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Amino Acid List and Best Bet Foods

Denice Moffat
Amino Acid List and Best Bet Foods 1

Amino Acid List and Best Bet Foods

Alanine—What it does:

Arginine–What it does:

Arginine Deficiency signs: Angina, congestive heart failure, infertility, minor injuries, decreased athletic performance, gastitis, high blood pressure, impotence, slow wound healing. Stress uses up Arginine.

Best bet foods for Arginine: Carob, chocolate, coconut, dairy products, gelatin, meat, oats, nuts, raw cereals, peanuts, soybeans, walnuts, white flour, wheat, and wheat germ.

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Contraindicated with those who are suffering from viral infections, pregnant, lactating women and those with schizophrenia should avoid ingesting over 30 mgs. per day.

Asparagine Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Foods for Asparagine: Meat

Aspartic Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Foods for Aspartic Acid: Sprouts

Bragg’s Amino Acids: This isn’t really an amino acid, it is a soy-sauce tasting condiment derives from fermented soy that has amino acids in it. It’s good! Every house should have a bottle. Check out their website at www.bragg.com

Carnitine Amino Acid–What it does:

Signs of Carnitine Deficiency: Angina, Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes, High Triglycerides, Infertility, Intermittent claudication, minor injuries from exercise, decreased endurance, High cholesterol, Raynaud’s disease.

Best Bet Foods for Carnitine: Dairy and meat and other food of animal origin. Vegetarians should eat corn products fortified with lysine to help overcome deficiency. Can also take L-Carnitine. Deficiency may be a result of oxygen deficiency, so breath!

Citrulline Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Foods for Citrulline: Liver

Cysteine and Cystine Amino Acid–What they do:

Best Bet Cysteine and Cystine Foods/supplements:

Found as NAC (N-acetylcystine), L-Cysteine tablets or free-form amino acids. Eggs, meat, dairy and some cereals.

Caution: Diabetics beware. May inactivate insulin. People with the rare genetic condition that causes cystinuria should not take this supplement.

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)–What it does:

Too much GABA can cause anxiety, shortness of breath, numbness around the mouth and tingling extremities.

Best Sources of GABA: GABA comes in tablets. Choose a high-quality supplement that is standardized so you won’t be over or under dosed. I like Source Naturals or Solaray Brands.

Glutamic Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Glutamic Acid Sources: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and some protein-rich foods. Free-form amino acids and tablet form are also available.

Glutamine Amino Acid–What it does:

Note: Stress and illness use lots of glutamine up. The body can be supported with supplemental Glutamine.

Best Bet Glutamine Sources: Parsley, Spinach-raw, Fish, meat, beans, dairy products and free-form amino acid and tablets. Cooking destroys the amino acid, so eating more raw foods is highly beneficial. Free-form amino acid powder must be kept totally dry or it will convert to ammonia and pyroglutamic acid.

Contraindications for Glutamine: People with liver or kidney diseases, Reye’s syndrome or other disorders resulting in the accumulation of ammonia in the blood.

Although the names sound similar, glutamine, glutamic acid, glutamate, glutathione, gluten and monosodium glutamate are all different substances.

Glutathione Amino Acid–What it does:

Deficiencies of Glutathione lead to: lack of coordination, mental disorders, tremors, difficulty maintaining balance, excessive aging.

Best Sources of Glutathione: Supplements are expensive. Oral supplements may not be very effective. Raw materials in the form of Cysteine, Glutamic Acid and Glycine, which all combine together to produce Glutathione, are a better choice.

Glycine Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Sources of Glycine: Fish, meat, beans, dairy and free-form amino acids.

Histidine (or Histadine) Amino Acid–What does it do?

Contraindictions for Histidine: Bipolar people should not take histidine as a supplement. Too much can cause psychological disorders such as anxiety, stress and schizophrenia.

Best Bet Sources of Histidine: Rice, wheat and rye.

Isoleucine Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Sources of Isoleucine: Almonds, cashews, chicken chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), eggs, fish, lentils, liver, meat, rye, most seeds and soy protein. Also free-form amino acids and tablets or in combination with leucine and valine (the other two branched-chain amino acids.)

Lysine Amino Acid–What it does:

Signs of Lysine deficiency: anemia, bloodshot eyes, enzyme disorders, hair loss,  lack of concentration, irritability, lack of energy, poor appetite, reproductive disorders, retarded growth, weight loss. Burn patients may need to be supplemented.

Best Bet Sources of Lysine: Fish, eggs, milk, lima beans, meat, cheese, potatoes, soy products, yeast, and most proteins. Free-form amino acid and tablet forms. Note: Free form amino acid and tablet forms should not be used for children.

Methionine Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Sources of Methionine:  Meat, fish, eggs, liver, dairy, garlic, lentils,  onions, soybeans, seeds, and yogurt. Free-form amino acids and capsule form.

Ornithine Amino Acid–What it does:

Contraindications for Ortnithine: Ornithine supplements should not be taken by children, pregnant women, nursing mothers or anyone with a history of schizophrenia.

Best Bet Sources for Ornithine: Meat, fish, dairy, eggs and free-form amino acid or capsule form. Also available as as Ornithine Alph-Ketoglutarate (OKG) which is Ornithine combined with Glutamine.  Depletion may occur during pregnancy.

Phenylalanine and D,L-Phenylanlanine (DLPA) Amino Acids–What it does:

Contraindications for Phenylalanine: Pregnant women and those who suffer from phenylketonuria (PKU).

Best Bet Sources of Phenylalanine and DLPA: Halvah, tahini, sesame seeds are the most common foods that people test they need for this deficiency. Proteins, cheese, almonds, peanuts, and soybeans are other foods high in this amino acid. Free-form and capsule form are the most common sources.

Serine Amino Acid–What it does:

Taurine Amino  Acid–What it does:

Note: Alcoholism and diabetes both increase the need for Taurine.

Best Bet Sources of Taurine: Meat, fish, eggs, milk and free-form amino acids and capsules.

Threonine Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Sources of Threonine: Fish of any kind, beef, soy, wheat, brown rice, bread, liver, peanuts, free-form amino acids and capsules.

Tryptophan Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Sources of Tryptophan: Brown rice, cottage cheese, meat, peanuts, soy protein

Note: This supplement is not available in supplement form in the United State because in Nov. of 1989, there was a report linking it to a blood disorder called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS). Subsequent research revealed that it was a contaminant in the supplement that was causing the problem, but the FDA still won’t allow it on the market. So…go get some 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)instead.

Tyrosine Amino Acid–What it does:

Contraindications for Tyrosine: Should not be taken with MAO inhibitors used in the treatment of depression.

Best Bet Sources of Tyrosine: Dairy, meats, fish, wheat, oats, almonds, avocados, bananas, lima beans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Also available as capsule or free-form amino acid.

Valine Amino Acid–What it does:

Best Bet Sources of Valine: Dairy, grains, meat, mushrooms, peanuts and soy protein as well as free-form amino acids and capsule supplements.

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