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πŸ«€ My body and food πŸ₯— Food and nutrition

Protein

Protein in selected foods: foods differ in how much protein they have and what kind. Foods with complete proteins give enough of all the essential amino acids, and foods with incomplete proteins lack enough of one or more of them.
Protein in selected foods: foods differ in how much protein they have and what kind. Foods with complete proteins give enough of all the essential amino acids, and foods with incomplete proteins lack enough of one or more of them.

πŸ“– In short

Protein is a very important nutrient. The body uses it to build muscles, skin, hair and nails, and to repair damage. There's protein in every cell of your body, so you need to eat some every day while you're growing.

🀩 Did you know?

  • Hair and nails are made of a protein called keratin.
  • Children need relatively more protein because they're growing.
  • Plants make their proteins from substances in the soil and air.
  • Protein is one of the three main parts of food, along with carbohydrates and fats.

πŸ”Ž Find out more

🌟 Building bricks

A protein is like a wall built from little bricks called amino acids. When you eat protein, your body breaks it into these bricks, then puts them back together to make the proteins it needs.

πŸ” Protein from animals

Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and cheese are foods rich in protein.

πŸ’‘ Protein from plants

Lentils, fava beans, chickpeas, beans, nuts and grains have protein too. When we eat pulses with bread or rice, the body gets complete protein.

🎯 What does protein do?

It builds muscles, makes the enzymes that digest food, helps the body fight germs and carries oxygen in the blood.

🧩 Test yourself

1 What does protein build in your body?

2 Which of these plant foods is rich in protein?

3 Which picture shows β€œProtein”?

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