MadSci Network: Biochemistry |
There are no essential amino acids that are only found in meat. This is a common misconception. WHowever meat usually contains all the essential amino acids in substantial amounts i.e. they are complete proteins. Incomplete proteins are proteins that have one or more essential amino acids present in very low concentration so we have to find another source of those. Examples All the essential amino acids can be found in plants but not all plants have all the essentials. So we would may be have to eat two different plants to get all the essential amino acids while only one type meat will fill the bill. Legumes have lots of isoleucine and lysine but little methionine and tryptophan. Grains have lots of methionine and tryptophan a little isoleucine and lysine. So to get enough of all the essentials one would need to eat both legumes and grains. They are called complementary proteins. Vegetarians need to worry more about getting enough calcium and vitamin B12. I hope this helps.
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