Dietary protein is made from a combination of building blocks called amino acids.  

Picture a lego house for a second!

The completed lego house is like a molecule of protein. The individual blocks, down to the exact colors, are the amino acids. 

If you want to make two lego houses that are exactly the same color and shape you would use the same blocks in the same order.

You can build different shaped houses depending on the blocks you use and also the order in which you assemble them.

Protein behaves the same way.  

You eat protein, then your body breaks those lego houses down into its individual blocks. 

Breaking the protein molecule, the lego house, we eat into its individual amino acids, Lego blocks, then allows our body to build the correct house for the specific need in our body.    

The lego blocks, amino acids, and how you put the blocks together, will determine the type of house, protein, you get.  

Purpose of Protein

Protein plays numerous roles in the body.  

Without protein in your diet, you would not be able to live or function.  It is an essential nutrient, meaning you cannot survive without it.

Lucky for us, protein is very abundant in nature, even in plants.  

Protein is essential in:

• Building and repairing tissues in the body like muscle and other cells;
• The structure for red blood cells;
• The proper functioning of antibodies to resist infection;
• The regulation of enzymes and hormones.

 When most think of protein, they think of muscles.  

Yes, building strong muscles is an important function of protein, but like you saw above, protein serves other critical purposes in our diet especially when you think about weight loss. 

Protein also:

• Stabilizes your blood sugar which is very important in fat loss;
• Builds more lean muscle mass (more muscle elevates resting metabolism and allow you to burn more calories throughout the day);
• Keeps you full and fights off hunger (think less desire for junk or snack foods);
• Burns more calories (it takes more calories to digest a gram of protein than it does to digest a gram of fat or carbohydrate).

 Quality Does Matter

Keep these points about protein in mind:

• Protein sources that are unprocessed and of high quality (like grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, organic poultry, wild fish, or beans) are best.
• Protein foods that are processed like (cold cuts, salami, pepperoni) can be filled with preservatives and other things you don't need in your body.  Research is pretty clear that large amounts of these foods are not good for your health; minimize as much as you can. 

Variety

Eat a wide range of protein both from animal and plant sources. Eating a variety of foods will ensure you are getting a wide range of building blocks, amino acids, so your body can function optimally.