Meat is one of the six components of our diet.

Image source](https://google.com/),Meat is one of the six components of our diet. It is the main component of all living things. One meat is made up of 20 different amino acids. Most meats contain 100 to 1000 amino acids. This means that there is an opportunity to make many connections of 20 amino acids. There is a shortage of meat and quality meat in our diet. There are several reasons for the lack of meat in our large population. Due to the high price of non-vegetarian food, a large number of people cannot include regular fish, meat, eggs, milk or pulses in their diet. As a result, lack of meat in the diet is a very common occurrence. Rice, flour, these sugars are the main food we have to take more than 80 percent of the meat. Each of these meats is deficient in one or more amino acids, so they are not 100% full quality meats. As a result, on the one hand, there is a deficiency of non-vegetarian food in our diet and on the other hand, we are deprived of a balanced diet due to the deficiency of essential amino acids in our diet.

The important roles of meat in our body
Meat is converted to enzymes and the enzyme acts as a catalyst for all the reactions that take place in the cell.
The structural components of carnivorous cells
Meat provides amino acids for making DNA and RNA
Regulator of various functions of the cell
An essential component of the body's immune system
Carriers of oxygen flowing in the blood stream
Sometimes acts as a source of energy
Meat is needed for the growth of the body.

Plants are self-sufficient organisms that are able to produce all the amino acids needed to make meat by using the carbon and nitrogen and sulfur taken from the soil during photosynthesis. Humans can make only 11 amino acids in their body. With it, people have to take 9 amino acids through food (Table-1). However, histidine is an essential amino acid for children. These 9 amino acids are therefore vital for humans. Leucine and phenyl alanine are the most required of the daily essential meats. They need 16 mg per kg of body weight. By Then there is the place of valine, isolyucin and lysine. The demand for threonine per kg body weight is 8 mg. And the demand for tryptophan is only 3 mg.

Table-1: List of essential and non-essential amino acids

Essential per kg per day is essential
Amino acids for weight (mg) amino acids
Histidine alanine
Isolyucin 12 Aspergine
Leucine 18 aspartic acid
Lysine 12 arginine
Methionine 10 cysteine
Phenyl alanine 16 glutamic acid
Threonine ৮ Glutamine
Tryptophan 3 glycine
Valine 14 Proline
Serin
Tyrosine
The main sources of dietary protein are cereals, pulses, fish, meat, eggs and milk. There are differences in the levels of meat. The amount of protein in cereals is 8-12 percent which is 20-25 percent in pulses. The amount of protein in fish, meat, eggs and milk is 16-25, 16-25, 10-14 and 3-4 percent respectively (Table-2). In general, animal meat is superior to vegetable meat as a source of protein. Some of our important crops are deficient in some essential amino acids. Some crops also have an abundance of essential amino acids.

The amount of protein in plant food is quite good. The amount of protein in oil seeds is more than 45%. They are not a good source of carbs as they are deficient in some amino acids. The amount of meat in fish meat is 18-25 percent. But they are a good source of all kinds of amino acids in their meat.

Table-2: Amount of meat in different types of vegetable and animal foods

Vegetable meat (%) Animal meat (%)
Cereals 8-15 Skim milk 3-4
Pulses seeds 20-25 eggs 10-14
Oil seeds 45-55 Meat (red) 18-12
(Fat free)
Dark oil 60-70 fish 18-25
(Soy, Cotton Seeds)
Refined oil 90-95 Meat (chicken) 20-25
(Soy, wheat)
Leafy vegetables 1-2 fat dry milk 36

Most granular foods are deficient in one or more essential amino acids. Corn is deficient in isoleucine and lysine, while it is rich in methionine and tryptophan. Soybean grains are rich in isoleucine and lysine but their grains are deficient in tryptophan and methionine. Although some amino acids are deficient in animal meat, fish, meat and eggs are good sources of these foods as all the amino acids are present in fairly good amounts (Table-3). However, even milk, fish and meat are deficient in some amino acids. Milk is deficient in methionine and cysteine. On the other hand, there is a shortage of tryptophan in fish. Meat, on the other hand, is slightly deficient in methionine and cysteine ​​(Table 4).

