08/15/2011
Fullfilling your daily protein requirement and eating for life
The human body uses protein to repair damaged cells and to build new ones. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU and author of What to Eat, estimates that the average adult man needs about 65 grams of protein a day and the average adult female needs about 55 grams. Some sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say you can maintain a healthy diet with even less.
What does this actually mean in terms of food choices? The National Institutes of Health explains that most people can meet their daily protein requirement by eating two to three small servings of a protein-rich food a day.
Examples of a single serving of protein include:
•1 egg
•2 tablespoons of peanut butter
•2-3 ounces of red meat, poultry, or fish (about the size of a deck of cards)
•½ cup of cooked dried beans such as black beans or chickpeas
Whole grains, seeds, and some vegetables also contain protein, so consuming enough is not difficult even if you don’t eat meat. Vegetarians and vegans can easily get what they need by balancing complimentary proteins such as corn and beans or rice and tofu. Nutritionists used to recommend combining foods at the same meal, but research now shows that is unnecessary.
Are there drawbacks to eating more protein?
Eating large amounts of red and processed meats is associated with higher rates of heart disease and cancer, and most nutritionists such as Marion Nestle recommend cutting back on meat, especially on fatty cuts.
However, it’s less well known that your protein choices can have a substantial impact on the environment. Meat and dairy production requires tremendous amounts of fuel, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, and generates greenhouse gases. The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) recently published Meat Eater’s Guide points out that if you ate once less burger a week it would be the environmentally-positive equivalent of taking your car off the road for 320 miles.
Meat is also expensive. Not all proteins are created equal -- neither at the doctor’s office, nor the cash register. Here’s a comparison of three typical proteins:
Porterhouse steak
Serving size: 4 ounces
Protein: 22 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: 2 nd worst out of 20 analyzed
Cost: 4 dollars
Fat: 22 grams
Saturated fat: 9 grams
Farm-raised salmon
Serving size: 4 ounces
Protein: 22 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: 5th worst
Cost: 3 dollars
Fat: 10 grams
Saturated fat: 2 grams
Lentils
Serving size: 1 cup
Protein: 17.9 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: best
Cost: 20 cents
Fat: zero
Saturated fat: zero
Many people find meat to be a delicious and satisfying component of their diet that they don’t want to sacrifice. But if you want to save money, eat a nutritionally sound diet, and are concerned about the impact meat and dairy production has on the planet, consider reducing your consumption.
Weir, Sarah B., Bongiorno, Lori, (2011, August 8).,How much protein do you need. Retrieved from Yahoo Green, http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-2523319/
Vegetable Protiens, Nuts & Raw
Eating nuts, vegetable protiens, legumes, raw veggies, and fruit give the best nutrician and protiens and better for your health- they are living food which gives the body living protiens and enzymes which the body needs-
•Choose the healthiest protein sources when you can. Beans, low-fat yogurt, and nuts are all high in protein and low-impact.
•When you do eat meat and cheese, eat the highest quality that you can afford. (One way to save money is to eat less, but better quality meat and dairy products.) Here’s a guide decoding the labels, from cage-free to grass-fed.
A legume in botanical writing is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a pod, although the term "pod" is also applied to a few other fruit types, such as vanilla and radish. Well-known legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soy, and peanuts. Locust trees (Gleditsia or Robinia), wisteria, and the Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) are all legumes.[Note Wisteria is not an edible legume.
wikipedia, (2011 august 15)
What Protein Does
Vegetable protein, or any kind of protein, is used by the body for enzymes, structural tissue, hormones, and transplant molecules. Protein wears out relatively quickly and must be replaced, and the source of those replacement proteins is our food. After being digested, proteins give us a new supply of amino acids from which the body continuously rebuilds itself.
Protein Comparison:
Bananas- 4 percent
Cucumbers- 11 percent
Oranges- 7 percent
Green Leaf Lettuce- 22 percent
Watermelon- 7 percent
Eggs- 37 percent
Whole Milk - 23 percent
Beef - 50 percent. (2)
No one questions the speed and strength of a monkey, or the overwhelming force of a charging Rhino, but people can't imagine muscle building from fruits and vegetables. These creatures eat only raw fruits and vegetables, and it has served them well.
there is a mountain of compelling research showing that "low-quality plant protein, which allows for slow but steads synthesis of new proteins, is the healthiest type of protein...Plant proteins may be lacking in one or more of the essential amino acids, as a group they do contain all of them." (1)(2)
The problem with animal protein is that it's a known carcinogen. In studies, rats exposed to carcinogens and then fed a diet of whey protein developed cancers and died quickly.
"So the next logical question was whether plant protein, tested in the same way, has the same effect on cancer promotion as casein," writes Campbell. "The answer is an astonishing No. In these experiments the plant protein did not promote cancer growth, even at higher levels of intake.".(3)(2)
Vegetable protein does not cause cancer, unlike animal protein, and so should be the source of all your protein requirements.
Animal protein is also far to high in fat and cholesterol for optimum nutrition. Eggs are 60 percent fat, as is ground beef. Cheddar cheese is 72 percent fat.
Extra protein is also extremely acidifying for the body, which must strip calcium from the bones to counteract the acid. Above 10 percent of calories from animal protein, autoimmune disease, cancer, and impaired liver and kidney function are often the result, according to the China Study. (4)(2)
(1) T. Colin Campbell, PHD, The China Study, pg 308
(2) Rawfoodhealty.net
(3) T. Colin Campbell, PHD, the China Study, pgs 30-31
(4) T. Colin Campbell, PHD, the China Study, pg 59.
The proof is in the pudding~ A healthy life starts with fresh living foods, it helps your body build the healthy much needed amino acids as well as sustaining it with complete proteins, and it can also help your body to recover from many symptoms of heroshima.
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