There is probably more misinformation about protein than any other nutrient.  High protein diets are one of the many popular diet crazes.  The fact of the matter is we are not designed to eat high amounts of protein.  The World Health Organization estimates that we need 4.6 percent of total calories from protein, while the U.S. National Research Council regards 8 percent as sufficient for 95 percent of the population.

 

Mother’s milk (human breast milk) is universally accepted as the perfect food for babies.  During this time, our bodies go through the most rapid growth period in our entire life span, doubling our body weight in 6 months. Human breast milk may have the lowest protein concentration of any animal in the world with less than one percent protein by weight!

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MUSCLE GROWTH AND PROTEIN

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Do you need extra protein when exercising hard?

 

Physiologists have shown that the answer is yes but not a whole lot more: 12 grams of protein or a 1.5- ounce serving of a protein-rich plant-based food is plenty.

 

In fact, if you did four hours of strenuous exercise, you would only lose approximately 7.5 grams of protein. If you wanted to add 1 ounce of muscle per day, an adult would require an additional 7.5 grams per day.

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Eating excessive protein, especially from animal sources, has a very acidic effect on our bodies and causes calcium and other minerals to be used to buffer the excess acid.  We do not have the physiology of carnivores, nor do we have the capacity to deal with the stress of high-protein diets.

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James Hill, Ph.D., co-director of a long-term study called the National Weight Control Registry has tracked over 4,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time.  

 

Interestingly enough, everyone consumed a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet:  This is not necessarily the diet they followed to lose the weight, but it was their long-term eating plan.  Although high-protein diets are popular, “we looked for people who were eating a low-carbohydrate diet in this group, and we couldn’t find any,” Hill says.

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FUNDAMENTALS

 

Proteins are composed of 22 chemicals called amino acids.  These amino acids combine to form thousands of different compounds.  Our bodies make 13 of these, but the remaining 9 must come from our diet.

 

Each day, your body uses 20 to 30 grams of protein.  So to maintain protein stores, you need between 30 and 55 grams a day, much less than the 100 to 140 grams the average person consumes in a day.

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USES

 

• Builds up, maintains, and replaces body tissues.

• Makes hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to every cell in the body.

• Makes up antibodies, the cells that fight off infection and disease.

 

HEALTHY SOURCES

 

• Soy products including tempeh, tofu, edamame, seitan, and more..

• Grains including quinoa, buckwheat, oats, wild rice, and more.

• Seeds and nuts including hemp seeds, chia seeds, peanuts and peanuts butter, walnuts, almonds, cashews, and more.

• Legumes including lentils, black beans, lima beans, chickpeas, and more.

• Vegetables including kale, zucchini, broccoli, squash, collard greens, and more.

• Mushrooms including portabella, button, shitake, and more.

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REQUIREMENTS

 

Protein should make up 4 to 8 percent of your diet.

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TIPS

 

• Avoid milk and dairy products.  Cow’s milk is designed for baby calves, not adult humans just as mother’s milk is designed for baby humans.  Milk also contains saturated fats and cholesterol which cause many of the leading causes of death in the world.

 

• Limit or eliminate your intake of meat.  If you do decide to consume animal products, eat only organic free-range meat to help cut down on exposure to the chemical pharmaceutical cocktail fed to factory farmed animals.  It costs a little more but your body will thank you.