All Glossary Terms
Nutrition
Complete Protein
A protein source containing all essential amino acids in adequate amounts.
Complete proteins provide all nine essential amino acids in sufficient quantities. Most animal proteins (meat, eggs, dairy) are complete. Most plant proteins are incomplete, lacking adequate amounts of one or more essential amino acids. However, combining different plant proteins throughout the day easily meets all amino acid needs.
Examples
- Meat, fish, eggs, dairy = complete
- Rice + beans = complete when combined
- Soy and quinoa are complete plants