Dietary Proteins

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Summary

Protein is in every cell in the body. Our bodies need protein from the foods we eat to build and maintain bones, muscles and skin. We get proteins in our diet from meat, dairy products, nuts, and certain grains and beans. Proteins from meat and other animal products are complete proteins. This means they supply all of the amino acids the body can't make on its own. Most plant proteins are incomplete. You should eat different types of plant proteins every day to get all of the amino acids your body needs.

It is important to get enough dietary protein. You need to eat protein every day, because your body doesn't store it the way it stores fats or carbohydrates. How much you need depends on your age, sex, health, and level of physical activity. Most Americans eat enough protein in their diet.

Start Here

All About the Protein Foods Group (Department of Agriculture)
National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference - Find Nutrient Value of Common Foods by Nutrient (Department of Agriculture)
Protein (Harvard School of Public Health)
Protein (Department of Veterans Affairs) - PDF
With Protein Foods, Variety Is Key: 10 Tips for Choosing Protein (Department of Agriculture) - PDF Also in Spanish

Latest News

Protein At All 3 Meals May Help Preserve Seniors' Strength (08/04/2017, HealthDay)
Here's Why a Soda with That Burger Is Especially Fattening (07/21/2017, HealthDay)

Diagnosis and Tests

Total Protein and Albumin/Globulin Ratio Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Related Issues

High-Protein Diets: Are They Safe? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Protein and Heart Health (American Heart Association)

Specifics

Beans and Other Legumes: Types and Cooking Tips (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Meat, Poultry and Fish (American Heart Association)
Soy Foods and Health (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

MyPlate Daily Checklist (Department of Agriculture)

Statistics and Research

Structural Biology Fact Sheet (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Dietary Proteins (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Proteins Are the Body's Worker Molecules (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Find an Expert

Children

Learning about Proteins (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Kwashiorkor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Protein in diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Dietary Proteins is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

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