IF I DON'T EAT MEAT, WHERE WILL I GET MY PROTEIN?
Protein is the most complex of all food elements, and its assimilation and utilization are the most complicated. The hardest food for the body to break down is protein. When protein food is eaten, it takes more energy for it to go through the process of digestion than any other food. Protein is not built in the body by eating protein. Protein is built from the amino acids in food. It must first be digested and split into its component amino acids. The body can then use these amino acids to construct the protein it needs.
There are twenty-three different amino acids that have been discovered. Fifteen of these can be produced by the body; and eight must be derived from the foods we eat. That is why these eight are called essential. There are no "essential" amino acids in flesh that the animal did not derive from plants, and that humans cannot also get from the plants they eat. If you eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains on a regular basis, you are receiving all the amino acids necessary for your body to build the protein it needs.
Plant foods contain all the amino acids necessary to make protein, according to Suzanne Havala, author of the American Dietetic Association's position paper on vegetarian diets. She says that it is no longer necessary to consciously "combine" plants to make a complete protein. Eating a variety of plant matter and getting enough calories to satisfy energy needs is a better way to insure that a vegetarian diet is healthy. She also notes that the belief that animal products are necessary for healthy eating is simply based on a combination of culture and habit.
Americans eat too much protein, from 80 to 125 grams a day. The human body recycles approximately 70% of its protein and loses about 23 grams a day, that's eight-tenths of an ounce. It is lost through the feces, urine, hair, skin and perspiration. The RDA requirement for protein is 56 grams a day, which, I believe, is still too high. I think that 30-35 grams a day is more than adequate. The Hunza people and half a billion Hindus eat very little protein and they have no protein deficiencies. Studies show that excess protein in the diet is harmful, contributing to kidney disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, etc.
3000 PHYSICIANS RECOMMEND ELIMINATING MEAT AND DAIRY
