WELLNESS HABIT 12

ESSENTIAL PROTEINS FOR GROWTH,

MAINTENANCE, REGULATION AND STRUCTURE

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Proteins are made up of amino acids and are the building blocks for muscles, body structure and the factories of the body. Protein should account for 25 to 30% of your daily calories consumed. There are 20 important amino acid building blocks in humans. Nine of these amino acids can not be made by your body in sufficient quantities. These are referred to as essential amino acids. It is important that you eat some of these each day and preferably, at each meal.

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If we want to limit the impact of our diet on climate change as well as ending world hunger, the EAT-Lancet Commission has identified that our main source of protein will need to be plant based if we want to be in the spirit of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. The EAT-Lancet Commission consists of 37 world-leading scientists from 16 countries from various scientific disciplines. The goal of this Commission was to reach a scientific consensus by defining targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production which was released in January 2019 (www.eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission). The majority of our protein should come from fish, pulses, soy, nuts and/or dairy (if you can tolerate it) or dairy alternatives. The Heart Foundation recommends that you should have two to three serves of fish each week (approximately 150 to 200 g), including oily fish, to achieve sufficient quantities of omega-3 fatty acids to prevent heart disease.

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Become a Warriors Own Wellness member to learn more about the healthy consumption of protein and how you stack up.

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