Macronutrient: Protein

Protein is one of three macronutrients that our bodies need. We have to eat food with protein in them daily. It is essential but how much protein is controversial. The common wisdom recommends getting 30% of calories from protein. The science though, says that is way too much and causes problems in our bodies. The science says that 10-20% of calories is more than enough.

When we consume protein, our body breaks it down into individual amino acids which become part of a circulating pool. When protein needs to be built, the body will string the amino acids together in the order required to make the specific protein needed.

Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein we really need. Of the 20 amino acids, our body is unable to manufacture 9. These must come from the diet. Amino acids are responsible for some of the most essential functions, ranging from digesting food through to building muscle. It aids in tissue and hormone development and helps enzyme functions.

In recent years, it has been proven that too much animal protein, (an excess of what the body needs) becomes a powerful cancer promoter. If you consume too much protein, even plant protein, the body has to get rid of it. We cant store much protein. Our body will convert some of the surplus protein to carbohydrate and use it for energy if needed. In the process the body has to get rid of nitrogen from the amino acid chains because carbs don’t include nitrogen. As this is happening, the nitrogen throws off a lot of toxic by products like urea and ammonia, which are detoxified by the kidneys and liver causing stress on the organs.

Animal foods contain something called arachidonic acid. Not so bad in small amounts. When consumed a lot, it is inflammatory.

We all know that animals contain protein. (They get it from plants and then if we eat them, we get their protein) But they also contain hormones and anti biotics. They contain heme iron. Dairy contains the protein caisen which has been shown to be toxic. But a better way to get protein in your diet it to skip most if not all of the animal protein and get your needs met with plants. All plants contain some protein. Below is a list of some great sources of plant protein.

• quinoa
• soy
• buckwheat
• whole grain bread and nut butter
• rice and beans
• broccoli
• nuts
• seeds
• oats

Exactly how much protein does a body need? There are so many conflicting answers but the truest answer seems to be just eat a variety of plants every day and don’t worry about the numbers. if you still want a number, figure out how many kilograms you weigh (divide your weight by 2.2.) for example 130 lbs divided by 2.2=59 kilograms. The USDA says we need 0.8 grams per kilograms.

• The China Study (Colin Campbell)
• Food over Medicine (Pam Popper)
• The Spectrum (Dean Ornish)
• Idiots Guide to Plant Based Nutrition (Juleanna Hever) (Raymond Cronise)