Doctors N Health Land

What are fats and protein?

A fat is a waxy, oily substance and is essential for good health. Fat has double the amount of calories and so poses a problem to individuals who find it difficult to exercise.
If you break down a fat you break it down into something called a fatty acid and glycerol. Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids and are necessary for your body to build enzymes, antibodies and haemoglobin. When you eat protein, your body breaks the protein down into amino acids and then tries to re-assemble them into other configurations to make other needed proteins for use around the body. Carbohydrates, fats and protein can all be broken down into smaller units. Each one of those macronutrients can be sub-divided.

In the case of proteins, proteins are made up of amino acids. Not all proteins have the eight essential amino acids that the body needs. Some proteins are absorbed extremely well, an example would be egg albumin, which is a protein found in the white of an egg rather than the yolk. The egg white protein has an extremely high biological availability and all of the essential amino acids in the right balance.

Gelatin though has many of the essential amino acids however does not have an amino acid called tryptophan and because it is lacking – it isn’t considered a complete form of protein. If it is combined with other sources of protein it is okay. It is important to know that all carbohydrates, fat and proteins are made up of these building blocks and it is important to know to have a balance of all of these building blocks for good health.