Essential Amino Acids Table

Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) — Building Complete Proteins

The human body can't make 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) on its own, so they have to come from food: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine. To get a daily reference figure you multiply EAA (mg/day) = requirement_per_kg × body_weight_kg, drawing on the WHO/FAO 2007 values (leucine sits at 39 mg/kg, lysine at 30 mg/kg, for instance).

A complete protein delivers all 9 EAAs in adequate proportions, which is what you find in animal sources, soy and quinoa. An incomplete protein falls short on one or more EAAs, as most plant sources do. To rate quality there are indices like PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score, capped at 1.0) and the newer DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score, FAO 2013), which leans on ileal digestibility and can go above 1.0. The older BV (Biological Value) measures nitrogen retention.

Applications

Dietitians, vegetarian and vegan athletes, and clinical nutritionists use it to build complementary combinations like rice + beans (the lysine in beans covers what rice lacks in methionine), corn + legumes, or pita + hummus. It also helps when you're putting together supplement stacks or checking that a meal plan hits its EAA targets without leaning too hard on a single source.

FAQ

Do I need to combine complementary proteins in the same meal? No. The current consensus (Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016) is that eating complementary proteins over the course of the day does the job.

Is DIAAS better than PDCAAS? DIAAS is usually seen as more accurate, since it isn't truncated at 1.0 and works from true ileal digestibility. That said, PDCAAS remains the regulatory standard in plenty of countries.

Is this calculator a medical recommendation? No. The numbers are educational estimates built on WHO/FAO references. For an individualized prescription, talk to a registered dietitian, all the more so if renal disease, pregnancy or athletic performance is in play.