Essential amino acids are key to proper recovery. Amino acids are organic compounds composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, along with a variable side chain group. Your body needs 20 different amino acids to grow and function properly. Although all 20 are important for your health, only nine amino acids are classified as essential. The nine essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
