Amino acids are often called the building blocks of life. This is because they are the foundation of proteins. Proteins make up the cells of the body, help the body to grow and repair and carry out bodily tasks. You are not able to synthesize, or make, all of the amino acids your body needs. You have to get some from an outside sources. The body can synthesize 11 out of 20 amino acids. If you choose to eat a special diet, you should take certain precautions to meet your amino acid requirements.
Essential Amino Acids
Amino acids are the chemical compounds that combine to make proteins. Just about everything in the body relies proteins, so it is extremely important that you have them all. According to MedlinePlus, the amino acids you can make on your own are alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid. The body also makes other amino acids that can become depleted when you are sick. These are arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, ornithine, proline and serine. The amino acids about which you need to be concerned are the so-called essential ones. You get these entirely from your diet. They are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
Complete Proteins
The way to obtain all the essential amino acids is to incorporate complete proteins in your diet. Meat, fish and poultry are complete proteins because they have all of the essential amino acids in them. Eggs and milk are also included in this category. To determine how much protein you need in your diet, use a simple mathematics formula. Divide your weight by 2.2 to get that figure in kilograms. Multiply that by 0.8 to 1.8. Use higher numbers if you are more active, pregnant or chronically ill. This is how many grams of protein your body needs per day to function adequately.
Mixing Incomplete Proteins
If you are not able to eat a balanced diet or are vegetarian, you may have a difficult time eating complete proteins. You will have to get your amino acids from the incomplete proteins, including legumes or beans, grains, vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. When you eat an incomplete protein, you must mix it with another incomplete protein to get all the essential amino acids your body requires. You could choose a mixture of oats, rice, lentils, soy, walnuts, cashews, broccoli or leafy greens to meet your requirements.
The Need for Lysine
One of the most important amino acids is lysine because it is difficult to obtain if you are not eating complete proteins. Lysine is important for growth, converting fatty acids and lowering cholesterol. According to Vegan Outreach, if you meet the requirement for lysine, you will meet the requirements for protein in your diet. The amount of lysine recommended for people ages 18 to 59 is 38 mg per kg. To obtain your weight in kilograms, divide it by 2.2. The best foods to eat to get this amino acid are legumes or beans. Tofu and soy meats are the highest. Lentils, chick peas, lima beans and other beans are close seconds. Pistachios and quinoa, a grain-like seed, also add lysine to your diet.
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