THE BEST PROTEIN: Plant based
All of us know that protein is essential to life. It is made up of more than twenty basic building blocks or amino acids. Although the human body can make some of these on its own, there are nine that we can only get from food. These are called ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS.
Animal sources of protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products) are complete proteins—with all of the nine essential amino acids. However, this source is probably not the best protein. In The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, PhD., finds that the dietary factor that correlates most with our diseases (especially with cancer, but also with autoimmune illnesses such as MS or diabetes, plus osteoporosis, kidney stones, cataracts, arthritis, anemia, etc.) is EXCESS PROTEIN from ANIMAL sources.
As explained by Frances Moore Lappe in 1971 in Diet for a Small Planet as well as by many other dietary experts since, the nine essential amino acids making up the complete protein found in meat are also found in plants.
The most common plant-based sources of essential amino acids are: 1. GRAINS such as rice, corn, wheat, barley, and oatmeal. These form the basis of a vegetarian diet. 2. LEGUMES such as soybeans, lentils, red beans, peanuts are very good sources of protein. Soybeans are the legume highest in protein followed by lentils and peanuts. 3. NUTS and SEEDS. Of the commonly eaten nuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and cashews have a high protein content. The seeds richest in proteins are pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds, |
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These three food sources of amino acids are viewed as complementary because in various combinations, they provide a complete protein. However, you don't have to eat foods with complementary amino acids in a single meal or even on the same day in order for the digestive process to assimilate them as equivalent to "complete proteins." That is to say, you don’t have to worry about combining food. Your body will do that for you.
Without consciously thinking about it, you can prepare and consume food that gives you complete proteins. For example, eat a breakfast of granola (a good mix of nuts, seeds, and grains) with soy or rice milk, or if you prefer, with milk or yogurt.
By the way, you can use dairy products such as low fat milk and yogurt to enhance the nutritional value of grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds without exceeding the limit of 5% animal protein recommended by Dr. Campbell. If you choose to follow a vegan diet (one without any animal products), you will need to take vitamin B12 as a supplement since it cannot be obtained through plants alone
For lunch and dinner, as a main dish or a side dish, get creative with brown rice and tofu or lentils and plenty of steamed vegetables. And imagine this: a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread will give you what you’d get from eating a piece of steak -- and with a high fiber content as well!
We are not advocating a vegan diet. However, we would encourage you to make plant-based proteins a major component of your diet. This source of protein may be the most digestible type, providing enzymes for digestion and allowing for slow but steady synthesis of new protein when the raw materials (various amino acids) all are included in the diet. Unlike animal protein, it is also low in fat.
Dr. Campbell presents massive evidence to show that a high carb/low protein diet is what keeps both animals and humans healthy! You can lose weight on a high carb diet. Dr. Campbell suggests that when we treat our body well by eating the right food, the body knows how to burn calories off rather than storing them as body fat.
JUST REMEMBER: An essential part of eating a primarily plant-based diet is to eat only whole, unprocessed, non-genetically altered foods: for example, brown rice, whole wheat bread, raw or lightly toasted nuts and seeds.
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