9 Essential Amino Acids | Food Sources to Find Them (2024)

FAQs

Where can the 9 essential amino acids be found? ›

Foods that contain all nine essential amino acids are called complete proteins. These foods include beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, soy, quinoa and buckwheat. Foods that contain some but not all the essential amino acids are called incomplete proteins.

Nine amino acids, including histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine, are classified as essential amino acids because they cannot be synthesized by human or other mammalian cells. Therefore, these amino acids must be supplied from an exogenous diet.

Starchy vegetables like potatoes, taro, and corn provide all 9 essential amino acids. Nevertheless, the concentrations of lysine and sulfur-containing amino acid methionine remains critical. Lysine is necessary for immune, bone, and cardiovascular health.

Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains available today. In addition to being a good source of fiber, it contains all nine essential amino acids that your body needs from food. It also has a higher amount of lysine than wheat or rice, making it a better source of these amino acids than other grains.

Some of the best animal-based foods for obtaining all 9 essential amino acids include: Meat, poultry, and fish: From the farm or from a lake, these complete protein sources can be served in many different ways. Choose lean cuts of meat, such as chicken breast or lean beef, to keep saturated fat intake low.

There are nine essential amino acids, which you must get through your diet — histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

Whey protein is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. “Amino acids are important for many functions in the body, from building muscle to creating new immune cells,” says Smith. Your body makes many amino acids on its own, but not essential amino acids.

Soy Protein

It may not be as amazing as whey protein taste-wise, but soy is perfect for muscle building because it contains all 9 essential amino acids - building blocks of muscle. It's a great source of natural, defatted, and low-carb protein for vegans.

Undergraduate animal nutrition students often are taught the handy study mnemonic “PVT TIM HiLL” for memorization of the 9 indispensable amino acids (IAA): (1) phenylalanine, (2) valine, (3) threonine, (4) tryptophan, (5) isoleucine, (6) methionine, (7) histidine, (8) leucine, and (9) lysine.

Amino acid deficiency can result in decreased immunity, digestive problems, depression, fertility issues, lower mental alertness, slowed growth in children, and many other health issues. Each of the essential amino acids plays a different role in the body, and the symptoms of deficiency vary accordingly.

Is oatmeal a complete protein? ›

'Complete' proteins contain adequate amounts of all nine. Oats contain all nine essential amino acids necessary to make up a complete protein. However, oats don't have quite enough of the amino acid lysine to qualify as a complete protein.

Yogurt proteins are complete proteins. They contain all nine essential amino acids. Yogurt provides protein without increasing your intake of saturated fats or sodium. It contains other nutrients like calcium, various minerals, and vitamins.

Roasted American pistachios joined soy, quinoa, and buckwheat to be classified as a complete protein source that provides all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts for people 5 years and older.

Potatoes are a “complete protein”, which means they contain all 9 amino acids (the building blocks of protein) that the body needs. In fact, just one medium potato provides around 4 g of protein. The way you cook your potatoes will impact their nutritional value. Eat them with their skin for additional fibre.

In the form of proteins, amino-acid residues form the second-largest component (water being the largest) of human muscles and other tissues. Beyond their role as residues in proteins, amino acids participate in a number of processes such as neurotransmitter transport and biosynthesis.

The amino acids – histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine – are present in a pattern that matches very closely the pattern the human body needs, so the egg is often the measuring stick by which other protein foods are measured.

Roasted American pistachios joined soy, quinoa, and buckwheat to be classified as a complete protein source that provides all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts for people 5 years and older.

Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a peptide of 9 amino acids (Cys-Tyr-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys-Pro-Leu-Gly). It acts on certain smooth muscles by stimulating contractions of the uterus at the time of birth and stimulating release of milk when the baby begins to suckle.