Why amino acids are essential?

Why are some amino acids described as essential amino acids?

• Answer:

  There are twenty different amino acids in all. Amino acids are used to make proteins in the body. Proteins can be up to 1000s of amino acids in length, so almost every amino acid is used to make almost every protein. A non-essential amino acid is one that our body can produce by itself. In contrast, an essential amino acid is one that must be taken in our diet because our body cannot naturally produce it (I think there are about 7 or 8 that are essential, but I'm not sure).