[specialK12]

Quote:

Protein has been the most widely-publicized of all human nutritional needs, and this has led many people to be obsessed with making sure they get enough protein. The problem is that the average American consumes over 100 grams of protein a day, which is three to five times the amount experts now say is necessary. This excessive amount of protein is harmful, and more physical problems are being caused by people consuming too much protein than are caused by people not getting enough protein.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[kpickell]

If you're quoting someone, you should use the QUOTE tags and site your source.

>> http://www.healthfree.com/nutritiona...nlearning.html

 

[specialK12]

oh sorry i didnt know!

 

[WonderRandy]

you should also only quote a short segment of the article and link to the rest...

you should ALSO use a descriptive thread title.

(you ever notice those thread titles with [blahblahblah] at the end? those are the one that moderators have had to edit....)

sorry, don't mean to jump all over you... the opportunity was just too good to pass up!

if you need help editing, let me know. I'll be up for a bit longer...

WR

 

[Medesha]

I don't know about this article. The dated sources seem quite old; 1914 and 1976. Plus it claims that the US government recently lowered its daily recommended protein requirements, but I can't find any corroborrating evidence. All the USDA sites I've surfed dont' have any recommended protein intake beyond x number of servings per day. The MyPyramid.gov site has an analysis of the USDA servings recommendations and their corresponding gram/kcal amount; the USDA recommendation comes out to 91 grams of protein per day.

So I'm not sure how much I trust this article; I'd have to do more research. Thanks for the link!

 

[froggythefrog]

One last thing, and then I promise we'll leave you alone (really!). Most threads on VB get read and replied to really well. Please don't name your threads, "Please read...", etc. Thanks.

I agree. We eat much too much protein.

 

[Kyo]

I just tried the link and it doesn't work.

Quote:

The problem is that the average American consumes over 100 grams of protein a day, which is three to five times the amount experts now say is necessary.

That would make the necessary protein 20...33 grams. That's way less than the recommendations I've seen. I would like to know what "experts" claim this.

 

[GhostUser]

Thank you for sharing!!

 

[specialK12]

im sorry about the way i set this up, i didnt know and i just got a bit like oh i want you to read this ect , i m really sorry

 

[starseed13]

There is so much contradictive information out there. How do you know who to trust?

Ive always been told that you need "complete" protiens and vegetarians needed to eat foods in specific combinations or else it was worthless.

I had a conversation with my brother awhile back and he told me that if I wasnt getting my complete protien when I ate nuts or beans that it just got flushed out of my body and went completely to waste (I have no idea his source for this belief).

I basically never know who to believe! EVER! I do know I feel more full and strong when I eat animal protiens, but this could just be from the amount of calories in these foods (mainly eggs is what Im talking about, I dont consume large amounts of dairy).

Im reading and following the advice in an ebook on health right now, and that guy also claims we dont need complete protien, he says that our body stores the different amino acids and puts them together as needed. To me it makes sense that our bodies would store these nutrients for the most efficient use..but Im no expert.

To me health is one of the most frustrating subjects. Its one of the most important interests I have, yet I never know if the information Im following is correct or not.

 

[specialK12]

what exactly is ment by complete protein , does this mean it ant have carbs in the food to?

 

[starseed13]

It means it contains all the amino acids...

 

[froggythefrog]

"All the amino acids"? That's a lot of amino acids -- and no, a complete protein does not contain every amino acid in existence.

 

[GhostUser]

Ahem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein

 

[froggythefrog]

Amino Acids in a complete protein:

Tryptophan,Threonine,Isoleucine,Leucine,Lysine,Met hionine, Cystine,Phenylalanine,Tyrosine,Valine,Arginine,His tidine,Alanine,Aspartic acid,Glutamic acid,Glycine,Proline,Serine.

Eggs contain all of these, as does tofu.

One, found in gelatin that our body makes on its own is Hydroxyproline

There may be others, and if so, I do not know that they are relevant to food.

