Vegetable proteins in our diet
The eternal dispute between vegetarians and opponents of vegetarianism always rests on the fact that there is a part of the substances that are contained in meat products and are necessary for the normal functioning of the body. These substances are called essential amino acids. They are irreplaceable because they are not produced by the body itself, like others, but come ready-made. However, it is not entirely accurate to say that meat is a source of essential amino acids, because meat protein is not its only source. Plant protein also contains essential amino acids, albeit in slightly smaller quantities.
The importance of protein for the body is that it is a "building block" from which, in fact, the body is built, and all of its tissues. The proteins themselves are composed of various chains of amino acids, among which there are also those essential ones. These include the following: valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, lysine, tryptophan, threonine. Children need protein more than adults, as their bodies grow rapidly. It is not surprising that during "construction" the need for "bricks" is much higher, but the child's body itself is weaker. There are two additional amino acids that children need, they are arginine and histidine.
All of these proteins are found in varying concentrations in meat, milk, dairy products and eggs. But also all of them, without exception, are present in certain plants. Vegetable protein is found in large quantities in legumes. These are peanuts, soybeans, lentils, beans, beans. Amino acids of animal protein are quite replaceable with plant amino acids. We should also mention nuts. What are nuts good for? They also contain vegetable protein, in fairly substantial amounts. But at the same time, they also contain vegetable fats, and their most useful form for the body is polyunsaturated fats. This combination makes nuts very healthy for the diet.
However, when consuming products containing plant protein, it is better to remember that almost all of them are difficult to digest, so you should not overuse them. Extremes, as always, are bad, therefore, it is not necessary to completely abandon animal products in favor of plant products, since it is unlikely that it will be possible to fully compensate for animal protein. Doctors say that when eating foods containing plant protein, the ideal plant-to-animal ratio for health is 85:15, which means the diet should be 85% plant foods and 15% animal.
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