Tell me more ×
Physical Fitness Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for physical fitness professionals, athletes, trainers, and those providing health-related needs. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite
1

The Wikipedia article for complete protein has the following table that lists the optimal profile of the essential amino acids:

Essential Amino Acid | mg/g of Protein

  • Tryptophan | 7
  • Threonine | 27
  • Isoleucine | 25
  • Leucine | 55
  • Lysine | 51
  • Methionine+Cystine | 25
  • Phenylalanine+Tyrosine | 47
  • Valine | 32
  • Histidine | 18

What foods come closest to matching the distribution of amino acids in the table?

share|improve this question

closed as off topic by Ivo Flipse♦ Feb 22 '12 at 15:53

Questions on Physical Fitness Stack Exchange are expected to relate to physical fitness within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

1 Answer

up vote 3 down vote accepted

One measure is the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), which ranks the following with 1 being the maximum score and 0 the minimum:

1.00 casein (milk protein)
1.00 egg white
1.00 soy protein
1.00 whey (milk protein)
0.92 beef
0.91 soybeans
0.78 chickpeas
0.76 fruits
0.73 vegetables
0.70 legumes
0.59 cereals and derivatives
0.42 whole wheat

share|improve this answer
Where's egg yolk in this list? Arnold said the protein in the yolk is as good as the protein in the whites. – JoJo Apr 2 '11 at 20:04
@Jojo I believe it; much of that list came from jssm.org/vol3/n3/2/v3n3-2pdf.pdf. In reading it, it doesn't seem to me like egg was actually separated into white and yolk, they were just "suggesting" it because of the fat content (another topic). My feeling is that the 1.00 rating actually applies to whole eggs (just goes to show don't believe everything you read on wikipedia!). – Greg♦ Apr 2 '11 at 23:37

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.