Protein Building Blocks

 Proteins assist your body to grow strong bones, teeth, hair, tissues and muscles therefore are present in all living tissue  Animal sources of protein contain more of the necessary amino acids than plant sources  Proteins are made of amino acids  There are 22 amino acids – 14 are made by our body, 8 come from food we eat  Cells use amino acids to build body proteins

Essential or Non-essential  Essential proteins – are those the body cannot construct in adequate amounts to meet its needs  Non-essential proteins – are those the body can construct in adequate amounts to meet its needs

Incomplete vs. Complete  Incomplete proteins lack one or more of the essential amino acids in adequate amounts; comes from plant sources with one exception being soybeans  Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids in adequate amounts; comes from animal sources