What is protein anyway? Protein is foundational to all forms of life—from bacteria to animals and to people like you and me. Protein is a complex structure that starts with small compounds called amino acids. Think of amino acids as links in a chain. In order to make a chain, you have to start with a single piece of metal. Two links fused together form a bond; in terms of amino acids, this is called a peptide bond. Once multiple peptide bonds are fused together, you have crea