The critical importance of Amino Acids (Protein) for general health and fighting brain disorders by Mauro Simonetti

I felt the need to write this article to give everyone a better and more clear understanding of amino acids (protein) and why it is critical to eat plenty of high-quality protein every day of our lives. There are many misconceptions and misinformation about protein so it is important that people get a clear explanation. Protein is the macronutrient that has kept us surviving from the very beginning of time. We are all survivors of hunter gatherers and through human history and science (referenced from integral source studies with no hidden agendas) we have evidence that the healthiest and strongest people are those who consume high quality protein in reasonable quantities each and every day.

The first thing that people need to understand is that protein is the most important macronutrient to our bodies. Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies and essentially, our lives. Protein is second ONLY to water in its quantity and significance to the human body. This means that we need plenty of protein each and every day for our health and survival. Protein is found in abundance in our natural world because it is the foundation of our lives. The word itself comes from the Greek word Proteios which means “in the lead”, it is first, primary and most important. Therefore, if we know this to be a fact and critical to every single molecule, cell, our whole biochemistry and essentially our lives, then stating that eating too much protein is bad, THEN YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG! Protein is the key to our lives after water, period! The biggest FACT for humanity is that health and life cannot happen without sufficient water and PROTEIN!

Furthermore, humans have over 800 muscles in our bodies which consist of 3 types of muscles, skeletal, visceral, and cardiac. This is why ignoring proper protein intake is damaging to our overall health because for some reason, many people forget that our hearts and brains are also muscles that are in constant need of proper amino acids to survive and stay strong and healthy. I also want to clarify that protein is a macronutrient but technically speaking, proteins are large molecules that consist of amino acids, and they make every cell in our bodies. Our whole genetic make up is made of protein. So basically, amino acids are the building blocks of muscles and clearly, our lives, and no bodily function can happen without it and not having enough will be detrimental to your life and quality of living.

Also, not consuming enough protein means that weight loss or sculpting your body, if those are your goals, will no longer be an option because you’re sabotaging your ability to A) fulfill your potential inside of the gym, and B) remain in good health. Without enough protein your body will start to pull fuel from places like your bones, organs, and heart. Let me paint the picture very clear here, you won’t stay healthy for long by avoiding proper daily protein intake and most of the population are either undernourished or very undernourished in terms of protein consumption which is why so many people are ill today.

Now, helping you stay alive isn’t enough? WOW! Alright, let’s take it up a notch. Protein also helps to keep bones, cartilage, and blood healthy. Additionally, it works to keep hair, skin, and nails revitalized and nourished. Protein also enables the body to heal more efficiently, as well as helps men with libido issues and women balance hormones. Protein also boosts and regulates immune function and last I checked, your immune system is CRITICAL!

PLEASE READ THE LAST 4 PARAGRAPHS AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL IT SINKS IN ENOUGH TO GET YOU TO EAT PLENTY OF PROTEIN EVERY DAY.

Let’s go even further. When you’re in the gym and you’re tearing muscle fibers with each grueling set (hopefully you are working hard and not socializing in a gym), the protein you consume helps the muscles that were compromised recover quicker and much more efficiently. Meats, eggs and fish (preferably organic please) are by far the highest quality source of protein and are most biovailable to humans, which means it is the type that we assimilate best and most efficiently without losing any of the nutrients.

Now, how much protein do we eat? I always hear clients and people say: “Yeah but Mauro, “they say” too much protein is not good.” First off, who are “they?” Why are you listening to “THEY” who are all uneducated in human health and anatomy? Most of these people who say this are not even eating enough protein to sustain an insect and prefer to eat the very foods that decline their health because apparently, again, “THEY” say those are better meanwhile the world is obese, overweight and filled with chronic issues. Cut “they” out of your lives because “they” will keep you ill and miserable like “they” are.

Let me make this very simple for all of you to be able to eat proper amounts of protein daily. Do this and watch what happens to your overall health. The amount of protein you want to consume depends on your fitness or fat loss goals. A good way to know how much to eat per day to feed the muscle and starve the fat is as follows. For those who want to take on more muscle mass, taking in 1.5g to 2g per pound of weight is more than plenty for men and 1.2 to 1.5g per pound for women. In fact, I can also tell you that those who eat a little more than their bodyweight will ALWAYS lose fat faster but if you follow these principles, you will not go wrong, I assure you. Just gauge yourselves and see with time what fit is best for your system. Obviously, spread the total amount of grams you will eat through all your meals of the day.

Also, people tend to forget or not know that muscle BURNS fat and therefore, the more amino acids (protein) I eat, the more muscle I build, which in turn, the more fat I BURN! Just respect the amounts I suggested and you will see great differences in your shape, strength and health and your digestive system will benefit as well. Remember, it’s not about consuming; it’s about assimilating and utilization.

Brain disorders:

Let’s take it a major step further. For those of you who have children with or know anyone with ADHD, Autism, Depression, Alzheimer’s, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and any other form of brain issues, it is important to know that proper nutrition is what matters most and the main KEY ingredient is protein due to the importance of amino acids that feed brain functions.

All professionals like myself in our practice have been telling people for a long time now that amino acids are critical to help the brain mechanics of every human and especially those with brain disorders. I always had personal clinical evidence and now we also have other clinical evidence as well as laboratory evidence that conclude and conquer everything we ever said.

You can read the research on this study on the link below. Remember, the solution is never in suppressing a health problem and making it worse, it is rather in treating the main cause of it.

Well, there it is, I am hoping that with this article I was able to shed some light and debunk on one of the worst misconceptions of food for all of you.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/brains-of-children-with-adhd-show-protein-deficiency/00013653