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The Importance of Balancing Essential Amino Acids in Your Diet - Genetic Nutrition

The Importance of Balancing Essential Amino Acids in Your Diet

, by Sandesh Prasannakumar, 9 min reading time

Introduction

Just like any other thing, nutrition has to be taken as a permanent thing, and one has to get all nine essential amino acids in the right measure. These essential amino acids are classified based on where they are acquired from and are those amino acids that cannot be produced by your body. On the other hand, conditional amino acids are made in the body with the help of the meals you take on a regular basis. The body can play some specific roles whenever you add some of the listed complete protein foods. All these foods provide all the nine amino acids, and by that, you will be in plenty with the missing one.

What are Amino Acids?

It thus implies that amino acids are molecules that covalently bond with one another to become a protein. In your body, the production of proteins involves the use of twenty total amino acids, and out of these, nine are classified as “essential.” It means that your body is unable to synthesize these amino acids, and hence, they have to be obtained through foods as you have rightly identified. Some amino acids have also been classified in other categories; nine of them are indispensable amino acids, which include His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, Trp, and Val. As you eat protein, it becomes even more refined through the alimentary canal to those various amino acids so that they can be easily absorbed.

Importance of Nine Essential Amino Acids For the Human Body

Among the amino acids, there are some that are strictly essential; this is because the body has specific roles to play in it; hence, you have to make sure that you are taking your daily dosage of each of the essential amino acids. For instance, lysine helps in the absorption of calcium; leucine and isoleucine bear some relation to blood sugar and energy levels, respectively. The inability to synthesize all nine essential amino acids is unhealthy and may not sharply increase the individual’s energy level in the morning. Bringing into your diet the necessary proportions of the amino acids in the body is essential for the purpose of having healthy cells, muscles, neurotransmitters, and many other structures.

The Role of Amino Acids in Building and Maintaining Muscle

The proteins are made up of essential amino acids, which in turn are used by your body to create, support, and even replace muscle tissue. Extra intake of 9 essential amino acids helps in muscle protein synthesis. When one is not taking enough indispensable amino acids, particularly leucine, a branched-chain amino acid, muscle anabolism is slowed down, and muscle catabolism is promoted.

Immune Function

Amino acids like lysine, methionine, and tryptophan are essential in sustaining the proteins that compose immune response antibodies and T-cells. As earlier indicated, adequate amounts of these nutrients can help boost immune response. A relationship between deficiencies and increased infection rate has been observed.

Mood, Sleep, and Focus

Tryptophan is an amino acid that is incorporated in proteins but also serves as a parent molecule for serotonin, which, in turn, is involved in mood, sleep, and focus regulation. Lack of adequate tryptophan in high protein foods most of the time causes low serotonin that has adverse effects on the person’s mental health. High quality and the right ratio of the essential amino acids, therefore, give what is required in the synthesis of neurotransmitters and brain functionality.

Energy Levels

The amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the Branch Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs, which are significant for controlling blood glucose levels and metabolism for muscles. The results of low BCAA consumption include tiredness, limited endurance, sugar cravings, and muscle loss.

Balancing Amino Acids in Your Diet

Essential amino acids are crucial to the body, and therefore, ensuring that there is a balance between these amino can be a great advantage to your body.

When eating high-protein meals at every meal, balancing the essential amino acids is much easier since all of them are present in the meal. Taking a balance of these complete proteins guarantees that one has proper portions of every necessary amino acid that the body needs.


However, for vegetarians and vegans, where plant source of proteins is the main dietary protein source, it is essential to engage in systematic combining of the different incomplete proteins in meals.


Here are examples of food combinations that complement amino acid profiles:

  • This combination presents beans that are low in methionine and rice that contain methionine in order to complement the diet.
  • Teamed with lentils, which contain a minuscule amount of tryptophan, tofu, which is laden with tryptophan.
  • This one consists of a peanut butter sandwich that lacks lysine and cheese, which will provide lysine.

If more than 1 plant-based protein source is incorporated, try to consume them within a 4-hour window so the body can use all the necessary amino acids for proper bodily functions and protein buildup.


It may be useful to take essential amino acids in the form of supplements when the daily diet is insufficient to provide the necessary amount of essential amino acids for those who have had a broken bone or spine, suffer from various chronic diseases, are in a growth period, or attempt to build lean muscle mass. However, in most cases, supplementation is only sometimes needed for people who are normally healthy and taking rightly-proportioned meals.

Conclusion

Protein, in particular, needs to be taken in moderation, and the nine essential amino acids have to be taken in the correct portions, either from complete proteins or by a combination of incomplete plant proteins, which are imperative to muscle buildup and repair, immunity, neurotransmitter formation, and energy production. It is something that should be done to ensure that your meals and snacks supply the nine essential amino that your body needs daily for optimal performance. Therefore, make sure you get the required daily essential amino acids through whole foods or supplement them if necessary. For the best quality Essential Amino Acid Supplement, visit Genetic Nutrition!

FAQs

Which signs or manifestations could suggest that one is suffering from a deficiency in essential amino acids?


Essential amino acid deficiency indications include fatigue, muscle mass-building and retention, mood swings, depression/anxiety, immunity issues, recurrent colds, difficulty concentrating, and sugar cravings, irritability, slow-wound healing. 


Is it compulsory to mix different plant proteins at every meal and take protein supplements to get the required amount of protein each day?


It is preferable to incorporate plant protein foods such as beans, grains, nuts, and seeds within a 3 to 4-hour span, though it can be done in one sitting. It enables the user to take adequate essential amino acids during the day, especially for those taking veggie-based diets.


Are there minimal consistent essential amino acid intakes that vary according to the age or sex of the individual?

While the basic requirements of humans do not differ, the demand for essential amino acids does. For instance, endurance athletes or individuals who are involved in the process of building their muscles need to take a lot more leucine than sedentary persons so as to enhance the rate of muscle protein synthesis. It is also vital for growing children to have enough of the essential amino acids needed for their growth and development, for pregnant women to nourish their unborn babies and help in the production of breast milk. A person is supposed to increase or decrease their intake depending on the demands of that particular health life stage.

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