Another factor often overlooked are the calories consumed daily. I think the evidence is anecdotal, but an office worker would need around 1700cals per day to maintain bodily function and construction workers around 2750cals. The average intake is somewhere around 2100cals so most of us are over-eating most days. I also read somewhere that people who work in the a bit muddled with the numbers.
The body requires 20 amino acids. 12 are non-essential, produced within the body, and 8 others are obtained by diet alone. The figures might be the other way around but its something like that. Anyway, I digress. But given the fact that we must get the essentail aa's from diet, are these best obtained from protein? Or from carbs?