This is by far the number one question I get when I tell someone I am Vegan. For some reason our culture is extremely caught up in the idea that Vegans and vegetarians don’t get enough protein. I have a sneaking suspicion that the meat mark...eting people may have something to do with this. The truth is that North Americans get more than twice the protein they need everyday leading to obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and all kinds of nasty diseases.
Let’s really break it down, biology lesson style. First of all, protein is required for the building, maintenance, and repair of tissues in the body. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, can be synthesized by the body or ingested from food. So where do we get the amino acids that are not synthesized in the body? Let’s start by looking to the sun, all energy starts with the sun. The sun’s rays through photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide into plant compounds especially sugars. These plants are full of all the amino acids humans and non-human animals need to make protein in their own bodies and thrive.
In our conventional food systems we organize animals like cows to eat those plants so they can create protein and grow. Then humans come along and eat the cow’s flesh and milk so they can get the energy back from the plants. For us to get that energy back we have to use a bunch of our own energy to break the meat back down to the original plant amino acids so we can convert that to build the protein we need for our bodies.
Is it just me or does it seem like we are doing a bit of extra work here. Why would be waste all that energy breaking down the protein from beef and dairy back into plant protein when we could simply eat the plants directly in the first place and get everything we need? The crazy part is that in order to get the cows to grow and make this protein we waste unfathomable amounts of water, and fossil fuels and create more global warming gases than any other industry on the planet. And an evil side effect of eating animal protein is the saturated fat and cholesterol we put into our bodies which leads to obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other horrible diseases.
Why not cut out the sickening middle man and get the goods directly from the source – plants. Plants don’t just provide us with all the protein we need, they have some healthy baggage as well. They are a good sources of fiber, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, folate, iron, magnesium and calcium, and they can lower blood cholesterol, as well as reduce the risk of certain diseases. Research has shown that all plants have at least 14% protein and in fact broccoli has more protein per calorie than steak does. Of course, you’ll need to eat a lot more broccoli to get the same amount of calories that you do from the meat. This is where legumes come in. Legumes are packed with dense amounts of protein. Consuming a whole foods Vegan diet with lots of plant variety will guarantee you clean, easily absorbed abundant protein.
PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas
PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini
PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)......
Make no mistake about it, a plant base diet is the key and the only key to health, vitality and longevity. Take a look around you, the healthiest and strongest animals in the world are elephants, cows, horses, rhino's, hippos, gorillas, zebras and giraffes......They are all Vegans and attain 100% of their protein, amino acids and nutrition from plants and only plants......Now, take another look around you, the fattest, most unhealthy and sick humans are meat and dairy eaters and they get most of their protein from dead decomposing flesh...........
Now take one more look and most of you can start in the mirror, the healthiest humans are all Vegans and like our Vegan animal partners on this planet, we too attain 100% of our protein from a plant base diet.
Let’s really break it down, biology lesson style. First of all, protein is required for the building, maintenance, and repair of tissues in the body. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, can be synthesized by the body or ingested from food. So where do we get the amino acids that are not synthesized in the body? Let’s start by looking to the sun, all energy starts with the sun. The sun’s rays through photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide into plant compounds especially sugars. These plants are full of all the amino acids humans and non-human animals need to make protein in their own bodies and thrive.
In our conventional food systems we organize animals like cows to eat those plants so they can create protein and grow. Then humans come along and eat the cow’s flesh and milk so they can get the energy back from the plants. For us to get that energy back we have to use a bunch of our own energy to break the meat back down to the original plant amino acids so we can convert that to build the protein we need for our bodies.
Is it just me or does it seem like we are doing a bit of extra work here. Why would be waste all that energy breaking down the protein from beef and dairy back into plant protein when we could simply eat the plants directly in the first place and get everything we need? The crazy part is that in order to get the cows to grow and make this protein we waste unfathomable amounts of water, and fossil fuels and create more global warming gases than any other industry on the planet. And an evil side effect of eating animal protein is the saturated fat and cholesterol we put into our bodies which leads to obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other horrible diseases.
Why not cut out the sickening middle man and get the goods directly from the source – plants. Plants don’t just provide us with all the protein we need, they have some healthy baggage as well. They are a good sources of fiber, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, folate, iron, magnesium and calcium, and they can lower blood cholesterol, as well as reduce the risk of certain diseases. Research has shown that all plants have at least 14% protein and in fact broccoli has more protein per calorie than steak does. Of course, you’ll need to eat a lot more broccoli to get the same amount of calories that you do from the meat. This is where legumes come in. Legumes are packed with dense amounts of protein. Consuming a whole foods Vegan diet with lots of plant variety will guarantee you clean, easily absorbed abundant protein.
PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas
PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini
PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)......
Make no mistake about it, a plant base diet is the key and the only key to health, vitality and longevity. Take a look around you, the healthiest and strongest animals in the world are elephants, cows, horses, rhino's, hippos, gorillas, zebras and giraffes......They are all Vegans and attain 100% of their protein, amino acids and nutrition from plants and only plants......Now, take another look around you, the fattest, most unhealthy and sick humans are meat and dairy eaters and they get most of their protein from dead decomposing flesh...........
Now take one more look and most of you can start in the mirror, the healthiest humans are all Vegans and like our Vegan animal partners on this planet, we too attain 100% of our protein from a plant base diet.
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