What are complete and incomplete proteins?
Complete proteins (also known as whole proteins) contain all nine of the ‘Essential Amino Acids’ that we mentioned earlier in this article. Incomplete proteins contain some – but not all – of these Essential Amino Acids. As you’ll see from the protein sources listed below, most animal sources of protein are complete. Whilst certain plant sources of food contain complete proteins, most do not. So does this mean that babies following a vegetarian diet are at risk of protein deficiency? No – because it’s possible for baby to receive all the amino acids he needs from a variety of sources of imcomplete proteins. In other words, the amino acids lacking in one food will be compensated by those present in another. Combining two or more sources of incomplete proteins will make up a complete protein, providing baby with all the amino acids he needs. Experts used to believe that – in order to effectively combine various incomplete proteins to provide the full component of Essential Amino Acids –
