The question most often heard by those of us who eat no meat
Gotta love this cartoon. Do you think they are really worried that we're not getting enough protein? How about the kid with the drumstick and the bottle of milk.
The word protein is synonymous with meat in our western world, and it will probably be a very long time before the average person accepts the scientifically proven fact that animal protein in our diet is simply not “needed,” AND that it is downright harmful and arguably (according to the Webster definition) should be labeled “poison.”
“Hi, my name is Teri and I will be your server. Your choices of protein this evening are ribs, T-bone or salmon. Could I take your beverage order?”
In recent years, even after people have seen the light and have cut meat and dairy out of their diets, they still have this lingering fear (after many decades of brainwashing) that they’re not going to get enough protein from just the plants…maybe because people keep asking them the old protein question — every day. So, like Bill Clinton and others, they add a protein shake or eat some fish occasionally.
A friend who sells a high end line of personal products recently asked me to try her protein shakes. So I took them home, checked out the label, tasted one, then poured it down the drain after analyzing the contents. I wanted to be as courteous as possible with my feedback to her so I wrote her the following note:
Dear Mary, Thank you for giving me samples from your line of protein shakes. While they may help improve the health of a great many people, I have concluded that they are not right for me. As you know, I am committed to maximizing the percent of my calories from “whole plants” still in nature’s package. If I consumed your products on a regular basis, my percent of calories from whole plants would have to go down. Here is a summary of my thinking regarding protein shakes in general.
- First of all, I have no interest in increasing my consumption of protein any more than I want to increase my consumption of carbohydrates or fat, the other two macronutrients. Our body needs all three…and it gets just the right amount of each from our eating a variety of whole plants. Just like other herbivores in the wild, including the strongest animals in the world — elephants, horses, hippos, etc.
- Since your protein shakes are not whole plants, that means they’re not something that I would ever want to consume on a regular basis. For the 20% of my calories that are not whole plants (on our 4-Leaf Program);for me, those calories are already allocated to a combination of bread, pasta, cocktails, cookies and an occasional rich hors d’oeuvre in someone’s home.
- Both of the products you gave me have added sugars and added oils and I decided long ago to not consume ANY added sugars or oils on a regular basis — except for the occasional cookie “treat” that I mentioned above.
- The percent of calories from fat for both products is well over 20%. I strive to stay below 15%, Dr Esselstyn likes to see his heart-disease reversal patients get down to 10% of their calories from fat. The average American gets almost 40%.
- All protein shake products are based on the premise that we need more protein than we’re getting, especially if we have cut back on meat and dairy. This is simply not true. In The China Study, Dr. Campbell clearly showed that the ONLY problem with protein is that humans consume way too much of it….especially the protein from animals which promotes heart disease, cancer and many other health issues.
- Did you know that mother’s milk contains only 5% protein at the time when the fastest period of growth is taking place. Nowadays, most adults in this country are getting over 15% protein from animal foods and it’s literally killing us. The plant proteins, on the other hand, are not a problem, regardless of the quantity that we consume — according to Dr. T. Colin Campbell.
Calorie for calorie, spinach and broccoli contain more protein than steak.
Although Bill Clinton credits Doctors Esselstyn, Ornish and Campbell with influencing him to shift to a near optimal diet so he could enable his body to “heal itself, ” he didn’t take their advice about protein. The lifetime of brainwashing on that topic apparently won out over those three prominent individuals that he credits with saving his life.
Still not convinced? Please visit our Protein Page which contains many more articles on this controversial topic.
If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. Also, for help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4-Leaf page. From the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.
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—J. Morris Hicks…blogging daily at HealthyEatingHealthyWorld.com
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J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy. 
Two web sites that address the issue of plant protein are Compassion Over Killing and VegSource.com J. Morris Hicks is doing a very creditable job as well. My wife and I get our plant protein from tofu, tempeh, soy milk, mixtures of beans, seitan and other such things. I feel sorry for people who are allergic to soy and peanuts. Plant proteins now actually taste better to me than meat ever did.