How Protein Is Useful For The Human Body?

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PROTEIN

Composed of carbon, hydrogen , oxygen, and nitrogen and often, termed as Nitrogen foods, protein is that element of the food: which is used for the construction and repair of the highely­ vitalized living tissues of the body; that is, the essential vital machinery- the muscles, glands, nerves and other parts concerned in the various functions of the body, consist of proteins.

Some of the principal foods containing a large amount of protein are: meat, eggs, fish, cheese, beans, pulses, milk, nuts and soyabeans.

Between the periods of infancy and maturity, protein is required both for growth and repair. After maturity, the sole use of protein is for repair. Unless one is doing outdoor work or taking active exercises, the protein ration should be small, because protein, when taken in excess of the actual needs of the body for its tissue building, is not only useless-not being necessary to satisfy any bodily need, but causes positive damage to the body.

Because it imposes upon the eliminative organs, especially the liver and the kidneys, a heavy burden of unnecessary work, the inevitable effect of which must be the wearing out of these organs prematurely and the interference with their normal functions of destroying and eliminating the natural body wastes and then keeping the blood and tissue fluids free from obstructing poison, leading to what is known as auto-intoxication with its attendant evils.

So we may include here the remark made by Professor Chittanden that "Voit, among others, has clearly emphasized the general principle that the smallest amount of protein, with non-nitrogenous food added, that will suffice to keep the body in a •state of continual vigour is the ideal diet."



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