One Reason Not To Cut Meat From Your Diet

Meat Is The Only Source Of Protein?

We have to eat meat to get protein? Protein is vitally important for our health and if we don’t get adequate amounts of protein in our diets we can die from health related issues. Okay, yes it is true protein is vitally important to our health, but we don’t need to get protein from meat. I eat a plant-based diet and literally the first question I get is, “Where do you get your protein from?”

I expect this question because we have purposely been socialized to think this way to promote the sale of meat. Meat is not the only source of protein. All foods contain protein, and yes that includes plant-based foods.

Meat is not the only source of protein

We Need To Get Our Protein From Meat Because It Contains Complete Proteins?

The argument has been made supporting the idea that we should get our protein from meat because it contains complete proteins and that its protein is more usable by our bodies than protein from plants. Science does show that the makeup of protein compounds in animals is more closely related to the protein makeup in humans which allows our bodies to use animal protein more efficiently.

During the early periods of the study of protein in plants researchers thought that plants didn’t contain all the animo acids (proteins) we needed so animal-based protein was thought to be superior to plant-based protein. One reason for this was all the funding and studies went into identifying and reinforcing the idea that animal-based protein was superior.

As more funding became available to do more comprehensible studies on protein in plants it was realized that plants contain complete proteins also, but just not in the same ratio as animal-based protein do. Yes animal-based proteins do contain these proteins (amino acids) in ratios that are more closely related to that of the human body, and this is why the body uses animal-based protein more efficiently. Though animal-based proteins are used more efficiently, it is still important to know plant life does contain these amino acids also.

Meat is not the only source of complete proteins

Animal-based Proteins Are Healthier For Us Because The Body Uses Them More Efficiently?

It would seem like consuming animal-based proteins would be better than consuming plant-based proteins because they are used more efficiently by our bodies. Proponents of selling animal-based products pushed this idea because the consumption protein was looked upon as the best way to combat malnutrition, and the use of animal-based products was thought to be the best way to combat malnutrition and to protect health.

Studies show that the body’s more efficient use animal-based protein it not the better thing for the body. Yes, since animal-based protein more closely resembles the protein structure of our bodies it is more efficient in supporting and enhancing the growth of our bodies. The consumption of animal-based protein helps to make us bigger faster.

This accelerated growth does not only apply to the growth of our bodies, but also the growth and cancer in our bodies. Studies show the makeup of animal-based protein also supports the growth of cancer cells in the body. Cancer feeds off the particular makeup of animal-based protein far more efficiently than it does with plant-based protein.

Studies show that as we increase our consumption of animal-based protein from 10% to just 20% of our total calories, cancer increases exponentially. Studies have shown that the increase of the consumption of plant-based protein even up to 20% does not support cancer development in the body. The reason attributed to this is since the amino acids of plant-based foods are not in the same ratio and makeup as the body, the body uses the amino acids less efficiently which allows the body to control growth.

This doesn’t mean plant-based foods don’t support healthy living, because they do. The consumption of plant-based protein and food just controls overall growth better than the consumption of animal-based protein and food. This is why in general people who eat a whole food plant-based diet to tend to be slimmer.

Animal-based protein supports the growth of cancer

But I Need To Eat A Lot Of Protein To Be Healthy, Science Says So?

Science confuses people. Science gives conflicting information so we have to be diligent and study to find out why we receive conflicting information. The truth is out there, but we must be steadfast in seeking it out.

The recommended daily allowance of protein has always been around 10% of the total calories eaten. This is all the protein we need in our daily diet to support healthy living. The RDA for protein consumption had been 10% of the total calories eaten up until 2002. In 2002 the Food and Nutrition Board’s 2002 report that veered away from established level of protein consumption, and the allowance for protein in the report skyrocketed to 35%.

This was not based scientific evidence that supported the increase to 35% as supporting healthy living. Science still supported that we only needed to consume protein making up only 10% of the total calories eaten, and eating more than that could actually have adverse effects on health.

The decision to increase the percentage of consumption of protein was based on industry ties which influenced decision to increase protein consumption. The chairman of the Dietary Guidelines Committee, who happened to be the chairman of the Food and Nutrition Board in 2002, was sued and he had to reveal his ties with the dairy industry, which had supplied him with funding.

We Only need 10% of our diet to consist of protein

Sorry, I couldn’t find a reason not to cut meat out of the diet. The closer we move to a whole food plant-based diet and away from meat and processed food consumption, the better our chances for healthy living are.