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Newsletter>
How Much Protein Do We Need?
March 31, 2009
If you research proper diet and nutrition, one of the first
things you will learn is that the average American must
first “unlearn” most of what we have been taught about
nutrition, including the four food groups, half of which
are animal products.
One fallacy we’ve been brought to believe is that a high
protein diet is a must if you wish to have a high level of
health and prevent disease. However, recent studies have
determined that ...”proteins, essential and important as
they are, can be extremely harmful when consumed in excess
of your actual need.”
What we know now is that it is easy to reach our minimum
daily protein requirements with only fruits and vegetables.
Amazing, isn’t it!
The 6 and 8 percent figures are more than what most people
need, and these higher percentages are intended as a margin
of safety. But still, these recommendations are met by many
fruits and greatly exceeded by most all vegetables. For
example, the percentage of calories provided by protein in
spinach is 49%; broccoli 45%; cauliflower 40%; lettuce 34%;
peas 30%; green beans 26%; cucumbers 24%; celery 21%;
potatoes 11%; honeydew 10%; cantaloupe 9%; strawberry 8%;
orange 8%; watermelon 8%; peach 6%; ear 5%; banana 5%;
pineapple 3%; and apple 1%. Considering these figures, any
nutritionist would have to agree it is very easy for a
vegetarian to get sufficient protein.
Another important thing to “unlearn” is that the need to
consume foods or meals containing “complete protein” is
based on an erroneous and outdated myth. A 1914 rat study
theory, once accepted by nutritional experts -- is now
disregarded. When you think about it, if a human infant can
be perfectly nourished during the most rapid period of
growth with nothing but 5-percent protein from breast milk,
there is no reason to believe that older humans need more
protein.
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