As we all know, protein is the most important macronutrient that the human body simply cannot live without. On top of being essential, it is satiating, low in calories and of course, builds lean muscle. When looking for a source of protein, many people opt for lean cuts of meat, eggs and egg whites, seafood, whey powder and any sort of dairy products. Reason being is that [most] of these sources of protein contain little (if any) other sources of energy; they are nearly pure protein. However, when I evaluate a client’s diet, I usually spot a couple of things in regards to protein consumption that raise a red flag. Usually, these flags go up in response to strangely structured meals that make for either poor taste (not just in my opinion—trust me), odd timing of specific foods and/or the inclusion of a food that my client does not enjoy. Yet, when results are clearly noticeable, I, as the coach, am hesitant to try and make any critiques or ask any questions. But then, it dawned on me.
I made it a point to ask each client of mine why he or she is consuming tuna at breakfast, eggs if, “they are gross” and whey protein powder when, “it gives me gas.” All of the answers were the same—“Because they’re “good” sources of protein.” The problem that I see here is, putting other macronutrient content aside, that a gram of protein is exactly that—a gram of protein. There is no special reaction that takes place within the body that elicits a significantly greater response after consuming one source of protein rather than another, especially if it is one time daily. That means, instead of my clients holding their nose and forcing down eggs or poisoning the air after drinking their whey shakes, they could enjoy a different source of protein that to them may seem “bad.” But what do they consider a “bad” source of protein?
Incomplete vs. Complete Protein
A “bad source of protein” is anything that was labeled, well, a “bad source of protein” by the last fitness ad pushing the sale of a new supplement or trying to get you to only eat chicken breast and tuna. Before I go putting labels to certain foods, understand that there are two types of protein. One is what we call an incomplete source of protein and the other, a complete source of protein. The difference is rather vast when looking at the details, but when looking at overall daily protein consumption, there is very little difference.
A lot of people tend to stay away from incomplete proteins—vegetables, legumes, grains, etc., as a dominant source of protein in their diet. When evaluating my clients, I am not entirely disappointed in the ones that look to avoid incomplete protein sources but I do get upset at the fact that there is a misunderstanding in how this protein-system works. It begins with two attributes common to all foods that contain protein—biological value and amino acid profile. With that in mind, let us take a deeper look and explore the macronutrient that we allow to build our physiques.
Protein Explained: Amino Acid Profile
The amino acid profile of a protein source is usually far under looked when people try to discuss a source of protein. I’m not saying that before consuming a food that you should know every amino acid present and determine its quality. What I am saying is that many people will try to make an argument for or against a protein source without knowing why they feel that way. The argument rests at, “It’s incomplete.” Allow me to clear things up.
As we all know, amino acids are the building blocks of protein; nine of them are essential and eleven of them are non-essential. The non-essential amino acids can be created by the body while the essential ones cannot. For a food to be considered a complete source of protein, it must contain all nine essential amino acids. The human body requires all twenty-two amino acids to function properly, but since it can sufficiently provide itself with the eleven non-essential ones, the other nine must be consumed from food sources. A lot of complete sources of protein contain a large amount of non-essential amino acids as well that add to the body’s amino acid pool.
In terms of muscle building, all nine essential amino acids must be present enable to build new tissue. Because protein is needed in so many other parts of the body, adding size takes a backseat to the priority processes that the body must go through. What people do not understand is that when an incomplete protein source is consumed, it is more than likely consumed with another food or receives complimentary amino acids at some other point during the day. We’ll use rice as an example. When rice is consumed with another source of incomplete protein—beans, veggies or even a complete protein source such as nuts or meat, this other food will compliment the amino acid profile of the rice. That means if rice contains seven out of the nine essential amino acids, and red beans contain the missing two, consuming the two at the same time (or the same day) completes the gram of protein. Thus, the end result is a complete source of protein.
Protein Explained: Biological Value
This is another heavily misunderstood concept relating to the body’s ability to apply a source of protein to muscle growth and other bodily functions. The biological value (BV) of a protein source is a number that is given based on its ability to be absorbed and utilized by the body. I wanted to place this after the amino acid profile’s description because the BV is determined by the amino acid profile—the stronger the profile, the higher the BV. I know that this is going to cause some confusion. If BV decreases with poor amino acid profiles, then why would anyone want to use incomplete sources of protein? Allow me to explain.
Similar to the way other foods compliment incomplete proteins—improving the amino acid profile and in turn, creating a complete source of protein—BV increases along with the completion of a protein source. We determine the final BV by use of a ratio of the quantity of protein from each food. I’ll use whole wheat bread as an example. Whole wheat bread has a BV of roughly 66. To give you an idea of the differences in biological values, an egg has a BV of roughly 95. Clearly, there is a large difference, but let’s say you consume two pieces of wheat bread with two eggs. Roughly 10 grams of protein will come from the bread as well as 12 from the eggs. Since the protein comes from two different foods in a 5:6 ratio, the final BV is going to be 83 via manipulation of both ratios. The combination of amino acid profiles makes for a complete protein source providing 22g of protein with a high biological value.
Wrap Up
There are a lot of people apart of the fitness population that simply do not understand how protein works and what it consists of. Not only should you be aware that incomplete protein sources do, indeed, provide protein; in order to make a proper claim about any food source, let alone our most important macronutrient, you must be able to properly explain biological value and successfully call on a food’s amino acid profile. Without a clear understanding of how these two components work, protein, complete or incomplete, is nothing more than a factor on a food label.
