What Protein Does and How to Get Enough: Nutrients and How to Get Them (1)

Written by: 稲山 未来 (Registered Dietitian)

In this series, we’ll learn about the nutrients we get from food: what they do and easy ways to get them. The first installment is about protein.

Protein is one of the three major nutrients

The three major nutrients are protein, sugars (carbohydrates) and fats. They build our bodies, are vital for healthy living, and are the energy sources we use when we exercise or think. This time, let’s look at one of them: protein.

What protein does

Protein is mainly a body-building nutrient. It is the material that makes up the body: muscle, skin, blood, hair, internal organs, nails, teeth and more.

Protein we eat is first broken down in the body into small units called amino acids. The amino acids are absorbed in the intestines and carried to the liver, where they are reassembled into proteins and used as material for muscle and other tissues.

Some amino acids, called essential amino acids, cannot be made by the body, so they must come from food.

So what harm results if we don’t get enough protein?

What happens when protein is lacking?

Protein is an important material for building our bodies. A shortfall makes it harder to build muscle, and because protein is also a material for skin, the skin may become dry and rough.

Older people who already eat little are short of energy itself, so to make up for it, the body may break down its own protein to produce energy, and muscle is lost.

When muscle mass declines, people become unsteady on their feet and more likely to fall. Older people’s bones are also weaker, so a fall carries a risk of fracture. To keep the body healthy for life, it is important to get the protein you need.

How should you get protein?

Protein is found mainly in animal foods such as meat, fish and eggs, and in soy products, which in Japan are called “meat from the field.” So how much should you eat?

An easy guide is an amount that fits in the palm of one hand, per meal: one fillet of fish, about one hamburger patty’s worth of meat, or one egg. This is the amount of protein-rich food to aim for at each meal. With three meals a day, aim for about three times this amount.

For example, meals like these:

• Breakfast: Rice, miso soup, a pack of natto (fermented soybeans), boiled greens and fruit

• Lunch: Omurice (chicken fried rice wrapped in an omelet) with a side dish

• Dinner: Rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, simmered potatoes and a vinegared salad

Here, the natto, the egg and chicken in the omurice, and the salmon are the protein sources. As you can see, most of the protein comes from the main dish of each meal.

When it’s hard to get enough protein

As we age, cooking can become a chore. At such times, I recommend ways to add protein as easily as possible.

Drop an egg into miso soup

This is a very easy way to get protein. Stir an egg into your usual miso soup to make egg-drop soup. If you didn’t get enough protein at breakfast or lunch, add an egg to your miso soup at dinner.

Use canned fish

With canned fish such as mackerel in water or saury in sweet kabayaki sauce, you can cook without the hassle of preparing raw fish. Simmer canned mackerel with vegetables such as daikon radish or green beans and it becomes a main dish; simmer canned saury kabayaki with onion wedges, bind it with beaten egg, and serve it over rice for a tasty rice bowl. Canned foods keep well and can double as emergency supplies, so do give them a try.

Try a variety of drinks and ingredients

When your appetite shrinks and you can’t get enough from food, consider other options. Among drinks, milk and soy milk are rich in protein. Kinako (roasted soybean flour) is also high in protein, so stirring it into milk or yogurt is an easy way to add protein.

What happens if you get too much protein?

Excess protein is processed in the body, and what isn’t needed is excreted in urine. Because this work is done by the kidneys, people whose kidney function has weakened may put further strain on their kidneys by eating too much protein.

People with kidney failure, or who have been told their kidney function has declined, need to be especially careful. If kidney function declines further, protein intake may need to be reduced to lessen the burden on the kidneys. The appropriate amount is determined based on a doctor’s diagnosis, so consult your doctor or a registered dietitian.

Finally

I hope you now understand what protein does in the body. To maintain muscle mass and keep living a full, active life, take a look at how you get protein in your daily diet.

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About the author: 稲山 未来 (Registered Dietitian)

This article is a contribution from a medical or care professional, re-edited by our editorial team. It provides general information as of the time of writing, and symptoms and circumstances differ from person to person. For specific decisions, please consult your doctor, dentist, pharmacist or another professional.

This is an English translation of a column originally published in Japanese by Next Co., Ltd.

About Next Co., Ltd. We are a Tokyo-based company working in Japan’s senior care and end-of-life planning field. Alongside these expert columns, we publish professional training textbooks and support businesses entering Japan’s eldercare market. More expert columns | Our English textbook | Contact us