Let’s talk about Protein

Protein is one of the 3 macronutrients in our diet. The other two are fat and
carbohydrates. Protein helps us build strong muscles and give us energy by providing calories
for our body to function.

Protein is commonly found in animal sources- meaning that the food is made from an
animal, but there are also many plant-based protein sources. Some examples of protein from
animals cheese, yogurt, eggs, chicken, turkey, beef and so many more! Common plant-based
proteins include nuts, beans and seeds. People normally choose the plant-based protein
sources when they follow either a vegan or vegetarian diet. Let’s talk about what those words
mean!
- Vegan​- does not consume any products made from an animal
- Vegetarian-​ does not consume any animal meat

While these diets can be healthy and great, it is important to consume a wide variety of
plant-based proteins when doing this. This means that you can have quinoa and beans together
in a meal or peanut butter and seeds together. These are known as complementary protein
sources. Plant-based proteins are great, but most do not have all 9 essential amino acids that
our bodies need. This is why eating multiple sources of plant-based protein in one meal can
help add up to all the needed essential amino acids like animal proteins give us.

Before we get into an activity, let’s review why protein is so important for our bodies! We
should try to eat protein at every meal because it helps to keep us full, builds strong muscles
and bones, reduces cravings and so much more!

Activity: Now that we learned about plant-based vs. animal-based proteins, pick your favorite
protein from the list of coloring sheets and color that one! You can even explain why you like
this protein so much.
a. https://www.foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/coloring-sheets/chicken_colori
ng_sheets.pdf​ (chicken coloring activity)
b. https://www.foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/coloring-sheets/beef_coloring_
sheets_0.pdf​ (beef coloring sheet)
c. https://www.foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/coloring-sheets/eggs_coloring
_sheets.pdf​ (eggs coloring sheet)
d. https://www.foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/coloring-sheets/dried_beans_c
oloring_sheets_0.pdf​ (beans coloring sheet)

Yesterday, we talked a little bit about plant-based versus animal-based protein and
examples of both types of protein. We briefly mentioned the need for complementary proteins
regarding plant-based sources due to lacking all 9 essential amino acids that animal sources
normally contain. Today, we are going to dive into this idea even further and talk about what
exactly amino acids are and what they do!
 Amino acids are known as the building blocks of protein. This means that every protein
that we eat or build in our bodies are made up of amino acids. Check out the picture below to
see what the general structure of an amino acid looks like.

There are a total of 20 amino acids in biological organisms (us, animals, plants) and like
we mentioned before, 9 of those are essential for us humans to eat. This means that our body
cannot make these amino acids and the only way that we can get them is through the food that
we eat. The rest of the 11 amino acids are still very important, but can be made by our bodies
so they are not as important to eat in our foods. Another interesting fact about amino acids is
that they are held together with bonds called peptide bonds. So to break it down, every protein
is made up of many, many amino acids and all of these amino acids are held together to make
this protein with peptide bonds. Wow! Check out the picture below to see what a peptide bond
looks like.

Activity: Now that we are experts on the structure of proteins, let's play detective and complete
this fun protein word scramble!
https://www.foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/activity-sheets/word_scramble_protein_en1.p
df
 We know all about why protein is important and what proteins are made of, so now let’s
talk about how to fit the right amount of protein into our diets. We should aim to have protein at
every meal and it is a bonus if we can include protein in our snack time as well! Let’s go over
some ways to accomplish this and include protein in a delicious way without getting bored of
having the same meal everyday! Some protein tips:

- Peanut butter is your friend! (Unless you have a peanut allergy, and then there
are plenty of other nut butters to replace this with such as almond butter,
sunflower seed butter, etc.) Nut butters like peanut butter can be used in so many
ways such as a dip for fresh fruit or as a topping on whole grain toast or crackers.
Peanut butter is a great plant-based protein to add to a snack.

- Eggs can be used in many more ways than just scrambling them for breakfast.
Eggs are an animal-based protein that can still fit into most vegetarian diets.
They are a common breakfast staple, but can also be included in other meals or
snacks when hard boiled. Hard boiled eggs pair well with crackers, fruit, or any
other small snack!

- Hummus is a hidden gem of protein. Hummus is a dip made out of a bean known
as a chickpea or garbanzo bean. It is packed with protein and comes in a variety
of flavors. Hummus makes a great dip for fresh veggies.

Activity: This matching activity will be a good reminder of protein foods and how we can include
them into our diet daily!
http://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-education-printables/113-kids-food-group-meats-bea
ns-protein-food-group-worksheet-printout
 The final topic we want to cover on protein is how it fits into what we already talked about
with the MyPlate method! We know that protein is one of the 5 main components of MyPlate.
The other components are fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. Take a look at the graphic below
to help you remember MyPlate.

Now that we really have a good understanding of protein, let’s play a review game! It will
be fun. I am going to give you a long list of protein sources and I want you to say out loud or
write down (whatever works best for you) whether that protein source is animal-based or
plant-based!
1. Peanut butter?
2. Chicken?
3. Almonds?
4. Greek yogurt?
5. Turkey lunch meat?
6. Cottage cheese?
7. Chickpeas/ garbanzo beans?
8. Black beans?
9. Beef hamburger?
10. Shrimp?

Activity: Let’s take one final review at some different protein sources by playing a fun matching
game with some common ones!
http://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-education-printables/669-matching-protein-card-gam
e-for-children-food-groups-fitness-activities​ (matching protein game)