Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. For repairing your body including hair, skin, nails and bones, we need protein.
Amino acids combine with nitrogen to form different proteins. They are also the end product of protein digestion.
There are 23 commonly known ones 8 of which are essential aminos. The reason why they are called essential is that they cannot be stored by the body but must be consumed daily in food or supplement form.
Histidine is the 9th essential amino and is required by children and babies.
So that your body can process protein, all the essential amino acids must be present and in the proper ratio to one another. Even the temporary absence of a single amino can affect protein synthesis negatively. If an amino acid is low or missing, it will reduce effectiveness of the others proportionately.
Here is a List of the 23 amino acids starting with the 8 important ones.
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Phenylalanine
- Trytophan
- Valine
- Treonine
- Methionine
- Histidine (for babies and young children)
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Asparagine
- Aspartic acid
- Cysteine
- Cystine
- Glutamic acid
- Glutamine
- Glycine
- Ornithine
- Proline
- Serine
- Taurine
- Tyrosine
So how much daily protein do you need?
This depends on your health, age and size. The younger and larger you are the more protein you need.
Have a look at this chart;
Age: 1 to 3 _______ 4 to 6 ______ 7 to 10 ______11 to 14 ______15 to 18 _______19 plus
Pound Key 0.82 ____________0.68 ________ 0.55 _________0.45__________0.42 ___________0.36
This chart is worked out like this:
- Find the pound key under your age group.
- Multiply that number by your weight
- The result will be your daily protein requirement in grams
For example, You weigh 100 pounds and are 33 years: Your pound key is 0.36
0.36 x 100 = Your Daily Protein Requirement
An average minimum protein requirement is around 45g per day. People under stress and with eczema need more daily protein, so it can repair itself. 45g is equal to 15g or approximately 1/2 oz per meal.
Update: Personal trainers and body builders are at the peak of health – They recommend 1g of protein to 1lb of body weight.
For example, if a person weighs 150lbs, they should eat 150g of protein daily. Not all in one go, obviousy!
More like – 30g of protein per meal. You can use apps like MyFitnessPal to track your calories and also amount of protein, carbs and fat in the foods that you eat.
Personally, when I started using this app, I discovered that I had been eating a high carb and fat ratio of nutrients. My protein intake was low and I started wondering why my skin was not repairing fast.
I also started developing wrinkles on my forehead and arms.
Now I include oily fish in my meals. I don’t add oil or salt to my food, but rather season with spices like fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, rosemary and thyme.
I also add flaxseeds to my vegetable juices and smoothies.
3 tablespoons of seeds to 2 litres of vegetable juice that a drink in the morning. 2 cups of juice per 2 hours from 7am – 12 noon.
Two Types of Protein – Complete and Incomplete
The 23 amino acids make up protein that have different functions and work in different areas of the body.
Complete protein provides the balance of 8 necessary amino acids for building tissue. It is found in animal protein, that is meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk and cheese.
Incomplete protein lacks essential amino acids and is not used sufficiently when eaten by itself. However, when combined with small amounts of animal protein it becomes complete. It is found in nuts, seeds, peas, grains and beans.
Wheatgrass juice also contains protein tat is easily digested and tones the skin. It contains all 8 amino acids.
Mixing rice and beans with some yoghurt can be less expensive, yet more nourishing than a fat steak.
Remember this;
- 1 g of protein = 4 calories
- 1 g of carbs = 4 calories
- 1 g of fat = 9 calories
Supplements
If you see an older person with a wrinkled face it means their body is crying out for protein. Once they eat their required daily quota, their face becomes youthful and full once more. Protein supplements are useful and can be derived from soya beans and also nut and seed milks. Supplements normally contain 26g per ounce and can be added to smoothie and vegetable juices.
Amino Acid Supplements
These need Vitamins B6, B12 and Niacin to metabolize and become the body’s protein.
Always make sure the amino acid formula of the supplement is well balanced. This means that the essential aminos are in the current ratio to non-essential fatty acids.
Also, the essentials need to be in the proper proportion to one another.
Lysine = 2:1 ratio to methionine, 3:1 to trytophan and so on. Find a reliable nutritionist who will explain this better to you.
The amino acid supplement formula must be like naturally occurring proteins so you can absorb the correct therapeutic value.
N.B. Never megadose or use supplements in place of food.
I would like to recommend you read Earl Mindell’s New Vitamin Bible. I used excerpts from his book to inform you about one of the nutritional components you need to ensure your body works at full capacity.
Earl’s book was the first book on nutrition that I invested in and am living proof that his information is correct and timelessly up-to-date.
