Nut protein

(M) #1

does the protein in nuts count for anything really? obviously it’s not the best source compared to fish eggs and meat etc. but if I eat 2.5 oz walnuts which is supposedly 10g protein does that count at all toward protein intake? some of its not digested I know, I think they say 80 percent of protein and fats are digested in nuts- is that 80 percent actually going to help build muscle in any way?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

It depends on which amino acids are present in which proportions. The availability of a protein source depends on the proportion of the least abundant amino acid, often lysine. So if the proportion of lysine is low, then your ability to utilise the other amino acids is limited, no matter how abundant they are. The food that provides the amino acids in all the right proportions is beef. That’s the “high-quality reference protein” referred to in the U.S. dietary guidelines.

The problem with protein figures for plant foods is that usually the figure given is for “crude” protein, based on the amount of nitrogen coming from all sources. Unfortunately, the body can use only “digestible” protein, or amino acids. The body cannot utilise nitrogen from any source other than amino acids.

Further, there are nine amino acids that the body needs, but which it cannot make for itself from other amino acids, so these must be present in our food or we will sicken and possibly even die.

(M) #3

if I am getting that lysine from fish or other foods can my body utilize the protein from the nuts?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

If you are eating foods in the same meal that combine their protein content properly, that can work. But they have to be together in the same meal.

Unlike glucose and fats, which can be stored (since they are the body’s energy sources), amino acids cannot be stored in any great quantity. There is a small labile pool of amino acids from which new proteins can be synthesised, but that’s it. If it weren’t for the daily loss of nitrogen used for certain processes (such as making nitric oxide to help keep blood vessels relaxed), we probably wouldn’t need protein on a daily basis (thoughwe’d still need some for building up bone and muscle and for tissue repairs, etc.).

#5

Sort of. There is something called energy harvest. Think of it that we can only absorb a percentage of the actual protein. This is true of meat sources as well. However, animal protein is considered a complete protein and thus we absorb a greater percentage of protein from animal sources versus plant sources.
I use walnuts as a preload meal about an hour before a large meal. (restaurant or party) Seems to automatically reduce how much I eat.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

Not only that, but protein isn’t really part of the “energy harvest,” at all. Amino acids can be metabolised, but their ATP yield is much lower, because they must first be deaminated (and the nitrogen dealt with), then converted into either glucose or a fatty acid (most amino acids are either lipogenic or glucogenic, and a few are both), and then they can be metabolised. All that extra processing carries an energy cost.

For this reason, under normal circumstances, the amino acids are used for structural purposes, rather than for energy.

(M) #7

Thank you for the replies.

#8

My only point was if you want to eat/get 25 grams of protein in your diet, you may have to eat more grams of protein just to get the 25 grams.

#9

It counts, but like all plant proteins, they’re not as bioavailable and the amino profiles on them aren’t typically great. As @PaulL said, it takes intentional eating of different things to either complete the protein or make the amino profile of another acceptable.

Assuming all proteins are complete (nuts are) an easy thing to assume is you’re losing 30% of it. That goes for all plant proteins, we’re simply not built right it. That can be hacked if you take cellulose enzyme, but that will also make the fiber digestable. Normally wouldn’t matter, but for a Keto’r, it could be.

(M) #10

Somewhat unrelated but do you think eating say 2 oz nuts with your meal make digesting the protein of the fish more difficult in anyway?