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Protein is an essential nutrient found in animal products, nuts, and beans. The name protein name comes from the Greek word protos, which means âfirst.â Your body uses proteins in your diet to build new cells, maintain tissues, and synthesize new proteins that make it possible for you to perform basic bodily functions.
The question of protein quality also is important to consider within the context of foods in the overall diet. If a child eats enough protein, but is not eating enough food to meet calorie needs, protein is used for energy rather than for its irreplaceable roles in muscle mass development and maintenance and hormone production.