List of Essential Amino Acids

If you're looking for a list of essential amino acids, you've come to the right place. Amino acids are very important for maintaining good health, so learn as much as you can about them!

Amino acids are needed to make protein.

First things first – let's talk about what the term essential amino acid means. Amino acids are protein molecules used by every single cell in your body. Tiny amino acids lock together to form long chains, which then form the proteins that make up the tissue in your body. They can be considered the basic chemical building blocks for biological life, since no life can exist on Earth without proteins.

To date, scientists have discovered over 50 amino acids, 20 of which your body uses to make proteins. Of those 20 amino acids, 12 are made by the human body, so they are considered non-essential since we can synthesize them in our cells.

The remaining eight are considered essential. These eight essential amino acids cannot be manufactured by the human body, so it is therefore essential that people get them from outside sources, such as diet.

Amino acids are important for basic metabolic function because they act as precursors (or building blocks) for many other important chemicals that your body needs to survive. For example, tryptophan is a well-known precursor to the neurochemical serotonin, and tryptophan has been used to help treat the symptoms of serotonin deficiency, which include moodiness, insomnia, short attention span and increases in appetite.

The essential amino acids cannot be manufactured by the human body, so people must get them from their daily diet.

1. Isoleucine
2. Leucine
3. Lysine
4. Methionine
5. Phenylalanine
6. Threonine
7. Tryptophan
8. Valine

If you're interested in making sure that you get enough amino acids in your diet, it's important to know what foods are high in protein. Your body needs protein-rich foods to stay healthy, and foods needs to contain all eight essential aminos for your body to assimilate them effectively – the protein in foods that are unbalanced in amino acids tend to be turned into fat and carbohydrates.

It's simple – in order for your body to convert amino acids into protein, you need to consume high-quality protein from high-quality sources.

Complete proteins contain a balance of all eight essential amino acids, which allows your body to effectively synthesize them into protein for tissue. Here are some great sources of complete proteins:

• Red meat
• Poultry
• Fish
• Eggs
• Milk
• Cheese

Wheatgrass is a good source of protein.

What do all of these things have in common? They are all animals products. Consuming the protein of other living things provides your body with a great deal of amino acids. But what if you follow a vegan lifestyle? There are some non-animal sources of nearly complete proteins, though you will have a tough time finding complete proteins if you avoid all meat, eggs and dairy:

• Quinoa
• Soy
• Buckwheat
• Hemp seed

The following amino acids are created within the human body, so they are considered nonessential because you do not need to acquire them in your everyday diet:

1. Alanine
2. Asparagine
3. Aspartic Acid
4. Cysteine
5. Glutamic Acid
6. Glutamine
7. Glycine
8. Proline
9. Serine
10. Tyrosine
11. Arginine
12. Histidine

If you're looking for more information on the list of essential amino acids, there are many great resources on the Internet that can help you in your research. Here are a few particularly valuable links:

• If you want to teach your kids about amino acids, here is a great resource on protein and health.
• If you are vegan or vegetarian, learn more about how you can get enough protein without eating animal products.
• Protein is important, but can you get too much? The Mayo Clinic talks about the risks of a diet too high in protein.

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