Odi's astoundingly incomplete notes
New entries | FoodThe protein myth
Meat is high quality protein1. Meat gives you all the protein your body needs.
1see bottom for definition
These are the words you have most likely heard. And they are true. They are one of the top facts used by the meat industry to trick you into believing that you need to eat meat. And that is not true. You don't need meat - at all. You can even get rid of all animal products in your diet. With no adverse effects - rather the opposite.
What few people realize:
It's near to impossible to suffer from a lack of protein
Unless you live in a region where famine is a common problem.
Also a vegan diet delivers all essential amino acids.
Because vegans don't eat only a single vegetable. The 8 essential amino acids are abundant in the following plants:
What is "high quality" protein?
The building blocks of all proteins are amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids. All but eight of them can be made by your body by chemical reactions. The other eight you have to eat and ingest. They can not be made by your body. They are thus called "essential amino acids", because it is essential to eat them.
Protein (or a combination of proteins) that contains all the essential amino acids (and any number of nonessential ones) is called "high quality". Animals and the human body store essential compounds in generous quantities in order to compensate any temporary shortage. Thus meat contains a lot of high quality protein.
1see bottom for definition
These are the words you have most likely heard. And they are true. They are one of the top facts used by the meat industry to trick you into believing that you need to eat meat. And that is not true. You don't need meat - at all. You can even get rid of all animal products in your diet. With no adverse effects - rather the opposite.
What few people realize:
It's near to impossible to suffer from a lack of protein
Unless you live in a region where famine is a common problem.
Also a vegan diet delivers all essential amino acids.
Because vegans don't eat only a single vegetable. The 8 essential amino acids are abundant in the following plants:
- Isoleucine and Leucine: sesame, peanuts
- Lysine: pulses (beans, lentils, peas), spinach, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa
- Methionine: sesame, cereals, broccoli, mushroom, cauliflower, avocado, potatoes, spinach, peas, oranges
- Phenylalanine: peanuts, sesame, peas
- Threonine: lentils, sesame
- Tryptophan: spirula, sesame, sunflower seed
- Valine: sesame, peanuts
What is "high quality" protein?
The building blocks of all proteins are amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids. All but eight of them can be made by your body by chemical reactions. The other eight you have to eat and ingest. They can not be made by your body. They are thus called "essential amino acids", because it is essential to eat them.
Protein (or a combination of proteins) that contains all the essential amino acids (and any number of nonessential ones) is called "high quality". Animals and the human body store essential compounds in generous quantities in order to compensate any temporary shortage. Thus meat contains a lot of high quality protein.
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