Protein is one of the three macronutrients alongside carbohydrates and fats. To understand how protein is built, the best way is to picture it like this: if proteins are a string of pearls, amino acids are the individual pearls. When you eat protein, it is first broken down into single amino acids or short chains, and then built up into the body's own protein: your body forms another useful chain from the individual building blocks. In this post you'll find out everything you need to know about protein, where it's found and why it's so important for us humans.
Why does your body need protein?
Protein doesn't have just one but several vital jobs in your body! Did you know protein has something to do with building muscle? It's true! Muscle proteins turn chemical signals into mechanical energy. If the proteins actin and myosin were missing from your biceps, you couldn't flex it! Your arm would just hang from your body. Sad, isn't it? But proteins also play an important role in your immune system: antibodies are nothing other than immune proteins. Enzymes, which speed up metabolic reactions, are also proteins. You find them in all the reactions involved in digesting your meals, in breaking down fat as well as in breaking down sugar. What about hormones? They're made of proteins too! They regulate your metabolism, your mood and even your activity level. That's why these proteins are called regulatory proteins. There are also transport and structural proteins. Transport proteins help, as the name says, to carry substances around the body. That includes haemoglobin, the red pigment that carries oxygen in the blood. Your connective tissue benefits from protein too: the so-called structural proteins keep it firm.
The benefits of a high-protein diet
One thing is clear by now: your body needs protein for many important jobs. There are also benefits of a high-protein diet that you shouldn't miss out on! Protein has thermochemical advantages compared with fats and carbohydrates. Protein can theoretically be metabolised into glucose, but this conversion is energetically inefficient. On top of that, these reaction pathways block fat breakdown from glucose. In short: your body much prefers to use dietary protein straight away rather than store it as glycogen or fat. Protein is also generally more costly for your body to metabolise than other nutrients, so 30% of the calories are used up just for breaking it down. And finally, protein keeps you full for longer than carbohydrates and fats, precisely because it takes more effort to metabolise.
Animal vs. plant protein
The difference between plant and animal protein is that plant protein is absorbed more slowly and also increases fullness. For people who are lactose intolerant it gets especially interesting: plant protein naturally contains no lactose ("milk sugar"), so you tolerate it well. Animal dairy products are mostly higher in protein, but often lead to skin blemishes. Plant protein sources do have an incomplete amino acid profile compared with animal foods, but you can get around this: always combine several plant protein sources to raise the so-called biological value. You find plant protein above all in pulses, chia seeds, hemp, oats and nuts.
Is it necessary to add protein powder to my diet?
A high-protein diet is generally recommended for everyone, unless there is a contraindication, for example weak kidney function. Try to include at least one animal or 2 plant protein sources in every meal. Whether adding protein powder makes sense for you personally depends on how much protein you take in per day. If you're really unsure, track your diet for a few days, e.g. with an app that automatically calculates your protein intake. On a purely plant-based diet in particular, adding protein powder to meals often makes sense. If your basal metabolic rate is also low, for example in slim women who don't move much, extra attention must be paid to protein intake.
How much protein should you eat per day?
If we look to our ancestors, who are said to have covered up to 35% of their calories with protein, today's recommendation from the DGE (German Nutrition Society) is very low! It recommends 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) agrees with this value too. Blanket statements are problematic: while this value is fine for non-athletes, athletes should take in between 1.6 g and 2.7 g per kilogram of body weight. The claim that too much protein strains healthy kidneys is false! Up to 3 g of protein per kilogram of body weight is completely unproblematic.
What to look for in your protein powder
You already know this: plant protein powders should consist of at least 2 different protein sources to raise the biological value. Pea protein powder has a very good amino acid profile, but is an acquired taste on its own. So the bulk of the powder shouldn't be made from it. Because plant powders often have a strong taste of their own, manufacturers try to counter it with lots of additives such as flavourings and sweeteners. Better to go for a powder without additives that tastes neutral thanks to the combination of several protein sources.
Conclusion
So you see: protein and its amino acids are essential for numerous functions in your body. They not only keep your cells and tissue in shape, but also raise your quality of life every day. If your goal is weight loss or fat loss, additional protein powder can help you stick to a calorie deficit because it keeps you fuller. Protein also contributes to maintaining muscle mass, which is especially important in an energy deficit. And that's exactly what happens during your juice cleanse, which is why adding protein powder can also make sense, especially while fasting.
