Amino Acid Supplements

Danielle F. is a 78-year-old retired school teacher who is seeking ways to increase her protein intake. She does very little cooking and avoids fish, poultry, and meat for personal reasons. She eats eggs occasionally but relies more on a liquid amino acid product that claims to contain essential and non-essential amino acids in “naturally-occurring amounts.”

Danielle decides to compare the protein quantity and quality of this product to an egg. Initially she learns that 1 whole egg contains 18 amino acids (9 essential amino acids and 9 non-essential amino acids). ½ teaspoon of liquid amino acid product contains 16 amino acids (9 essential amino acids and 7 non-essential amino acids). Then she examines the Nutrition Facts label for these two products. (See below.)

1.             Danielle notices that protein is measured differently on the two Nutrition Facts labels. Knowing that 1 gram = 1000 milligrams, what can Danielle learn about the protein quantity of one serving of liquid amino acid as compared to one whole egg?

2.             Approximately how many teaspoons of liquid amino acid would Danielle need to eat every day to receive the amount of protein in one egg? (Notice that the nutrition information for this product is for a ½ teaspoon serving.)

3.             Looking at the Nutrition Facts label, what other important nutrients besides protein will Danielle find in an egg that are not present in her amino acid supplement?

4.             What is the sodium content of an egg compared to one serving of the liquid amino acid product?

5.             According to information in this chapter, what is the safest way for Da