Vegetable meats are deficient in one or more essential amino acids so their meat quality is not improved. Nutritionists have determined a meat value by comparing meat from different sources. Chicken eggs contain all the essential amino acids in a level that is capable of meeting all human needs. They are unable to meet all the needs of the people with their own meat. It is very normal for people who are more dependent on whole grain foods to have a deficiency of one or more amino acids in their diet if food is not added from a variety of sources. As a result, those who are dependent on vegetable food must take food from various sources. Pulses must be mixed with grains. As much as it is possible to take food from different vegetable sources, it will be able to meet the nutritional needs of the body. Apart from eggs, even amino acids are deficient in milk, fish and meat (Table 4).

The nutritional value of meat depends on the essential amino acids. The higher the level of essential amino acids in the meat, the higher the nutritional value of the meat. Its nutritional value is determined by the organic value of the meat. The maximum amount of nitrogen absorbed by the body from any meat is its biological value. A meat that has a biological value of 100 is called an ideal meat. In general, the biological value of animal meat is higher than that of vegetable meat.

The demand for non-vegetarian food also increases with age. The recommended daily intake of meat for adults in Bangladesh is 33-6 grams. As a simple matter, for every 1 kg of weight, 0.6-1.0 grams of meat should be taken daily for a healthy and strong person. Pregnant women and lactating mothers have to meet some additional vegetarian needs. For a pregnant woman and for the mother of a 6-12 month old baby, an additional 13-14 grams of meat should be added daily along with the normal meat. However, the baby has to depend on breast milk till the age of 6 months, so the mother has to add an additional 19 grams of meat daily.

Depending on the weight of the body, the demand for meat varies from person to person. As a simple matter, you should consume 0.63 grams of meat per kg of body weight per day. According to a study conducted by the FAO, more than 8% of the people in this country consume 50 grams of meat per day. However, 10 percent of the people here consume less than 40 grams of meat. On an average, the level of vegetarianism of the people of this country is very close to the allowed level. However, the problem is that in our country, 75% of the people consume non-vegetarian food. It is very common for people to be deficient in essential amino acids as grains are not as well developed. However, if the level of pulse intake increases a little, the deficit decreases considerably. At present the daily intake of pulses in this country is only 14 grams which increases the quality of meat taken from rice by only 25%.

Recent studies have shown that if a pregnant woman is not able to consume the required amount of meat, the child's intelligence develops quite slowly. It is in the best interest of the child to provide meat to the mother as long as she is breastfed after birth. While the baby is in the womb, the pregnant woman has to provide not only extra meat but also extra calories, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

Children get one of the diseases due to lack of meat in the diet. This is called swelling disease or Kwashiorkor disease. The disease occurs as a result of simultaneous feeding of starch as the main food after stopping breastfeeding. In the beginning, the physical growth of such a patient is disrupted and weight loss occurs. Swelling of the limbs or the whole body may be swollen. Appearance of pus appears and hemoglobin production decreases. Such a patient may have thin stools and indigestion. Semi-digested food may also come out with the stool. These patients may also have other symptoms. Symptoms may include loss of appetite, discoloration of hair, loosening of hair, and brownish-black spots on the skin. Foot swelling and vomiting are one of the main symptoms in pregnant women. In the absence of meat, children's brains cannot develop properly. When the condition worsens, saline is injected intravenously. However, if saline food is suitable by mouth, it is better to feed it orally. Due to the deficiency of meat, the disease occurs and liquid food that is easily digested is provided. First you have to drink milk mixed with water and gradually reduce the amount of water to normal milk. If the patient's digestion is increased, solid foods such as eggs, soft meat, whole grains, vegetables, fruits or fruit juices can be fed. The deficiency of meat can be easily filled by mixing pulses and rice. After several days of feeding and care, the disease is gradually cured.