What is a Complete Protein?
In cooking we constantly come across references to a 'complete protein'. So exactly what is it? Let's start with what a protein is... It is essential to building muscle and is contained in every cell of our body.
| It consists of a string of 20 or so (sources vary) amino acids which can be termed the building blocks of a protein. Our body is able to manufacture 13 or so of these amino acids (again, sources vary as to the number) on it's own so the remaining 6 to 8 amino acids required need to be obtained from our diet. |
A food item is termed a complete protein if it contains all of the missing amino acids we need to build a protein in our bodies. Most foods that are termed 'complete' by themselves come from animal sources such as meat and meat products.The problem is that these sources also contain large amounts of fat which is not good for us in overabundance. Vegetable food sources are lower in fat content and can be used as sources of protein but, individually, are incomplete in that they rarely contain all the missing, required amino acids. The one notable exception is soybeans (pictured) which is a complete protein but also high in unsaturated fat content. Fortunately we can combine vegetable sources to create the complete protein. Here is a table of such food combinations: - rice & beans
- corn & beans
- peanut butter & jelly
- peanut butter & whole wheat bread
- peanut butter & rice cakes
- bean soup & a roll
- salad with chick peas & corn bread
- tofu/vegetable stir fry with rice or pasta
- whole wheat bun with sesame seeds
- brown rice & beans
- brown rice & wheat
- brown rice & nuts
- salad with peanuts & a roll
'Complete' food combinations both animal and vegetable:- milk & wheat cereal
- salad with beans & egg
- yogurt with granola
- bean, cheese burrito
- macaroni and cheese
- oatmeal & milk
- whole wheat bread, butter & milk
- bean soup & salad with cheese
Early American settlers and prospectors always had sacks of beans and flour as a staple. I never really understood why that particular combination. Now I know that, when combined, it was a 'complete protein' in case meat was not obtainable (this is assuming that the flour was whole wheat).
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