The other day I was talking to a friend of mine. She was complaining about painful arthritis in her joints which made many movements uncomfortable, especially in the morning. I explained that low-fat, high-fiber diets had been shown to be very helpful in the treatment of some kinds of arthritis. She said she had tried to cut out beef from her diet for a while, but she noticed that when she did so her hair started to get thin and lose its body, “probably from the lack of protein.” I was reminded again of the pervasiveness of one of the greatest misconceptions many people have about reducing or eliminating meat from their diet: they won’t be getting enough protein.

Please, is this is your concern—relax! If you are already eating a vegetarian diet or if you are considering moving in that direction, then simply by eating enough food from a variety of sources (consuming sufficient calories for your energy needs), you will automatically be getting enough protein. That’s because each and every plant food contains complete protein in varying amounts. Some plant foods, including broccoli, asparagus, bamboo shoots, and brussels sprouts, are very high in protein, containing a higher percentage of protein (as a percentage of total calories) than beef, milk or eggs.

What the experts say…

Many investigators have measured the capacity of plant foods to supply our protein needs. Their findings consistently show that children and adults thrive on diets based on a single starch protein source, such as rice or wheat, and grow normally. Furthermore, no improvement is obtained by mixing plant foods to make the combined amino acid pattern look more like meat.

—DR. JOHN A. MCDOUGALL, author of The McDougall Plan and well-known talk show and television host.

How much protein should be included in the diet? As a practical matter, there is no reason to get out your food scales and nutrition tables…the protein that is inherent in a varied diet of grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes is more than sufficient for the body’s needs, and the inclusion of animal products tends to escalate protein intake to higher than desirable levels.

—DR. NEAL D. BARNARD, president of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine and author of The Power of Your Plate.

Vegetarians always ask about getting enough protein. But I don’t know of any nutrition expert that can plan a diet of natural foods resulting in protein deficiency, so long as you’re not deficient in calories. You need only six percent of total calories protein…and it’s practically impossible to get below nine percent in ordinary diets.

—DR NATHAN PRITKIN, a pioneer in the field of vegetarian nutrition, whose treatment program consisting of vegetarian diet, meditation and exercise has been scientifically proven to reverse heart disease and which is now being covered by the nation’s largest insurance carrier.

 Too much protein!

The average American gets considerably more protein than he or she actually needs…

RDA RECOMMENDED PROTEIN = 56g per day for a man weighing 70kg/154lbs

MOST AMERICANS CONSUME well over 100g per day (including 68% from animal sources)

…and too many calories from protein…

RECOMMENDED BY DR.PRITKIN = 6%

AMERICAN AVERAGE = 17%

Why not go meatless?

Although many people are under the misconception that they need lots of protein to be healthy, in fact, high-protein diets have been linked to several health-related problems. Excess protein is broken down by the liver and excreted by the kidneys as urea. Urea acts as a diuretic, causing water and minerals to be lost from the kidneys.

One of the most important minerals lost in this way is calcium. Calcium loss is related to osteoporosis—brittle bones that can break very easily. Osteoporosis is a health problem affecting an estimated 40 million Americans , including half the women over 45 years of age and 90 percent of women over 75. It does not appear to be a problem, however, in countries where protein needs are met from the more traditional plant-based meals, such as the rice and vegetables of China; the beans, rice and tortillas of Mexico; and the vegetable curries or pea dhals of India. This has led many doctors, scientists, and researchers to conclude that the animal-based, high-protein diet of America may be responsible for our high rates of osteoporosis.

Other problems associated with high-protein diets include kidney stones, reduced kidney function, gout, and cancer of the breast, prostate, pancreas, colon, rectum and uterus.

As you can see, a meat-based diet contains too much protein, which is not good for our health. A vegetarian diet is usually lower in protein, provided you are not overdoing protein-rich dairy products or eating too many legumes. More than one meal a day of high-protein legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils, can lead to protein overload even in a vegetarian diet.

Rather than worrying about not getting enough protein (which as you can see appears to be almost impossible if you are eating sensibly), we should be more concerned about our source of protein. If your protein is coming from animal sources, not only are you getting too much, but you are also getting cholesterol, saturated fat, no fiber, and no carbohydrate, and each of these extras can cause major health problems in their own right.

“Nothing will benefit health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”    ~ Albert Einstein

Image courtesy http://www.meatfreemondays.com/