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| Vegan Voices |
| P.O. Box 126 * Negaunee, MI 49866 * (906) 236-1279 * info@northernvegans.com |
| This page is designed to showcase various vegan writers. |
Getting Past the 'Protein Myth' That Keeps People from
Quitting Meat and Dairy
By Kathy Freston, Huffington Post. Posted June 3, 2008. Used on our site
with permission from the author.
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/86942/
The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was
the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not.
When I tell people that I'm a vegan, the most popular question, by far,
inevitably follows: "But, how do you get enough protein?"
There it is again, I think, the meat industry's most potent weapon against
vegetarianism -- the protein myth. And it is just that -- a myth.
In fact, humans need only 10 percent of the calories we consume to be from
protein. Athletes and pregnant women need a little more, but if you're eating
enough calories from a varied plant based diet, it's close to impossible to
not to get enough.
The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was
the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not -- it's not even
on the list of the ailments that doctors are worried about in America or any
other countries where basic caloric needs are being met.
What is on the list? Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity -- diseases of
affluence. Diseases linked to eating animal products. According to the
American Dietetic Association, which looked at all of the science on
vegetarian diets and found not just that they're healthy, but that they "provide
health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
They continue: "Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are
appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy,
lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence ... Vegetarians have been
reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as
lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show
lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of
hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."
Dr. Dean Ornish writes of his Eat More, Weigh Less vegetarian diet -- the
one diet that has passed peer-review for taking weight off and keeping it off
for more than 5 years -- that in addition to being the one scientifically proven
weight loss plan that works long-term, it "may help to prevent a wide variety
of other illnesses including breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men,
colon cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension,
and so on ...."
So when people ask me about protein, I explain that protein is not a problem
on a vegan diet, that the real problems that are plaguing us in the West can
be addressed in part with a vegetarian diet, and that I get my protein the
same way everyone else does -- I eat!
Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, and whole grains are packed with protein. So
are all vegetables as a caloric percentage, though they don't have enough
calories to sustain most people as a principal source of sustenance. And
these protein sources have some excellent benefits that animal protein does
not -- they contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates, where meat
has none. That's right: Meat has no complex carbs at all, and no fiber. Plant
proteins are packed with these essential nutrients.
Plus, since plant-based protein sources don't contain cholesterol or high
amounts of saturated fat, they are much better for you than meat, eggs, and
dairy products.
It is also worth noting the very strong link between animal protein and a few
key diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis.
According to Dr. Ornish (this may be the most interesting link in this article,
by the way -- it's worth reading the entire entry), "high-protein foods,
particularly excessive animal protein, dramatically increase the risk of breast
cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and many other illnesses. In the
short run, they may also cause kidney problems, loss of calcium in the
bones, and an unhealthy metabolic state called ketosis in many people."
The cancer connection is spelled out at length in a fantastic book by Cornell
scientist T. Colin Campbell, called The China Study. Basically, there is
overwhelming scientific evidence to implicate that animal protein
consumption causes cancer.
And just a few quick anecdotal points:
Olympian Carl Lewis has said that his best year of track competition was the
first year that he ate a vegan diet (he is still a strong proponent of vegan diets
for athletes).
Strength trainer Mike Mahler says, "Becoming a vegan had a profound effect
on my training. ... [M]y bench press excelled past 315 pounds, and I noticed
that I recovered much faster. My body fat also went down, and I put on 10
pounds of lean muscle in a few months."
Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke advises, "The basics for nutrition are consuming
large amounts of fresh green vegetables and a variety of fruits, to load
yourself up with vibrant vitamins and minerals."
A few other vegans, all of whom sing the praises of the diet for their athletic
performance: Ultimate fighter Mac Danzig, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek,
Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek, Atlanta Hawks Guard Salim
Stoudamire, and Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez.
And let's not forget about tennis star Martina Navratilova, six-time Ironman
winner Dave Scott, four-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, or Stan Price, the
world-record holder in bench press. They are just a few of the successful
vegetarian athletes.
Basically, vegans and vegetarians needn't fret about protein, but many
Americans do need to worry about their weight, heart disease, cancer, and
other ailments -- many of which can be addressed by healthier eating,
including a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Vegetarians and vegans get all the nutrients our bodies need from plants,
and will thus, according to the science, be more likely to maintain a healthy
weight and stave off a variety of ailments, from heart disease to cancer.
