An American tradition characterized by an eternal want for more time and the necessity to be successful, as people are usually in pursuit of becoming the “best” something or the other. Improving time efficiency, these “best” lists assist individuals in making decisions sans the research or pricey “trial and error.” However, as with most inventions, there is a potentially harmful application of those very popular “best” lists. There are occasions when the necessity to create a best list of something blurs the actual fact that, sometimes, you can do away with ranking for a given situation. In other words, the best of something is in actuality a combination of many things. In the nutrition world, arguably, there may be not a clearer and more harmful manifestation of this truth than when you look at protein. The world of nutrition is not short on “best” opinions for sources of protein. Some camps lobby in favor of whey protein as the best, while others advocate soy. While others claim that meat and poultry are the most effective protein source, others would also swear that a plant based source such as spirulina should sit at the top. Consumers are bombarded with so many opinions, with each one supporting different protein sources as perfect, that consumers usually feel much less knowledgeable afterwards instead of becoming better educated. One of the reasons that the search for the best source of protein is so widespread is due to its crucial significance within a healthy diet. All bodily functions are aided directly or indirectly, by protein. Additionally, other than being an essential energy source, protein is also a element of every body cell, helps in building, maintaining, and repairing muscle tissue, among other essential contributions[i]. Furthermore, it is extensively accepted – no matter the view on the “best” source of protein – that a complete source of protein is required by all people, regardless of athleticism or mobility. This complete source of protein must reflect all 20 different amino acids that comprise protein. Since the body can only create 12 of them via its own synthetic production capacity, 8 amino acids – referred to as “essential amino acids” – must be obtained through diet [ii]. This is the source of the ongoing confusion. Many groups would swear by whey, milk protein, or calcium caseinate [1] as being the single best protein source, respectively. Surprisingly, however, a growing body of research is suggesting that all of these views are incorrect. Rather, a wide range of protein sources is proving to be the best. Unfortunately, accessing this number of protein sources is a challenge for a lot of consumers. Unless a consumer may be very well versed in nutrition, probably to the point of being thought of as an expert, he or she cannot confidently know if a wide range of proteins are being eaten in any specific meal. And although fast food products, which can also be sources of protein, may certainly contain a good quantity of essential amino acids, they also contain excessively high levels of calories, unsaturated fat, carbohydrates, and other unwanted components that ultimately make them an unwise and unhealthy eating choice [iii] The purpose therefore, which has been sought for many decades, is figuring out the food sources that provides consumers healthy, convenient, affordable, tasty, and complete sources of protein. Luckily, there are some developments by way of nutritional supplements, despite delays in coming up with a worthy product to the market, delays which have been attributable to the scientifically pointless search of the single best protein source. These products offer consumers a complete amino acid profile derived from a combined mix of protein sources. Although uncommon, there are even some products which meet the consumer criterion of convenience, affordability, palatability, low-calorie, and high nutritional content. American health dialogue will continue to be populated with “best” lists, and in many ways, these lists are fairly useful timesaving devices. However, there would clearly be circumstances where the obsessive pursuit of the “best” can actually be dangerous, particularly when there really is no “best” to talk about. In the world of protein and diet, that is clearly the case: there is no such thing as a single best source of protein. Only a balanced mixture of protein sources will achieve the goal of delivering the body’s important protein requirements. Luckily, the nutrition specialists who’re accepting this scientific truth are growing in number and there’s a momentum building in the direction of intelligent health, which is expected to continue for quite some time. [1] Calcium caseinate is created via the acidification of skim milk.
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