Incomplete Proteins

Incomplete proteins are plant based proteins that lack one or more of essential amino acids. This may also be a case of including all the proteins but one or more of them in less than sufficient quantities.

There are three main types of plant based proteins: Nuts and seeds; grains- rice, corn, wheat; legumes- beans, garbanzos, peas and others. Small amounts of protein are also found in vegetables.

The chain of amino acids make up the incomplete or complete protein and it is a significant part of every cell in your muscles, organs and skin in your body. More than 50,000 different proteins are found in your bodies, in the form of organic compounds of a minimum of one amino group and an organic acid group.

Protein is responsible for muscle contraction and movement, repairing and replacing cells, growth and development, generating and transporting nerve impulse, enzymatic catalysis, transport and storage, control of growth, mechanical support and immunity. In other words, your body needs all the essential amino acids to function properly.

Your body can not produce nine out of twenty amino acids, they have to come from outside food sources and these include:

Threonine, tyrptophan, lysine, leucine, valine, isoleucine, histidine- essential for children, methionine, threonine and phenylalanine.

To obtain the amino acids that your body can not make and needs from food sources, you can combine two or three incomplete protein foodsto make up a complete protein:

• Legumes with grains: Baked beans or corn with rice.

• Nuts with grains: Peanut butter on whole-grain toast

• Vegetables, legumes with grains: Salad with chickpeas and a high fiber bread roll.

• Soy product- legume with grains: Tofu stir fry and noodles.

• Grains with dairy: Porridge made with milk.

 

Soybeans are the only plant based proteins that are considered as complete protein.. well, in theory! According to some other studies there is no need to combine incomplete proteins as they already are complete. It may be sensible to use common sense and to have a balanced diet daily from a variety of nutrient groups, rather than counting proteins or whether they are complete or incomplete proteins.

In reality, most foods you eat, even bread, include certain amount of protein and as long as you are eating well, you are getting enough protein. Please bear in mind that you need approximately 5 – 10% of your calories from proteins and unless you are working out at a gym regularly or you are a body builder, you will not have extra protein needs.

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