If you would like to comment about this article, or ask a question, please leave it here and I will be happy to help you out.
Amazing, I did not know that there was so many amino acid. neither did I know that there was complete and incomplete protein. Your post is amazing a lot of useful information that will help your readers.
Yes Norman,
Amino acids are very important to us and there are 23 that are known. Now we know how to balance our meals better due to people like Earl Mindell.
Great post! This subject comes up a lot at our house, as my daughter gets break outs of eczema sometimes. I had no idea that it was an amino acid imbalance!
I give my daughter leftovers from dinner for her lunch, which is usually grilled meat and mixed vegetables, so I thought that she was getting enough protein. Is there anything else that I should be adding?
Thank you 🙂
Morning Irma,
Your daughter will do much better on oily fish and plenty of avocado salads. Also homecooked beans and casseroles.
Simply cut out all foods containing sugar and her skin will stop being so inflammed and itchy. This includes fizzy drinks and citrus fruit.
Here is a link to an eczema supplement if your daughter doesn’t like fish. It’s https://cleareczemanaturally.com/evening-primrose-oil-for-eczema.
If you need any more help, feel free to ask and I’ll be happy to oblige.
Very valuable information and a well-written post. Thank you.
Hi Joseph,
Good to know you find this information valuable. Thank you for reading it!
What a great job! I am always interested in everything related to human health and your article just opened my eyes regarding the imbalance in amino acids.
I think a lot of people should take inspiration from your article to learn how to better treat their bodies and avoid this kind of imbalance.
I have just subscribed to your website and I look forward to your next article.
Thank you.
Hi Emmanuel
Our lives are an ongoing learning experience don’t you think? It’s applying what we learn that makes the difference. Good to now you are interested in human health matters.
Thank you for reading the articles on cleareczematurally.com. I look forward to serving you.
Very interesting post you have written here. I was unaware of the differences of proteins in different foods and animo acids. I like the different combinations of protein sources in a meal but never considered why I needed each one for.
The old saying you are what you eat shows in the examples you have provided such as eating vegetables and protein only to heal damage from eczema.
Interesting how increasing protein consumption helps heal elder peoples faces.
What other sources of information can you recommend I read up on to learn more?
Hi Judy,
Yes, we all need different amounts of protein. If you could clarify exactly what you are trying to achieve (toned skin, thicker hair, strong nails, etc) I can provide you with other sources of information for you to read up on.
This subject is very broad!
Hi Stella,
Great information. Isn’t it amazing that really, most of what is good for us comes in the form of food. You have a good diet, and know what is good for you (and what is good for you if you have skin allergies) then ideally the best way to nourish your body is through the right food.
But some people do require supplements and it is good that we have them available. I have had a little bit of eczema but nothing major so I am probably lucky there.
Thanks again for a really informative post!
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
Our bodies use a well-balanced diet to heal up. Depending on the severity of what needs healing we can use supplements to trigger a faster healing response from our bodies.
You are very fortunate only to have a wee patch of eczema which I am sure is easily controlled. Good to know you enjoyed reading about aminos though!
I use to do gym to build my body. So I do know that protein is very important. Which one you think is the better protein? Plant protein or animal protein? I would be less hungry with animal protein. But I think plant protein is healtier. I will try some beans
Hi Kit, this site is primarily about healing eczema, so this is why I suggest beans over animal protein. However, for body building you would need at least 20g of protein every 4 hours at least.
Fish is healthier than chicken and chicken is better than red meat. Since red meat is normally farmed with lots of hormones, it is better to buy organic meat which can be expensive. So really your choice should not only be for body building but also according to how much your purse stretches.
As for beans, they are versatile and you can make milk from soya beans and even tofu. You can also make steamed beans and bean cakes. Let your imagination go for a long walk when it comes to all the different recipes you could make. Beans can be very filling!
Amino acids are so important to our bodies, they are the building blocks of protein, protein is the fuel that keep us in the best of health. The list of 8 essential acids is a good place to start to understand which ones can’t be stored by the body so we have to get our supply from the food that we eat or in supplement form. I didn’t know there was a difference between protein as in complete and incomplete protein I learned something new today.I do believe in supplements, do you take supplements yourself?
Fintan
Hi Fintan,
The supplement I am taking right now is Wheatgrass juice although it is a food not a supplement. It is powerful enough for me to drink 2 oz daily for there to be a difference.
Most of my protein comes from tofu and also salmon steaks. I also drink kefir at least twice a week. I am not a fan of red meat as it seems to sit like a stone in my belly.
I also do plenty of juicing and blending….