Protein Needs Increase During A Pandemic, Cheese Can Be The Solution

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Sport Nutrition Association, Dr. Rita Ramayulis DCN, M.Kes recommends that you add protein to your snacks or between meals and at bedtime, every day.

"In the past, the interlude was to meet energy needs that have not been met in staple foods. Now it is no longer possible, we have to add protein because it protects our bodies," he said, quoted from ANTARA, Monday, December 6.

Rita, who is also the administrator of the Indonesian Nutrition Experts Association (PERSAGI) DPP, said that protein is needed by immune cells so that they can work according to their duties. Nutrients that must also be present in this main food are also in charge of helping maintain cells that have been formed.

"So cells that have been formed over time age, need to be given protein so that it can still be synthesized, the density remains, because protein is the basic ingredient of all hormones and enzymes in the body. So there should not be a lack of protein," he explained.

A person, for example, needs six servings of protein which can be obtained from a variety of foods such as meat, tempeh and their processed products and milk.

From milk for example, it takes about two servings, and this number will increase as a person performs activities that require excess energy, deplete protein or while recovering from illness.

"During the pandemic situation, our protein needs are asked to be increased, one of which can be taken from cheese," said Rita.

Cheese can be a source of protein with a relatively wide use in food, different from milk which tends to be limited in use, for example, cannot be heated because it can remove nutrients.

"That's why cheese is a smart choice because it can go anywhere. For example, if you want to use sweet potatoes, cassava, go all in (with cheese), it actually makes the sweet potatoes taste better. If you add cheese, it is more valuable," said Rita.