Maintaining a balanced diet, in keeping with your age, health condition, and dietary requirements can be a tricky feat. Knowing your essential nutrients, where they come from and how much you need is often a big part of the difficulty. You may have noticed that protein is a big deal in the food, health, and fitness world but understanding what it does and which foods to get it from may have passed you by. Getting your protein from grass-fed beef is one of the best options for adding taste, tenderness, and nutrition through high quality protein diet. Here, we explain how quality protein can affect your health, how to add more of it to your diet, and understand exactly what the biological value of protein means.
How protein affects health
Proteins are involved in just about every body function including hormone production. Proteins are also an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. They are also an essential ingredient in healthy hair and nails. Protein deficiencies may physically be indicated through unhealthy, brittle hair and nails. Since protein has such an impact on a variety of bodily elements, the effect of consuming quality protein unsurprisingly also has wide reaching benefits. Some of the great benefits of a protein rich diet include helping to maintain and lose weight, stabilize blood sugar levels and support the absorption of nutrients, as well as looking after muscles and bones. Protein also serves to help stimulate the process of healing soft tissues, which can be useful for those undergoing physical rehabilitation, perhaps post-surgery or even just those who work out regularly. If you have noticed a protein deficiency to your diet, you may also notice differences to your brain function once you increase your quality protein intake. This might include improved ability to learn and concentrate, reduced brain fog and a boost in your energy levels.
Animal vs plant based protein
When assessing which foods to eat in order to fulfill your quota of protein, it is important to consider a variety of options. Protein found in meat tends to be of a higher quality than protein from plant sources. This is due to the fact that meat contains a higher percentage of essential amino acids. Grass-fed beef is one of the best protein foods around right now, having multiple other benefits too due to containing cancer-fighting antioxidants and heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids. However, for those with dietary restrictions that don’t allow for meat, it is still possible to obtain essential amino acids through plant-based proteins. However, it is necessary to eat more of them and in a greater variety. Good sources of protein that are meat-free include eggs, quinoa, beans, chia and hemp seeds, lentils, and nuts such as almonds which are all quality proteins although containing considerably less compared to meat options.
Understanding the biological value
The biological value of a protein is a guide that allows you to judge the protein quality. It is presented as a number between 0-100 and describes how well it is absorbed by the body. The higher the biological value, the higher the quality of the protein. This is because it represents the amino acids being more readily available to be incorporated into the proteins of the human body. Eggs are often credited with being such a great source of protein due to the fact that their BV is 100. Grass-fed beef also boasts a relatively high BV value of 80.
Protein has notably taken center stage recently and with good reason. Understanding how important protein is to just about every aspect and function of your body is key to making good food choices. Consequently, the various benefits that you may notice by changing your diet to incorporate adequate amounts of protein could provide you with a whole new lease of life.
Meet The Author:
After taking a career sabbatical to become a mother, Jackie now writes full time on topics ranging from health and wellness, right through to news and current affairs. She has, in the past battled problems with anxiety and panic, and in her spare time she volunteers for a number of local charities that support people with mental health issues.