Proteins are one of the three macronutrients, alongside carbohydrates and fats. To understand how proteins are built, it's best to picture it like this: if proteins are a string of pearls, amino acids are the individual pearls. When you eat protein, it's first broken down into individual amino acids or short chains, which are then built up into the body's own protein: your body makes another useful chain out of the individual building blocks. In this post you'll learn everything you need to know about proteins, where they're found and why they're so important for us humans.
Why does your body need protein?
Proteins have not just one but several vital jobs in your body! Did you know that proteins have something to do with building muscle? True! Muscle proteins convert chemical signals into mechanical energy. If the proteins actin and myosin were missing in your biceps, you couldn't flex it! Your arm would just hang off your body. Sad, isn't it? But proteins also play an important role in your immune system: antibodies are nothing other than immune proteins. Enzymes, which speed up metabolic reactions, are proteins too. You'll find them in all the reactions involved in digesting your meals, in breaking down fat as well as in breaking down sugar. What about hormones? They're made of proteins too! They regulate your metabolism, your mood and even your activity level. That's why these proteins are called regulatory proteins. Then there are transport and structural proteins. Transport proteins, as the name suggests, help transport substances in the body. These include haemoglobin, the red pigment that carries oxygen in the blood. Your connective tissue benefits from proteins too: the so-called structural proteins keep it firm.
The benefits of a high-protein diet
One thing is clear now: your body needs protein for numerous important jobs. On top of that, a high-protein diet has benefits you shouldn't miss out on! Proteins have thermochemical advantages compared with fats and carbohydrates. In theory, protein can be metabolised into glucose, but this conversion is energetically inefficient. What's more, these reaction pathways block fat breakdown from glucose. Short and sweet: your body much prefers to use dietary protein straight away rather than store it as glycogen or fat. What's more, proteins are generally more costly for your body to metabolise than other nutrients, so that 30% of the calories are used up on the breakdown alone. And finally, protein also keeps you full for longer than carbohydrates and fats, precisely because it takes more effort to metabolise.
Animal vs. plant protein
The difference between plant and animal protein is that plant protein is utilised more slowly and additionally increases fullness. For the lactose intolerant it gets especially interesting now: plant protein naturally contains no lactose ("milk sugar"), so you tolerate it well. Animal dairy products are mostly higher in protein, but often lead to skin blemishes. Plant protein sources have an incomplete amino acid profile compared with animal foods, but you can get around this: always combine several plant protein sources to raise the so-called biological value. You'll find plant protein mainly in pulses, chia seeds, hemp, rolled oats and nuts.
Is it necessary to supplement my diet with protein powder?
A high-protein diet is generally recommended for everyone, unless there is a contraindication, for example weak kidney function. Try to include at least one animal or 2 plant protein sources in every meal. Whether it makes sense for you personally to add protein powder depends on how much protein you take in per day. If you're very unsure, track your diet for a few days, e.g. with an app that automatically calculates the amount of protein you take in. Especially on a purely plant-based diet, supplementing your meals with protein powder often makes sense. If your basal metabolic rate is also low, for example in slim women who exercise little, particular attention needs to be paid to the amount of protein taken in.
How much protein should you eat per day?
If we look to our ancestors, who are said to have covered up to 35% of their calories with protein, today's recommendation from the DGE (German Nutrition Society) is very low! It recommends 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) agrees with this value too. Generalisations are critical: while this value is fine for non-athletes, athletes should take in between 1.6 g and 2.7 g per kilogram of body weight. The claim that too much protein strains healthy kidneys is false! Up to 3 g of protein per kilogram of body weight is completely unproblematic.
What to look out for in your protein powder
You already know this now: plant protein powders should consist of at least 2 different protein sources to raise the biological value. Pea protein powder has a very good amino acid profile, but takes some getting used to in taste when pure. So the bulk of the powder shouldn't consist of it. Since plant powders often have a strong flavour of their own, attempts are made to counteract it with lots of additives such as flavourings and sweeteners. Better reach for a powder without additives that tastes neutral thanks to the combination of several protein sources.
Conclusion
So you see: protein and its amino acids are essential for numerous functions in your body. They not only keep your cells and tissue in shape, they also raise your quality of life every day. If your goal is weight loss or fat loss, supplementary protein powder can help you keep up the calorie deficit because it fills you up better. In addition, protein helps maintain muscle mass, which matters especially in an energy deficit. And that's exactly what happens during your juice cleanse too, which is why supplementing with protein powder can make sense during fasting in particular.
