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PROTEINS IN OUR DIET
Proteins are an important constituent of tissues and cells in the body.
Proteins supply the body building material and make up the loss that occurs due to wear and tear and help in the defense mechanism of body as antibodies.
The adequacy of proteins in the diet is an important measure of adequacy and if diet does not contain enough carbohydrates and fats in the diet to provide energy, proteins are broken down in the body to provide energy, which is a waste of building material, therefore, diet should have adequate amount of carbohydrates and fats in the diet for energy, to spare proteins for other functions essential to life.
Sources of proteins for body building and tissue repair
All foods except refined sugar, oil and fats contain proteins in varying amounts. Some foods contain high amounts of proteins and can be classified as protein rich foods, e.g.
(a) Milk and milk products like milk, curd, cheese, buttermilk.
(b) Pulses and legumes like soybeans, grams, groundnuts and other nuts.
(c) Meats like fish, chicken, mutton, eggs.
Quality of proteins
In judging the adequacy of dietary proteins to meet the human needs, not only the quantity but also the quality of dietary proteins is equally important. The best quality of dietary proteins is the one that has its composition very close to the pattern of tissue proteins. Egg and human milk proteins fall into this criteria. Plant proteins on the other hand are of poorer quality, but can be made into good quality proteins by supplementation. Cereals and pulses can be mixed in the ratio of 5:1.
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GENERAL HEALTH
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