For answers to other popular questions about conscious eating, please
check out my previous post on the topic here.
Happy eating!
Click Here To Go Back to "Media & More"
Quitting Meat and Dairy
By Kathy Freston, Huffington Post. Posted June 3, 2008. Used on our site
with permission from the author.
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/86942/
The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was
the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not.
When I tell people that I'm a vegan, the most popular question, by far,
inevitably follows: "But, how do you get enough protein?"
There it is again, I think, the meat industry's most potent weapon against
vegetarianism -- the protein myth. And it is just that -- a myth.
In fact, humans need only 10 percent of the calories we consume to be from
protein. Athletes and pregnant women need a little more, but if you're eating
enough calories from a varied plant based diet, it's close to impossible to
not to get enough.
The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was
the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not -- it's not even
on the list of the ailments that doctors are worried about in America or any
other countries where basic caloric needs are being met.
What is on the list? Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity -- diseases of
affluence. Diseases linked to eating animal products. According to the
American Dietetic Association, which looked at all of the science on
vegetarian diets and found not just that they're healthy, but that they "provide
health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
They continue: "Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are
appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy,
lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence ... Vegetarians have been
reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as
lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show
lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of
hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."
Dr. Dean Ornish writes of his Eat More, Weigh Less vegetarian diet -- the
one diet that has passed peer-review for taking weight off and keeping it off
for more than 5 years -- that in addition to being the one scientifically proven
weight loss plan that works long-term, it "may help to prevent a wide variety
of other illnesses including breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men,
colon cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension,
and so on ...."
So when people ask me about protein, I explain that protein is not a problem
on a vegan diet, that the real problems that are plaguing us in the West can
be addressed in part with a vegetarian diet, and that I get my protein the
same way everyone else does -- I eat!
Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, and whole grains are packed with protein. So
are all vegetables as a caloric percentage, though they don't have enough
calories to sustain most people as a principal source of sustenance. And
these protein sources have some excellent benefits that animal protein does
not -- they contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates, where meat
has none. That's right: Meat has no complex carbs at all, and no fiber. Plant
proteins are packed with these essential nutrients.
Plus, since plant-based protein sources don't contain cholesterol or high
amounts of saturated fat, they are much better for you than meat, eggs, and
dairy products.
It is also worth noting the very strong link between animal protein and a few
key diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis.
According to Dr. Ornish (this may be the most interesting link in this article,
by the way -- it's worth reading the entire entry), "high-protein foods,
particularly excessive animal protein, dramatically increase the risk of breast
cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and many other illnesses. In the
short run, they may also cause kidney problems, loss of calcium in the
bones, and an unhealthy metabolic state called ketosis in many people."
The cancer connection is spelled out at length in a fantastic book by Cornell
scientist T. Colin Campbell, called The China Study. Basically, there is
overwhelming scientific evidence to implicate that animal protein
consumption causes cancer.
And just a few quick anecdotal points:
Olympian Carl Lewis has said that his best year of track competition was the
first year that he ate a vegan diet (he is still a strong proponent of vegan diets
for athletes).
Strength trainer Mike Mahler says, "Becoming a vegan had a profound effect
on my training. ... [M]y bench press excelled past 315 pounds, and I noticed
that I recovered much faster. My body fat also went down, and I put on 10
pounds of lean muscle in a few months."
Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke advises, "The basics for nutrition are consuming
large amounts of fresh green vegetables and a variety of fruits, to load
yourself up with vibrant vitamins and minerals."
A few other vegans, all of whom sing the praises of the diet for their athletic
performance: Ultimate fighter Mac Danzig, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek,
Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek, Atlanta Hawks Guard Salim
Stoudamire, and Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez.
And let's not forget about tennis star Martina Navratilova, six-time Ironman
winner Dave Scott, four-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, or Stan Price, the
world-record holder in bench press. They are just a few of the successful
vegetarian athletes.
Basically, vegans and vegetarians needn't fret about protein, but many
Americans do need to worry about their weight, heart disease, cancer, and
other ailments -- many of which can be addressed by healthier eating,
including a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Vegetarians and vegans get all the nutrients our bodies need from plants,
and will thus, according to the science, be more likely to maintain a healthy
weight and stave off a variety of ailments, from heart disease to cancer.
For answers to other popular questions about conscious eating, please
check out my previous post on the topic here.
Happy eating!
Click Here To Go Back to "Media & More"