Health – Protein – How Do You Get Yours?

Some time ago I gave a health presentation, sharing about the delicious foods that God has given to us for nourishment and to build the immune system in order to fight disease. In the front row was an elderly gentleman, 95 years old, who had been invited by his neighbor.

As I was sharing, I could tell he was getting a little agitated. Finally, as he was looking through the handouts, he could no longer contain himself, blurting out, “Where’s the protein? You need protein! Nobody can live without protein!” He was so adamant about protein that I did not think he heard anything else that was discussed. A few days later his neighbor told me that this 95 year old man was concerned for the health of another neighbor and had made a list of all of the foods he had learned about in the class and gave it to her hoping that she would build her immune system. Amazing how God works.

See the table above for a few choice sources of vegan/vegetarian protein.

Too much protein is toxic to our bodies. Agatha Thrash, M.D. makes the following statements in her article entitled Dangers of a High Protein Diet:

“It can be readily stated that a high protein diet is toxic to the body. A high protein diet puts a tax on the liver, breaks down protein tissues, triggers a loss of calcium from bones, and leaves toxic residues which must be eliminated. Before elimination of these toxic residues, however, the body is often damaged so that it is more susceptible to a variety of diseases, including cancer and arthritis. … A high protein diet has been shown to cause excessive loss of calcium in the urine. Five overweight but otherwise healthy men and women volunteers were studied. All five were given a free choice of their regular diet for two weeks. After that time a high protein diet was used for several weeks. Each individual took a vitamin-mineral capsule both during the first two weeks as well as during the test period. When the volunteers were on the high-protein, low carbohydrate diet there was a significant increase in their blood of an enzyme from the liver, a strong suggestion that protein tissue was being broken down in their bodies. These volunteers also lost a lot of calcium in their urine. When a high protein diet is used, a high calcium diet must also be provided to make up for urinary losses of calcium. If an extremely high protein diet on the order of 140 grams a day is taken in, researchers found that it was impossible to maintain calcium balance regardless of the extra calcium given. …

“It can be readily understood that a high protein diet for an elderly person would be particularly detrimental. An elderly person may easily lose bone matrix, resulting in osteoporosis, the thinning of the bones that causes pain and much discomfort in elderly individuals. In addition to loss of calcium, there is also loss of iron, zinc, and phosphorus from the urine during a high protein diet. It is known that zinc is needed to balance other minerals in the blood.

“The best dietary is a very simple one consisting of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Apart from these three food groups, all other foods should be used sparingly.” www.ucheepines.org/dangers-of-a-high-protein-diet/

Enjoy the simple fare that God provides through a plant-based diet and enjoy good health.