One of the most important ingredients of your daily diet is protein.

Your body needs protein everyday to maintain your system operating efficiently, performing all the functions necessary for a healthy life and long term survival.

Protein foods are readily available in your supermarket. They include meats of all kinds. You need to be as well informed as possible about this key ingredient in your daily diet.

Protein cannot be stored in the body; therefore it is most important that you have protein included in your daily diet. Your body can process about four ounces of protein in any two and a half to three hour period.

Therefore eating five or six small meals a day is an excellent way to maximize the use of the protein you eat. This will also help you control your weight. Bodybuilders have used this technique for years.

While some people believe you cannot eat too much protein because the body just passes it through, there is a danger that excess protein not needed by your body will be converted to fat.

Also most meats, even very lean cuts contain some fat which when digested goes right to fat stores in your body. Therefore, excess consumption of protein is not advisable.

Your body cannot make up for any deficiency of protein in your diet because protein is not stored by your body. Therefore, it's extremely important that your diet should contain an adequate amount of protein every day.

A key function of protein is to build and repair muscle tissue. This is a basic nutrition fact that all bodybuilders are acquainted with, since it is a key factor in the success of their efforts to build large muscles.

Heavy weight training such as the exercise routines employed by bodybuilders actually causes tears in the muscles. Protein is the basic component that is used by the body in repairing this damage. The body adjusts itself to this stress by causing the muscles to grow larger and stronger.

Even for people who are not bodybuilders, their muscles will suffer deterioration through normal daily activities. Protein is the ingredient used by the body to repair any damage to your muscles.

There are other important body functions that require protein, such as the healthy maintenance of the body's hormones.

The functions of hormones in the body are many, and include regulating organ functions, they are responsible for stimulation, and they affect your metabolism and contribute to your mood.

If your diet does not contain protein your whole system will suffer. The hormones that control many bodily functions will be lacking the protein they need.

What is the answer to making sure that your body is getting enough protein?

You must plan your supermarket shopping to include an adequate amount of proteins ideally for every meal you will consume.

Your grocery list should include some of the many meats that are readily available, like beef, chicken and fish. These are key sources of protein.

Vegetarians have to be especially careful that they educate themselves about the foods that contain sufficient protein, like soy products, beans, nuts and many other foods.

It should be second nature for you to make sure that your daily diet contains an adequate supply of protein to keep your body healthy and operating at top performance.