We are halfway through 2026 and protein continues to be a hot topic! Every day I hear questions like this from clients:
- Why do we need protein?
- Am I getting enough protein?
- Am I getting too much protein?
- How can I get more protein on a plant-based or vegetarian diet?
- What protein foods are easy to have as snacks?
- Is protein powder a good option for me?
- What about other protein supplements, such as collagen or creatine?
Even though there is a wealth of nutrition information about protein online, it can be hard to know who to trust and which sources are reliable. So I’m putting together a series of short posts this summer to answer your questions!
Do you have a question about protein?
Email me here - I would love to include your topic!
Table of Contents
First things first: What is protein?
Protein is one of three energy-providing macronutrients in our diet along with fats (lipids) and carbohydrates. Macronutrients are consumed in relatively large amounts, compared to micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that we consume in relatively small amounts.
Structure
You might have heard about amino acids or peptides. Both of these are related to proteins.
Protein molecules are made up of many amino acids connected together. This is why you’ll often hear about amino acids as the building blocks of protein. Multiple amino acids join together to form a peptide chain. As the chain becomes longer and folds into its unique shape, it forms a protein. We think about food being made up of proteins rather than amino acids or peptides. But these components can be found as supplements which will be covered later in this protein series!
A little more about amino acids
There are around 20 amino acids that matter to us in nutrition. Think about protein as a train, and each amino acid as a train car. Then imagine that there are 20 colours of train car available. Some trains might have only a few colours, and others will have more, and some trains are longer than others.
Essential and nonessential
Nine of the amino acids must be obtained from the diet (essential). The other 11 are considered nonessential because we can make enough to meet our needs. Animal sources of protein contain all the essential amino acids. Plant sources may have lower amounts of one or more of the essential amino acids, although some plant proteins do contain all nine.
When we eat protein foods, our body breaks them down into the individual amino acids. These are then used for energy or repackaged into new proteins and other molecules that we need inside our body and sent off to do their jobs. So when we don’t have enough of an essential amino acid in our diet, it can impact our ability to do these things properly in our body.
Where does protein come from?
As briefly noted above, protein can come from both plant and animal sources. It’s important to have a steady supply in our diet because our body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding proteins. Foods that are rich in protein include fish, chicken, meat, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds and legumes (including soy). Almost all foods contain at least some protein. Including a variety of sources in our diet helps us to get enough of the amino acids we need. More about food sources to come in a future post!
What does protein do for us?
Energy
Protein is an important source of energy. Specifically, we get 4 kcal of energy for every 1 gram of protein. This means if you were to eat a food that has 20 grams of protein (and nothing else!) you could get 20 x 4 = 80 kcal of energy. Notice I said “could” as our body doesn’t always prefer to use the energy from protein to meet our needs. Energy metabolism is complex, varies depending on when a person last ate, what they ate, and what types of activities they are doing.
Here is an important point: If we don't have enough energy (i.e. calories) coming in, then our body is more likely to use protein as energy, which takes protein away from other important jobs and can lead to muscle breakdown.
Below is a very simplified snapshot of protein use based on overall energy intake:
| Energy Intake | Protein Intake | Result |
| adequate | adequate | protein primarily used for functions other than energy |
| adequate | excess | more dietary protein used as energy; excess energy stored as fat |
| inadequate | adequate | dietary and body proteins used as energy |
| inadequate | inadequate | body proteins used as energy |
| excess | excess | more dietary protein used as energy; excess energy stored as fat |
Muscles
Most people probably know that protein is important for your muscles – this is definitely true, and muscle protein synthesis (building and repairing muscle proteins) cannot happen without protein in your diet. But you should know that protein is important for so much more than just your muscles!
Skin, hair and bones and other tissues
Pretty much all of our body parts contain large amounts of protein! It may be used for structure, repair, or both.
Hormones, enzymes, & neurotransmitters
Amino acids are used for:
- Hormones, such as insulin (helps to regulate blood sugar)
- Enzymes, such as lactase (breaks down the sugar in dairy products)
- Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin (regulates mood, sleep and digestion)
Immune function
Antibodies are a type of protein that helps to fight off invaders. Skin (made up of protein) protects us from infection. Proteins are also involved in blood clotting if we get injured.
Transport of other molecules
For example, the protein hemoglobin in our red blood cells transports oxygen within our body. Transportation is also important for our body’s fluid balance – one of the proteins involved is albumin, and if albumin levels in the blood become low (usually during serious illness), we can have fluid buildup in the wrong places in our body.
Acid-base balance
Proteins are an important part of our body’s system for maintaining the correct pH. You might remember from high school science class that a neutral pH is 7. Lower than that and we are moving into acidic territory. Higher than 7 and we are looking at basic territory. Our blood is normally kept within a very narrow pH range (about 7.35–7.45). Even small changes outside this range can be life-threatening. Understandably, we have multiple systems in place to prevent this from happening and proteins are part of that system.
Summary
Protein plays many critical roles in the human body, from fighting infection, supporting tissue growth and repair, to building muscle, and maintaining important systems such as our fluid and pH. We also get important energy from protein, which can be used flexibly depending on whether we are getting enough energy overall. Stay tuned for my next post on protein needs!
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