Complementary Proteins

Not all proteins are created equal. There are two major types of proteins. Whole proteins, are proteins that you get from animal meats, eggs, dairy, and fish. These have all the essential amino acids in that our bodies require. The other types of proteins are called incomplete proteins. These are proteins that do not contain all the essential amino acids. For these proteins to be of value, they must be consumed in combination with one another to provide you with all the essential amino acids that should be consumed by humans.

What are amino acids?

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Altogether, there are 20 amino acids. All of these are required by our bodies, but not all of them are required in our diets. Our bodies are capable of making some amino acids on their own, but the ones that we cannot make are deemed essential. We must consume essential amino acids in our diets to make up for our inability to make them on our own. The essential amino acids include:

Histidine

Isoleucine

Leucine

Lysine

Methionine

Phenylalanine

Threonine

Tryptophan

Valine

Non-essential proteins can be made by our bodies. Therefore, we do not need to necessarily need to consume them. These include:

Alanine

Asparagine

Aspartate

Cysteine

Glutamate

Glutamine

Glycine

Proline

Serine

Tyrosine

Arginine* (can be considered essential during rapid periods of growth, childhood)

Foods that contain incomplete proteins include legumes, grains, and nuts/seeds. Legumes include beans, peas, and lentils. Grains include wheat, rice, oats, and barley, to name a few. There are many types of nuts and seeds but almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds are a few. When foods from two or more of these categories are eaten throughout the day, they provide you with a spectrum of all the amino acids that your body needs to repair itself and grow.

For example:

Legumes + Nuts/Seeds = All Essential Amino Acids

Grains + Legumes = All Essential Amino Acids

These are just a couple examples and can be consumed in any combination that your heart desires. When eaten in combination these foods are considered complementary proteins. Consuming a mixture of incomplete protein sources is a good way to get more nutritional benefit into your diet. The stereotypical American diet consists of gains + grains + grains + grains. Branch out and add some of these other sources of protein and nutrients into your diet. This concept is especially important for the vegan or vegetarian who chooses to not eat whole protein sources. If you are going to choose to do this, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THIS PRINCIPLE!

Ryan Goodell, CSCS

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