Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Got Protein?

Lately the hot topic surrounding vegetarians and vegans seems to be getting enough Amino Acids and Protein. The naysayers will tell you that you must ingest something that once moved and had a mom in order to get enough of those.
I don't go up to people at the drive thru and ask them "how do you get your chlorophyl?"















so I wish the burgermeisters would stop asking me how I get my protein!



The answer is easy- I get them from my vegetables (and an occasional nut, sprouted bean, or grain).



Here's the down and dirty:
We can get our protein from both animal and vegetable sources. The difference is that animal proteins are "complete" meaning that they contain all of the essential amino acids, while vegetable sources usually are incomplete (low on or missing certain essential amino acids). Different vegetable sources are deficient in different amino acids, so as long as one eats different vegetables, one can get all of the essential amino acids throughout the course of the day.

Some vegetable sources such as beans and nuts are especially high in protein, and some such as quinoa and hemp seeds are complete proteins.



Soy is also a complete protein, but much of it is unusable to the body and it contains a trypsin inhibitor. Soy also stimulates mucous production similar to dairy products and most of it is genetically modified and chemically treated.




Here's the real clincher: During digestion, all proteins are broken down into their amino acids so that they can enter the bloodstream where they become the building blocks of cells. What's not needed is excreted by the body.
Vegetables contain amino acids in their pure form, whereas animal sources contain proteins that must be broken down into amino acids.
So in other words, the body has to work much harder to extract the amino acids from the protein and then get rid of what it doesn't need!



Another interesting fact: The RDA for protein is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight, which for me works out to about 36 grams. A can of tuna has 32 grams, which makes it easy to see why most Americans get WAY too much protein!


*There's 2.5 servings in a can of tuna


This is bad, because diets high in protein can lead to kidney problems, and if carbohydrates are restricted can leach calcium from the bones.

So where do I get my protein? Let me count the ways:









Spread the veggie love!

2 comments:

Kristen's Raw said...

I remember some years ago when I was fooled into thinking that I had to get my protein from animals. If I'd met a vegan, I'd have asked the same thing because "you don't know what you don't know."

Yes, it can be redundant always answering that question but it needs to be done. We must continue to spread the word because the media sure isn't.

Now that you wrote this great post, you can just refer people to your blog post and save a lot more of your breath :)

Cheers,
Kristen

Jennifer Bunker said...

Hey fellow Pisces!

Just into the c fray this week at the age of 47. I am happy to find you and want you to know that you have one more person rooting for you. I am trying to go vegan and finding the protein thing complicated. However, I will persist because my life depends upon it.

What detox program are you following? Does it have a name and where did you find it? Do you do your own coffee enemas? Have you been able to maintain your weight on the program?

Paix - Jen