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A complete protein (or whole protein) is a source of protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
 that contains an adequate proportion of all of the essential amino acid
Essential amino acid

File:BakedFish.jpgAn essential amino acid or indispensable amino acid is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized de novo synthesis by the organism , and therefore must be supplied in the diet....
s for the dietary needs of humans or other animals.

Nearly all whole foods contain protein, and nearly all forms of protein contain all twenty protein-forming amino acids in some quantity. However, proportions vary, and some forms of protein are partly lacking in one or more of the essential amino acids.






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A complete protein (or whole protein) is a source of protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
 that contains an adequate proportion of all of the essential amino acid
Essential amino acid

File:BakedFish.jpgAn essential amino acid or indispensable amino acid is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized de novo synthesis by the organism , and therefore must be supplied in the diet....
s for the dietary needs of humans or other animals.

Nearly all whole foods contain protein, and nearly all forms of protein contain all twenty protein-forming amino acids in some quantity. However, proportions vary, and some forms of protein are partly lacking in one or more of the essential amino acids. Meals prepared with a mix of protein foods can provide a better balance of the essential amino acids and therefore a more complete protein source. Vegetable sources of protein are more often than animal sources partly lacking in some essential amino acids, mainly in lysine
Lysine

Lysine is an a-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH4NH2. This amino acid is an essential amino acid, which means that humans cannot synthesize it....
 and in methionine
Methionine

Methionine is an a-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCH2CH2SCH3. This Essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar....
.

A variety of proteins in the diet is one way of assuring that the body's amino acid needs are met. All the essential amino acids can be obtained on their own from various everyday plant sources, which, contrary to popular belief, do not need to be combined in the same meal (see Protein combining
Protein combining

Protein combining is a controversial theory that vegetarians, particularly vegans, must eat certain complementary foods like beans and rice together in the same meal....
).

Sources of complete protein

  • Complete proteins, also known as high quality proteins, "contain all the essential amino acids in amounts adequate for human use; it may or may not contain all the others. Generally proteins derived from animal foods (meats, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, yogurt, and milk) are complete, though gelatin is an exception. Proteins derived from plant foods (legumes, grains, and vegetables) tend to be limiting in essential amino acids. Some are notoriously low, such as corn protein.Others are high-soy protein" (Nutrition for health and Health Care.)
  • Some foods contain all the essential amino acids on their own in a sufficient amount to qualify as a "complete protein". Complete protein foods that also obtain the highest possible PDCAAS
    PDCAAS

    Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score is a method of evaluating the protein quality based on the amino acid requirements of humans. The PDCAAS rating is a fairly recent evaluation method PDCAAS is based on human amino acid requirements, which makes it more appropriate for humans than a method based on the amino acid needs of ani...
     score of 1.0 are certain dairy products, egg white
    Egg white

    File:Chicken egg01 monovular.jpgEgg white is the common name for the clear liquid contained within an Egg . It is the cytoplasm of the egg, which until fertilization is a single Cell ....
    s, and soy protein isolate. Other foods, such as amaranth
    Amaranth

    Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth or pigweed, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are presently recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold....
    , Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
    Aphanizomenon flos-aquae

    Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is a type of blue green algae that grows world-wide. The category ?blue-green algae? is a misnomer as the 'algae' is not a plant at all but part of the cyanobacteria phylum in the Bacteria kingdom....
    , blood
    Blood

    Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
    , buckwheat
    Buckwheat

    Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum....
    , hemp
    Hemp

    File:Industrialhemp.jpgHemp is the common name for plants of the entire genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial use....
    seed, meat, poultry, soybean
    Soybean

    The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
    s, quinoa
    Quinoa

    Quinoa is a species of goosefoot grown as a agriculture primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a Poaceae....
    , seafood
    Seafood

    Seafood is any aquatic animal that is served as food and eaten by humans. Seafoods include fish and shellfish .The harvesting of seafood is known as fishing and the cultivation and farming of seafood is known as aquaculture, mariculture, or in the case of fish, fish farming....
    , and spirulina also are complete protein foods, but may not obtain a PDCAAS score of 1.0.