What are amino acids?

Why amino acids matter

Your body uses amino acids to digest food, grow, repair tissue and make hormones and enzymes, and it can burn them for energy too.

There are three groups:

• Nine are essential, which means your body cannot make them and they must come from food.
• Nonessential ones your body makes itself.
• Conditionally essential ones are usually made in the body but become necessary from food during illness or stress.

Running short of essential amino acids over time can make it harder to keep muscle and recover from illness.

Amino acids in Indian food

Eating a variety of protein foods across the day covers your needs.

• Milk, curd, eggs, fish and meat contain all nine essential amino acids.
• Vegetarians can get them by eating cereals, millets and pulses through the day.

You no longer need to combine particular proteins at the same meal; what matters is the balance over the whole day.

A katori of dal, some curd and a handful of nuts or sprouts spread across meals is a simple start.