MORE PROTEIN MORE FAT
As we saw in the last article, an excess of protein can cause fat gain. Our bodies create the building blocks for good health as long as the diet consists of the 9 essential amino acids. People choose animal products to obtain these essential aminos. But you can also get them from combining plant foods and they are just as complete when combined.
For example, grains and legumes which are low in certain amino acids, become complete when eaten together. Rice is deficient in the amino acid lysine but high in methionine, while beans are high in lysine and tryptophan but low in methionine. Eaten alone, they are incomplete. Eaten together, they have as many amino acids as a sirloin. Protein is not an energy food. Its function is for maintenance and growth. Our requirements are small. The average adult needs about 0.8 grams per kg of ideal body weight. Ideal meaning, 12 to 15 % fat for males and 18 to 22% fat for females. If you are 200 lbs. and within the ideal weight, that will be 91kg x 0.8 grams. = 72.8 grams daily. If one is involved in high resistance training, then 1.5 grams per kilo should be the max.
Protein is not an energy food. Its function is for maintenance and growth.
The average diet already supplies more than this upper limit so avoid unnecessary supplementation. One important fact is that only one fifth or 20% of dietary protein in the form of essential amino acids is necessary to make the other aminos. The other 80% can come from legumes grains and vegetables. A combination of plant foods can even provide the 20%
ILL HEALTH
Too much protein and for extended periods can make you sick. Besides the high cholesterol and saturated fats there are other issues to consider. Kidney problems can occur. As a result of the excess nitrogen that the kidney has to excrete in the form or urea, overload can happen and damage to the organ takes place.
Osteoporosis is also a problem. The high phosphorous content in meats processed and unprocessed , can deplete calcium in the body. This can negatively affect bones.
The pork , beef and other red meats are strongly linked to cancer, colorectal, prostate, and breast among others. Higher consumption of unprocessed red meat and processed meat combined was associated with higher risks of ischemic heart disease, pneumonia, diverticular disease, colon polyps, and diabetes.
These diseases all point to where your main concern should be in terms of diet, to more plant based products.
The following report from the University of Oxford published 2nd March 2021, titled , “Regular meat consumption linked with a wide range of common diseases” , signifies the reason we should limit or refrain from this consumption. Here is the link: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-03-02-regular-meat-consumption-linked-wide-range-common-diseases
