Mackerel Protein - Why are they Nobles?

General information on proteins

An outline of what proteins are and what they are used for

Proteins are nutrients that the human body needs in adequate quantities to stay healthy and "function properly".

In fact, the body is made up of many different types of proteins, each of which exerts at least one specific function. The functions of proteins can be summarized as follows:

Plastic
Catalytic, bioregulating, transmitting and receiving chemical-hormonal signals
immune
Transport in the blood
Energetic (produce 4 kilocalories per gram).

Proteins are "curled chains" formed by various bricks: amino acids.

Amino acids can be classified in various ways: chemical properties, structure, configuration, etc. The most common ones, called "ordinary", are 20; 11 for the child and 9 for the adult are defined as essential. All the nutrients that the body is NOT capable of producing independently and must necessarily be introduced with food are called "essential". The fact that half of ordinary amino acids are essential for the body highlights the great importance of proteins for the health of human beings.

How many and which proteins

Protein intake and protein quality recommended in the Mediterranean diet

Each protein has a very specific amino acid composition. However, as we saw in the previous paragraph, only 9 or 11 should be introduced regularly with the diet.

The richness in essential amino acids establishes the value of food proteins and is measured with a parameter called "biological value", which can be high, medium or low. The "maximum" biological value corresponds to the amino acid profile of human proteins; the more it resembles it, the greater the biological value of dietary proteins is considered.

Those with a high biological value, known as "noble proteins", are found in: fish, meat, eggs, milk, cheeses, ricotta, offal, crustaceans and molluscs. The vegetables contain incomplete proteins, therefore with a medium or low biological value (soy and certain algae are two small exceptions).

Almost everything is known about proteins; nevertheless, scientists have not yet been able to answer some fundamental questions:

How many proteins should I eat? Which foods should I prefer? Is it better to consume protein every day? Should every meal contain protein? The answers are not yet completely clear and scientific research allows only deductions and some hypotheses.

Among the few certainties we can mention the nutritional balance of the Mediterranean diet, a diet that allows you to stay healthy by promoting the longevity of those who follow it; this is why many nutrition experts suggest to respect this food model.

In the Mediterranean diet the proteins are for 1 / 3-2 / 3 of animal origin and have an unquestionably high biological value. In order of importance, according to portion and frequency of consumption, foods are used as follows:

Fish: 150 g 2-3 times a week (vs)
Lean meat: 100 g 1-2 vs
Milk and / or yogurt: 125 ml 2-3 v. day
Eggs: 50 g (1 egg) 2-3 vs
Lean cheeses: 100g 1-2 vs
Fat cheeses: 50 g once (ut)
Preserved meat: 50g ut
Shellfish and crustaceans: 50-150 g ut
Offal: 100 g ut

Let's now focus on the most "noble" source of animal proteins: fish. Not only does the fish contain high biological value peptides, it can also provide excellent amounts of essential nutrients.

Obviously the fish are not all the same and, "narrowing the field of research", we specify that in the Mediterranean diet there is a prevalent use of poor fish and in particular of the blue one.

Mackerel Protein

The "ideal fish" of the Mediterranean diet is mackerel!

This fish reaches a size (medium-small) that does not cause a significant accumulation of pollutants in the tissues, has a considerable reproductive speed, is very abundant in the sea, is called "very nutritious", is rather easy to prepare and has a great taste.

It would therefore be necessary to buy mackerel weekly (making sure it is fresh), thoroughly clean it and cook it carefully; a beautiful commitment seen and considered the frenzy of contemporary life.

Fortunately, today canned mackerel is available on our tables, even in the version without "natural" seasoning. By placing canned mackerel in the diet, even in amounts of 40-80 g for 2-3 times a week, we could: