Amino Acids - All you need to know!

Our bodies use amino acids to make proteins.  This helps the body to:

1. Break down food
2. Grow
3. Repair tissue
4. Perform many other body functions

Amino acids can also be used directly as a source of energy by the body.

Amino acids are classified into three groups:

1.  Essential amino acids
2.  Nonessential amino acids
3.  Conditional amino acids

Essential Amino acids must be obtained from our diet, or supplementation. 

ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS

• Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. As a result, they must come from food or supplementation. 
• The 9 essential amino acids are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

BCAA's are a popular supplement combining three of the most popular essential amino acids; Isoleucine, Valine and Leucine. Peak Supps BCAA's are a great option. 

We don't necessarily need to supplement or consume this group of amino acids; our body has us covered.

NONESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS 

• Nonessential means that our bodies produce an amino acid, even if we do not get it from the food we eat.
• Nonessential amino acids include: alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid.

You don't really need conditional amino acids until you get stressed or ill. 

CONDITIONAL AMINO ACIDS

• Conditional amino acids are usually not essential, except in times of illness and stress.
• Conditional amino acids include: arginine, cysteine, glutamine, tyrosine, glycine, ornithine, proline, and serine.

You do not need to eat essential amino acids at every meal, but getting a balance of them over the whole day is important. 

Another option is to use Amino Acids supplements to make sure that you get the right amount of the essential or conditional (if you choose) amino acids. 

Shop the full range of premium, great value Amino Acids at Peak Supps, here.