Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies. We use and assemble approximately 50,000 different proteins to form our organs, nerves, muscle and flesh.
All proteins are combination's of just 22 amino acids, eight of which are "essential" nutrients for humans.
Why are eight of the 22 amino acids referred to as essential? The human body cannot make these particular amino acids on it's own. These essential amino acids are found most plentiful in eggs and meat. When the essential amino acids are present in the diet, the body can usually build the other "nonessential" amino acids: but if just one essential amino acid is low or missing, the body is unable to synthesize the other proteins it needs, even when overall protein intake is high. Animal protein is the only source of complete protein. All the essential amino acids, and many considered "nonessential, " are present in animal products.
Protein is essential for normal growth, for the formation of hormones, for the process of blood clotting and for the formation of milk during lactation.
Protein helps regulate the acid-alkaline balance of tissues and blood. When protein is lacking in the die, there is a tendency for the blood and tissues to become either too acid or too alkaline, depending on the acidity or the alkalinity balance of the foods we eat. Eating animal foods, dark leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, sprouted grains, nuts and seeds in moderate amounts will provide you with a body that is balanced. A well balance traditional diet will provide homeostasis.
What are the roles of proteins in the body?
What are the roles of proteins in the body?
- Hormones are proteins that regulate our metabolism and almost every function in the body.
- Antibodies are proteins that help fight infection.
- Enzymes are proteins that initiate and manage all biochemical processes.
- Hemoglobin is protein in the form of red blood cells that carry oxygen.
- Proteins consist of amino acids that make up our sex hormones and 95% of our muscles, including our hearts. RNA and DNA also require amino acids, so we need proteins for our genes to function properly.
Our primitive ancestors subsisted on a diet composed largely of meat and fat, augmented with vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts. Studies of their remains reveal that they had excellent bone structure, heavy musculature and flawless teeth.
Protein cannot be adequately utilized without dietary fats. That is why protein and fats occur together in eggs, milk, fish and meats. A high-protein, low fat diet can cause many problems including too rapid growth and depletion of vitamin A and vitamin D reserves.
Should we reduce our meat consumption and or take it out of our diet all together?
I like many IC patients have spent years searching for the right diet in hope of getting some pain relief. I was swayed by the current "wisdom" that Americans should reduce and even adopt a meatless diet.
I tried every diet including a raw food diet of fruits and veggies only. I felt great at first and rightfully so because I didn't just give up meat, I gave up processed foods and caffeine. I lost 30 pounds and in I had less over all pain. My bowels became regular and I had far less retention however, that changed.
One year into a raw diet I developed serve fatigue, my hair was falling out, my nails brittle and splitting down into the beds, my teeth were aching, I had the start of gum disease, vulvodynia and nuerogenic pain that made it impossible for me to sit, stand, lay or walk for more than 10 minutes. I went from feeling fabulous to feeling so fatigued.
Throughout the year my labs looked great but by the time I hit the one year mark on a raw low fat vegetarian diet I was severely anemic and my fibromyalgia was in full swing.
What was wrong? I had use up my reserve of essential amino acids. The first thing I did was eat a piece of grass fed steak and then I went back to school to study biochemistry and nutrition in depth. In short I learned all the reasons why we need to to eat meat and why processed foods are causing an epidemic of addiction, obesity, type II diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease and cancer.
A few highly publicized studies have claimed a link between the consumption of meat and saturated fats with cancer, especially cancer of the colon. Studies claiming a correlation of animal product consumption with cancer do not stand up to careful scrutiny. In many of these studies, the data bases combined saturated fats from animal sources with hydrogenated vegetable oils, known to be carcinogenic. Furthermore these studies did not include sugar and white flour in their surveys, even though researcher and others have shown that in so-called civilized countries high meat consumption and high sugar intake often occur together. Actually, the pathway for colon cancer is well understood. It involves high levels of omega-6 linoleic acid and hydrogenated fats, which in the presence of carcinogens and acted on by certain enzymes in the cells lining the colon lead to tumor formation. This explains why colon cancer is prevalent in some industrialized countries where there are many carcinogens in the diet and where consumption of vegetable oils and sugar is high; but in traditional societies, where sugar and vegetable oils are absent and the food is free of additives, meat-eating is not associated with cancer.
What about protein powders?
Fats and carbohydrates can be devitalized by processing and refining and the same can be said for proteins.
Protein powders made from soy, whey, casein and egg whites are currently popular as basic ingredients in diet beverages and many so-called health food products. These protein isolates are usually obtained by a high-temperature process that over-denatures the proteins to such and extent that they become virtually useless while increasing nitrates and other carcinogens.
Protein powder use can lead to the following:
Depletion of vitamin A and D reserves; soy protein isolates are high in mineral-blocking phytates; (Phytic acid has a strong binding affinity to important minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. When a mineral binds to phytic acid, it becomes insoluble, precipitates and will be nonabsorbable in the intestines. This process can therefore contribute to mineral deficiencies) thyroid-depressing phytoestrogens and potent enzyme inhibitors that depress growth and cause cancer.
Diets in which unnatural isolated powdered proteins from soy, eggs or milk are fed to animals or humans cause a negative calcium balance that can lead to osteoporosis. Critics of meat-eating have seized on these results to claim that meat causes bone loss. But meat or milk-as opposed to protein powders-fed to human subjects do not cause calcium loss nor do they contribute to osteoporosis.
The meat, milk and eggs in our supermarkets are highly contaminated and vastly inferior in nutritional quality to those available just a few decades ago. Livestock are being shot up with steroids to make meat more tender and antibiotics so they can survive the crowded conditions of the feedlots. Many cattle supplying steaks have never seen the open range, and calves raised for veal are often confined to crates for the whole of their pathetic short lives. Disease animals often pass routine inspection and find their way into food supply.
The amount of protein that you require depends on your individual biochemistry. There is no one size diet that fits all.
In summary, animal products are important sources of body building elements in the diet. Furthermore, animal fats supply vitamin A and vitamin D and animal protein is rich in minerals, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Fish, meat and a good supply of high-quality dairy products and eggs is essential. Raw milk and cheese must be used to provide B12, as this essential nutrient is virtually destroyed by pasteurization. If your budge allows it , purchase grass fed meat, raw goats milk, organic/local produce, raw nuts and seeds.
This is what a well balance meal look like:
In Health
Gloria Prater, WHE
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