Are there different types of protein?!
Are there different types of protein?
Yesterday I was told that I couldn't possible be getting all the protein I need from a vegetarian diet because there are various different types. Is there any truth in this, up until now I haven't read anything along these lines and I'm trying to go about it properly. Thanks for any information / links.
Answers:
Yes this is a common problem for vegetarians. Basically: proteins are made up of things called 'amino acids'. Certain amino acids are less common than others and different types of food contain different amino acids. Meat protein contains amino acids that are easily used by the human body; amino acids from vegetable protein are harder to come by and less well metabolised, hence you need to eat a wide range of vegetable foods in order to get the 'essential amino acids' that the body needs.
It is possible to follow a veggie diet and get all the amino acids you need, however. This means you will need to include a lot of pulses (eg. lentils, chickpeas, beans) in your diet as these contain the amino acids your body is not getting from common vegetables such as zukini, tomato or cauliflower.
Consult a nutritionist if you're unsure about this, and have quick look on wikipedia to follow stuff up - you could start with this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/amino_acid#...
Good luck and happy eating!