What's the deal with protein?

The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not.  What is on the list? Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity -- diseases of affluence. Diseases linked to eating animal products. According to the American Diabetes 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."    "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 non-vegetarians, 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."

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.

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.  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."

Borrowed from an article at http://www.alternet.org/health/86942

So what is all the hype about protein then?  It's just that hype, myths and flawed logic.  A well balanced vegetarian or near-vegetarian diet is a vast improvement over the typical American meat centered diet our "SAD" Standard American Diet .  In my book I point out that the only way to reverse these devastating chronic illnesses is through a plant based diet.  You don't have to do this quickly, you can do it like I did gradually.  It has been a life saver for me and now my husband.  I do still get 10% of my protein from a good healthy animal source which is enough to satisfy me.  I don't have to live on meat 24/7.   Humans also are the only species that continues to drink milk after it's been weaned.  I never gave that much thought before but you have to question why.  As with the meat consumption, if cows and other animals can live off of plants and water why cant we?  We can and we did for the most part until the 1900's, before that meat and dairy were not available for ordinary people until the factory farms and modern meat processing plants came on the scene along with refrigeration.  Between the 30's and 50's Americans spent 23-26% of their income on food.  Today we spend 9.47%.  Americans have demanded cheap food and we got it to our detriment.  This is why the plethora of diseases we have at alarming rates can be called diseases of affluence.  We now eat more food for less money and the quality of the food we are eating now pales in comparison to what our  previous generations ate.  Compared to what was grown only fifty years ago, today's foods contain far fewer vital nutrients, particularly minerals that our bodies need. Compounding the problem is the fact that millions of Americans rely on the standard American diet of convenience foods, which are far more deficient in minerals and other vital nutrients than fresh, whole foods. Many commercial products, such as breads, muffins, and pastas are typically made from refined white flour, which has been stripped of up to 90 percent of its minerals during the refinement process. Even modern food preparation methods add to the problem. Overcooking vegetables, for example, significantly reduces their nutrient content.  So with all that being said why do we continue to worry about protein?   The way I see it we have bigger things to worry about.  For me the answer is simple.  When you eat the from good clean unadulterated food sources you cant go wrong and yes even on a plant based diet you will not be lacking in protein.  Just some food for thought.

Cherise