Protein is made up of amino acids, which are called the “building blocks” of protein. When you consume something that contains protein, it is broken down in the digestive system into amino acids, which are then absorbed by the body.
There are 20 amino acids, including 9 which are essential and 11 which are nonessential. The nonessential amino acids can be produced from different components of the diet. The essential amino acids either can’t be produced by the body, or the body can’t produce adequate amounts of them. That means that we need to eat foods that contain all of the essential amino acids.
