Kathy Freston: Conscious Eating, Okay, But Where (On Earth) Do You Get Your Protein?

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Conscious Eating, Okay, But Where (On Earth) Do You Get Your Protein?

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Kathy Freston

Posted May 31, 2008 | 09:58 PM (EST)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/conscious-eating-okay-but_b_104502.h\

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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,

<http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML.htm>

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

<http://www.amazon.com/Eat-More-Weigh-Less-Abundantly/dp/0060959576>

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

<http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/1/3080_365.htm> (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

<http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/19321\

00385>.

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

<http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler53.htm> 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

<http://www.robertcheeke.com/?page=article_bodybuildingbasics> 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

<http://www.macdanzig.net/>, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek

<http://www.scottjurek.com/>, Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Neshek>, Atlanta Hawks Guard Salim

Stoudamire

<http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23-27/Salim-Stoudamire-Runs-on-Broccoli.h\

tml>,

and Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez

<http://online.wsj.com/article_email/article_print/SB120122116182915297-lMyQjAxM\

DI4MDIxNTIyMjUxWj.html>.

 

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

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/one-bite-at-a-time-a-beg_b_42211.ht\

ml>.

 

Happy eating!