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Medicine LibreTexts

6.1: Prelude to Proteins

  • Page ID
  • Skills to Develop

    • Describe the role and structure of proteins
    • Describe the functions of proteins in the body
    • Describe the consequences of protein imbalance

    He pūkoʻa kani ʻāina

    A coral reef that grows into an island

    fig 6.1.1.jpg

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Ahi poke by Arnold Gatilao / CC BY 2.0.

    Protein is a vital constituent of all organs in the body and is required to perform a vast variety of functions. Therefore, protein is an essential nutrient that must be consumed in the diet. Many Pacific Island societies such as the Native Hawaiians accompanied their starch meals with some type of meat or seafood. In Hawai‘i, a typical meal consisted of taro or poi accompanied with fish. Fish is known to be a complete protein source which means that all nine essential amino acids are present in the recommended amounts needed. Native Hawaiians ate their fish raw, cooked, salted or dried. If the fish was to be eaten raw, it was prepared by mashing the flesh with the fingers (lomi) to soften the meat and allow the salt to penetrate the flesh deeper. If the fish was not soft enough to lomi, it was cut into chunks or slices or left whole. Today, the most popular and contemporary prepared way of eating fish is known as poke.  Poke, which means “cut up pieces” in Hawaiian, is chopped up chunks of fish that can be seasoned in a variety of different ways.  Some common ways of seasoning include salt, shoyu (soy sauce), limu (seaweed), garlic, and onions. Any type of fish can be used to make poke but ahi (tuna) fish is typically the most desirable option.[1]


    fig 6.1.2.jpg

    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Image by William Hook on / CC0.


    1. Fish Preparation/Eating. Updated 2017. Accessed October 30, 2017.