Veganism, raw foodism and protein

[Guest guest]

Veganism, raw foodism and protein

I recently read in a book that most Americans are more afraid of not

getting enough protein than they are of dying. This is probably true

all over the Western world although it's hard to understand why when

the illness caused by protein deficiency, (kwashiorkor), is

non-existant in the West and we have no technical name for it. It

only occurs among those who do not have enough food, period. In the

West, however, we see a proliferation of diseases that come from, or

are heavily contributed to be protein OVERconsumption such as most

degenerative disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, (not a lack of

calcium but actually too much protein).

Firstly, rest assured that if you have enough to eat, you will get

enough protein. There is protein, or the building blocks of it,

(amino acids), in everything we eat! Also, contrary to popular

belief, (spread by those with heavy vested interests in the meat and

dairy industries), the human need for protein is comparatively low.

The recommended daily figures we see in our high school textbooks and

so on are still based on studies done decades ago on rats. Humans are

not only not rats, but also have a totally different digestive system

and physiological make up. A comparison of protein content in the

mother's milk of the two species show rat milk with about 10% protein

content whereas human milk contains less than 2% on average. During

our first year of life when breast milk is the best food we can get,

we need to double in physical size. This is the only time when that

will happen. It makes sense then that this time our diet should

contain the most protein. As adults we are not even growing anymore,

(except perhaps in the wrong direction.....!!!), so we certainly do

not need high quantities of protein in our diets. If we did, all the

vegans and raw foodists would be suffering chronic illness and

deficiency. Instead the opposite is the case and they are not only

the longest lived amongst us, but also the healthiest. There are now

several 3rd generation life vegans in excellent health to prove that

veganism is not an unhealthy choice.

" But isn't animal protein complete? Isn't it the best source? " It IS

true that animal flesh and milks do contain fully formed protein

chains and that they are a rich source of them. However, it takes an

awful lot of work for the body to break down these complete chains

into the individual amino acids needed to form correct HUMAN proteins,

(remember we are not cows, sheep or pigs, our proteins are differently

formed). It is a lot easier for the body to form new proteins from

fresh, raw materials. To illustrate: If you wanted to build a house,

which would be easiest for you - going to the builders' merchants and

buying all new materials, (bricks, wood, tiles, nails, glues, paints

etc), or would it save work to dissect another house, straighten all

the nails, re-prepare all the timbers and throw out all the unusable

stuff? The answer is clear, you would start with the new materials.

The same is true for the body. If we want to build good quality

proteins with the least effort, then a good supply of the individual

amino acids needed to do so is the best way.

It's also worth bearing in mind that animal proteins are almost always

cooked and the proteins are then totally denatured and 95% unusable.

Unusuable material in the body, waste substances, are treated as toxic

by our elination system. If we feed ourselves so called " high

quality, complete " animal proteins we are straining our bodies,

risking long term problems and nutrient deficiencies and filling

ourselves with substances that are not only unhelpful, but actually

harmful.

So, how do we get enough protein? We need to ingest on a regular

basis, (but not necessarily at each meal or even each day), all the 8

essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce, (they can

synthesize the other 12 needed). Would you believe it, but the humble

carrot contains most of the 20 amino acids needed to form human

proteins??? You can get much high quality protein builders from a

glass of freshly made carrot juice!!! Amino acids are

super-abundantly present in all plant foods and are best used by the

human body when eaten raw. If this were not the case, how would

herbivorous, (plant eating) and frugivorous, (fruit eating), animals

make the proteins we insist we need to eat? Well, they wouldn't be

able to and all the animal creation would need to eat each other to

survive!! As it happens, the human digestive system most closely

resembles that of the frugivorous primates, making us, basically,

fruit eaters. Guess who the healthiest people on earth

are.........????

beth.=)

Answer: Fruitarians.=)