 From Greek “protos”  Major component in all animal and plant tissues  Made up of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen

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 Amino Acids › Building blocks for proteins › 20 amino acids  11 can be made in the body  9 are essential

 Enzymes › Facilitate and accelerate chemical reactions  Antibodies › Fight illness  Hemoglobin › Transport oxygen in the blood  Hormones › Regulate body functions

 Growth and maintenance › Help grow and repair body tissues › Add structure to body tissues

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 10-35% of intake should be protein  Males (18 + y/o): grams/day  Females (18 + y/o): grams/day  Calculation: › 0.8 gram/kilogram of body weight  Infants needs the most protein

 How do you get protein in your diet?  Animal products are the best source › Meat, eggs, milk, legumes, grains, vegetables

 Supply all essential amino acids in the correct amount for the body to use. › Animal proteins are complete

 Plant proteins are incomplete › Exception: soybean protein  Vegetarians need to eat plant proteins in combination

 It is possible to get too much. › Extra calories › Kidney strain › Mineral loss › Heart disease › Cancer

 What foods do you eat that contain protein? › Are there some that are better than others?

 What is vegetarianism?  Why become a vegetarian? › Scarcity of food › Religious beliefs › Concern for health or the environment › Concerns about animals

 Semi-vegetarian  Pesco-vegetarian  Lacto-ovo-vegetarian  Lacto-vegetarian  Ovo-vegetarian  Vegan  Fruitarian

 Lower risk of heart disease  Lower risk of cancer  Less likely to be overweight

 Not getting enough protein  Osteoporosis  Anemia  Choosing foods to eliminate health risks