The amino acids needed for building cellular structure come from the protein foods in healthy diets. When your protein intake is adequate, it gives you a high energy level, ample body mass and a robust look. Too much protein results in the excess being broken down and stored as starch or fat.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a daily intake of 50g of protein for healthy metabolism. This average figure applies to diets composed of all types of protein. If you are vegetarian or have an otherwise limited diet, you'll need to focus on getting enough complete protein without taking in too many calories.
Complete Protein
Protein foods are considered complete if they contain all of the essential amino acids. Partial proteins lack one or more of these nutrients but can be combined with other foods to create complete nutrition. Animal sources of protein are complete by this definition, and they include poultry, lamb, beef, pork, fish, crustaceans, mollusks and dairy products.
Unless you consciously limit portion sizes, your daily intake of protein may be packed into a single serving of meat. Half a roasted duck (52g protein) contains more than 100 percent of the daily value (DV) of protein listed by the FDA. Other high-protein choices are halibut and sockeye salmon (1/2 fillet, 42g), turkey (1 cup dark or white meat, 41g), fried chicken (1/2 breast, 35g), veal and lamb (3 oz., 30g), and pork (3 oz., 27g). An 8-oz. glass of skim milk delivers about 8g of protein.
Partially Complete Protein
If you don't eat meat, you'll need to eat more legumes (dry beans), grains, nuts and seeds with significant protein content. Legumes (1 cup, cooked) boast the most protein, with black, red and pinto beans (15g protein) at the top of the list. Peanuts are good legume sources for your daily dose, with 1 oz. of oil-roasted peanuts containing 8g of protein--more than any other nut. Of the true tree nuts, almonds and pistachios have the highest content with 1 oz. containing 6g of protein.
Among seed protein foods, pumpkin and squash seed kernels (1 oz., 9g) and sunflower seed kernels (1 oz., 6g) have the most protein. Good grain additions to your menu include a 1-cup serving of bulgar and buckwheat groats (6g), corn (5g), and brown or white rice (5g).
Incomplete Protein
Other plant-based protein foods are considered ineffective as part of your daily intake, due to their greater lack of essential amino acids. These include fruits and vegetables other than legumes, such as bananas, plums and peaches, and peppers, carrots and cabbage--all of which have about 1g of protein in 1 cup.
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