Muscles are the part of body because of which we perform a number of important activities like locomotion, contraction and peristalsis (movement through which food is moved in digestive tract). Even our blood needs muscles to move through the circulatory system. Proteins are basically made up of amino acids and there are nine essential amino acids that we cannot survive without taking them from external sources like diet. My question here is, “Are you consuming enough protein to build and maintain muscles?”

Body builders are exclusively grabbing protein drinks and shakes to build their muscles. Protein is one of the macronutrient that is needed by every cell in human body. Our skin and nails are mostly composed of proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of our muscles. The process of building muscle from protein actually starts in our digestive tract. The food we eat when make to the stomach and intestine, the acids and enzyme present in these digestive organs start breaking the proteins to peptides (the smaller unit). These chains of amino acids (peptides) are used as building blocks or bricks by our body to make muscle fibre. Then these fibres in turn build muscles. Therefore, eating adequate amount of proteins will help you maintain your muscle mass and it also promotes muscle growth during strength exercise.

An example of muscle building protein is “Whey protein” that constitutes almost all the nine essential amino acids. It functions by delivering these amino acids to skeletal muscle tissues and hence helps the muscles get bigger and stronger.

The most important sources of proteins are meat and meat substitutes such as egg, lentils etc. Whey protein is generally sourced from liquid part of milk. Along with building muscles, proteins are also essential for making enzymes, hormones and other neurotransmitters.