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DEAR DR. ROACH: I know this maybe an ignorant question, but what exactly constitutes protein? I know that it naturally comes from livestock and their byproducts. But one can find diverse categories -- such as cereals, pasta, sweet/salty snacks, and even soda pop -- with "protein" displayed on the packaging. What's up with that?
-- E.M.
ANSWER: I'm sure that many people have the same question. There are three major macronutrients (molecules for us to get the calories that we need for all of our activities), and most foods contain some amount of all three macronutrients. One is carbohydrates -- simple sugars and starches that provide most of the calories in fruits, vegetables and grains, including all the products that we make from grains like bread and pasta.
Another is fats, which are high in a few fruits like avocados but otherwise mostly come from animals (meat, milk, cheese and eggs) or are extracted from seeds or olives. Fats have the most calories per gram. Finally, proteins, which are strings of amino acids, are the major component of the calories in meat (along with fat and a little bit of carbohydrates). But milk and cheese, nuts and seeds, and most vegetables and grains have some protein in them.
Wheat is relatively high in protein compared to many grains, with wheat flour containing anywhere from 7% to 14% protein. Food manufacturers can use a higher content of wheat flour to increase the protein content of their products, but drinks (and perhaps the other snacks) probably have protein added to them.
Having more protein does not always make a food "healthier." We need a balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein in our diets, and most North Americans get plenty of protein without having to search for products that are especially high in it.
Still, higher protein meals tend to be more filling, so often people will eat less from a high-protein meal than a high-carbohydrate one.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.
cornell.edu.
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