Proteins: What are they and am I deficient?

By Charlotte Labee

When we talk about Brain Food, you also hear the term "protein" come up frequently. What proteins are? Whether you have a deficiency? And how to get enough? kPNI therapist Laura Delrio explains it to you!

What are proteins?

The main function of proteins is cell renewal. In fact, proteins serve as the building material of our body. All cells in our body, think of skin, muscles, bones and blood contain proteins. Also in our brain, proteins are important for our nervous system. Amino acids form an important basis in proteins; they transport nutrients and optimize their storage. They also play an important role in digestion, transmission of stimuli, wound healing and repair. We distinguish between essential, semi-essential and non-essential amino acids.

Since we cannot build up a store of protein, it is very important to get enough daily.

We can distinguish between animal and vegetable proteins. Animal proteins we find in fish, meat, dairy (products) and eggs. Plant proteins we find in beans & legumes, nuts, certain vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli.

Functions of proteins

I already briefly explained that proteins play a major role in cell renewal, but that's not the only thing they do. Therefore, here is a list of all the functions of proteins:

Involved in muscle mass growth and muscle recovery
Involved for stronger muscles
Supports the bones
Is good for the skeleton

How much protein should I get daily?

So getting enough protein is very important for your health.

The amount we should ingest daily is easy to calculate using the following equation. 0.8 to 1 gram x body weight in kg

Do you weigh 70 kg? So then you want to get about 70 grams of protein per day, and that's quite a lot anyway....

Athletes, people in recovery, pregnant and growing children have a higher need for protein up to sometimes 2 grams x kg/body weight. This is really hard to get that through food, then a protein powder is very nice.

Below I have listed some ratios for you:

1 egg 10 grams
1 herring 14 grams
Tuna (per 100 grams) 23.7 grams
Cod (per 100 grams) 25 grams
Shrimp (per 100 grams) 20 grams
Chicken or lean beef (per 100 grams) 22 grams
Almonds (per 100 grams) 20 grams
Pumpkin seeds (per 100 grams) 30.3 grams
Sprouts (per 100 grams) 3.8 grams
Avocado (per 100 grams) 2.6 grams
Broccoli (per 100 grams) 3.3 grams

In case you are experiencing gas after a high-protein meal? Then it could be that your protein digestion is not working properly. An intestinal test will give us some insight into this.

In short, make sure you eat a healthy and varied diet and include your protein intake!