some vegetables contain plenty of protein? Options include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and the ubiquitous spinach. Make yourself a salad with spinach and other leafy greens, steam some broccoli, or put together a stew containing Brussels sprouts or cabbage. Of course, there are plenty of other options!
Complete Protein Foods: What You Need To Know
Achieving wellness through a well-rounded diet involves understanding and incorporating complete protein foods into your meals. While animal-based sources have long been the go-to for complete proteins, it's important to recognize that plenty of plant-based options are also available.
Combining different plant-based protein sources such as quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, and hemp seeds can create complementary protein combinations that provide all the essential amino acids your body needs.
Whether you follow a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based diet, it's crucial to prioritize protein intake to support your muscle mass, bodily functions, and overall health. By incorporating a variety of protein-rich foods and focusing on the amino acid profiles of different plant sources, you can ensure you are meeting your protein needs and reaping the benefits of a balanced diet.
Consulting with a registered dietitian can provide personalized guidance on how to optimize your protein intake to align with your specific dietary preferences and wellness goals. Remember, making informed choices about the protein content of your diet is an integral part of healthy eating.
Whether you choose animal-based or plant-based protein sources, consider the overall nutrient profile of your meals, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Balancing your protein intake with other important nutrients contributes to overall wellness and enables your body to function at its best. Prioritize complete protein foods and let your diet support your journey to a healthier, more vibrant life.
Still have questions on complete proteins, incomplete proteins, or anything else? If so, please contact us.
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