Getting a complete protein can happen over the meals you consume in a day. If you're eating legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, etc., you have very little to worry about in the protein department.

Some studies -- in particular, the China Study -- suggests that animal proteins have the effect of accelerating cancer growth. Cancer may still be present on a plant-based diet, but according to the China Study, does not progress as fast. This is important, because your body's immune system does fight cancerous growth.

 

[froggythefrog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starseed13

Im reading and following the advice in an ebook on health right now, and that guy also claims we dont need complete protien, he says that our body stores the different amino acids and puts them together as needed. To me it makes sense that our bodies would store these nutrients for the most efficient use..but Im no expert.

To me health is one of the most frustrating subjects. Its one of the most important interests I have, yet I never know if the information Im following is correct or not.

Your brother is correct about our eliminating proteins. The problem is that your body uses calcium to eliminate proteins. The elimination of proteins is also hard on your kidneys.

It is also true that your body stores amino acids for later combining and use, so you don't have to worry about getting complete proteins every meal.

 

[VeganClaudia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by froggythefrog

It is also true that your body stores amino acids for later combining and use, so you don't have to worry about getting complete proteins every meal.

I agree with froggythefrog. The idea that vegetarians need to worry about getting complete proteins is a myth that became popularized many years ago by a book called 'Diet for A Small Planet', by Francis Moore Lappe. This was a landmark book that came out around 1972(?) promoting vegetarianism, and was extremely popular. This book sent the message that vegetarianism was good for the planet, but that vegetarians needed to plan their meals carefully to make sure that they were eating balanced meals that contained 'complete protein'. So, there was this attitude that if you were a vegetarian that there was somehow something missing from your diet (meat), and that you somehow had to take a lot of pains to eat proper combinations of foods in order to make up for it. The 70's were not an era where many people became vegetarian for health reasons, rather they tended to do it for ethical or environmental reasons, and then worry themselves to death about whether they were getting a complete and healthy diet with the meat 'missing'. I became a vegetarian in 1973 (at age 15), and I had an aunt actually beg me to at least eat a little meat so that I wouldn't get sick and die! Anyway... when the 10th anniversary edition of 'Diet for A Small Planet' was released Lappe recanted the idea that it was necessary to have 'complete protein' at every meal. I believe she explained that the information she had given was based on what had been the accepted science at the time, which later was proven to be false. Although she clearly said that she had been wrong, her book had been very popular, and this idea of having to do all sorts of special planning to be a healthy as a vegetarian had become pretty widely spread and well-established belief. The bottom line is that old myths die hard, and that people still believe this even though the person who did the most to spread this idea has said that she was wrong.

 

[bekajoi]

While you want to get complete proteins through the day, it doesn't have to be at every single meal... Is it a good thing to have a complete protein at every meal? sure. Is it necessary? nope.

More than medical science, I trust my body. If I haven't been getting enough protein, I don't seem to have as much energy & my mind isn't quite as clear. I take that as a sign to add a bean dish to my meals a bit more frequently, and amazingly (gasp) I feel much better in very little time. I snack on nuts and nut butters, bean dips, and such.

I'm not stressing over protein grams per day, other than for my growing children. They need more per lb than I do, at their ages, and I want to be sure they are getting that whole few tablespoons of bean/nuts every day, lol. It's still not MUCH they need in a day, only something like 18g or 20g, so it's not like it is hard to come by. But they still need to eat what they need to eat, and I'm sure to offer something protein-related at each meal so they get it throughout the day.

If I were to wait until dinner, they may choose not to eat the beans or put up a fight, and I'd rather not have to make dinner a war. They had peanut butter toast for breakfast and hummus as a dip at lunch. They're good.

 

[specialK12]

so how do vegetarains get complete proteins?

should i worry about it?

 

[froggythefrog]

Eat a balanced diet. Include whole grains, beans and peas.

No. You really should not worry as long as you aren't missing variety in your diet.