List 3 essential and 3 non-essential amino acids and describe the difference between the two ...

Essential Amino Acids
•   Histidine
•   Isoleucine
•   Leucine
•   Lysine
•   Methionine
•   Phenylalanine
•   Threonine
•   Tryptophan
•   Valine

Nonessential Amino Acids
•   Alanine
•   Arginine
•   Asparagine
•   Aspartic acid
•   Cysteine
•   Glutamic acid
•   Glutamine
•   Glycine
•   Proline
•   Serine
•   Tyrosine

Of the 20 amino acids in our bodies, 9 are classified as essential. This does not mean that they are more important than the 11 non-essential amino acids. An essential amino acid is one that our bodies cannot produce at all or cannot produce in sufficient quantities to meet our physiologic needs. Thus, we must obtain essential amino acids from our food. Without the proper amount of essential amino acids in our bodies, we lose our ability to make the proteins and other nitrogen-containing compounds we need. Nonessential amino acids can be made in sufficient quantities so we do not need to consume them in our diets.