Protein is a complex macronutrient that constitutes the building blocks for the physical parts of your body, including muscles, bones, skin, hair, nails, and organs.

We often tend to overlook messages that our body is trying to send us through symptoms.  If you feel fatigued all the while, suffer from weakness, have thinning hair, brittle nails, and dry skin, ask your doctor if you are protein deficient. Though most protein deficiencies are treatable by increasing the intake of high-protein foods like eggs, soybeans, salmon, and lentils, there are underlying conditions that only the doctor can diagnose.

As children, we often saw our elders fetch tins and boxes of “proteins” or “protein-rich” biscuits etc. to add to the milk we drank. Almost all “energy powders” that were spooned into the milk we drank touted the addition of proteins to our diets. Now, as grown-ups, we see serious bodybuilders and sportspersons, fitness enthusiasts, marathoners all talking about the protein supplements that they take.

What are proteins?

These building blocks of almost everything in our body. Proteins are actually a highly complex nutritional substance that is present in all living organisms. In fact, they are so essential that when they were first recognized by chemists in the early 19th century, a Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, in 1838 coined the term protein, a word derived from the Greek prōteios, meaning “holding first place.” This is truly a prime building block of energy and structure in our body.

A study published in 2015 in the Journal of Nutrition found that teenagers who consumed high-protein afternoon snacks showed improved appetite, satiety and diet quality, better moods and better cognition. That meant they did not stress eat, nor binge to the limit of developing an eating disorder that affects weight. So, taking adequate proteins in food aids weight loss, halts excess weight gain. Times Now News