Protein Introduction
A 3-D image of the protein myoglobin
Proteins are large molecules consisting of long chains of amino acids. Protein is an essential nutrient and one of the three nutrients that provides us with energy. Compared with fat or carbohydrate, protein is a much more complex molecule. Composed of different combinations of 20 amino acids, the current number of proteins identified in the body is about 30,000, with almost 300,000 functional amino acid chains identified (peptide sequences), but millions of possible combinations exist.
Protein is considered a food group by the USDA. Foods in this group are meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, soybean, nuts, and seeds. Most foods have more than one macronutrient. For example beef has protein and fat, beans have carbohydrates and protein. Foods are placed in this category because they are high in protein. Micronutrients associated with protein foods include niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium.
Protein is considered a food group by the USDA. Foods in this group are meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, soybean, nuts, and seeds. Most foods have more than one macronutrient. For example beef has protein and fat, beans have carbohydrates and protein. Foods are placed in this category because they are high in protein. Micronutrients associated with protein foods include niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium.
References
- Statistics. The Human Proteome Map. Last accessed March 10, 2016. http://www.humanproteomemap.org/
- All About the Protein Food Group. Choose MyPlate. Last accessed March 10, 2016. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods
- Structure of myoglobin by AzaToth on Wikipedia, CC0 1.0.
- Header image by Kenneth Leung on FlickrCC, CC by 2.0
Last updated April 6, 2016
