VEGANS,
what about PROTEIN?? You’re going to get Kwashiorkor!
Huh? Wait -- what is Kwashiorkor? Like me, you probably have NO IDEA.
Protein,
protein, protein... It’s a topic that
comes up quite frequently when people find out I (try to) adhere to a
plant-based (a.k.a. vegan) diet. I get
asked all sorts of questions like, “Do vegans eat fish?” No, fish are not plants.
“Do you eat eggs?” No, eggs are not
plants. My favorite question from
carnivores is, “Where do you get your PROTEIN???” My response is usually, “I get my protein
where YOUR protein gets its protein. I
like to cut out the middle-man and go directly to the source.”
In
the United States, there are approximately 7.5 million (and rising!) vegans. Yet, medically diagnosed protein deficiency,
which is called Kwashiorkor,
is almost non-existent! There are a few
cases diagnosed in children each year, and most are due to some form of child
neglect/child abuse situation, not a healthy vegan diet (Adelman and Shekar,
2011).
The
U.S. averages 200 pounds of meat per person, per year (Simon, 2013). I hardly ever consume any, so that means
someone else is eating mine and eating more than 200 pounds! That’s really a lot when you think about
it. And, it’s really, really hurting the
health of Americans.
Hundreds
of clinical studies in the past several decades show that consumption of meat,
fish, and dairy products, especially at the high levels seen in this country,
cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and a whole slew of other diseases! This causes us to have TWICE the obesity rate
(Center for Disease Control, 2014), TWICE the diabetes rate (American Diabetes
Association, 2014), and nearly THREE TIMES the cancer rate (Howlader, et al,
2013) as the rest of the world! Eating
loads of meat isn’t the only reason
people develop these diseases, but it really is THE major factor.
Some
people tell me, “Well, I’ve eaten meat my whole life and I’m healthy!” Or, “My grandparents ate meat their whole
lives and they were just fine!” When
they tell me this, they are usually overweight themselves, their grandparents
were overweight, they have/had diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. THIS
is not “healthy” nor “just fine.” This
is slowly committing suicide with your fork and it isn’t fair to your family
and friends that love you. No one wants
to see you die from cancer or heart disease.
Part
of the reason for this problem is that we have become so DESENSITIZED to these
major diseases and have come to accept them as a “normal part of the life
process” instead of something that is almost 100% PREVENTABLE AND REVERSIBLE!! We THINK these diseases are inevitable, not
preventable. It is a proven fact.
In
The China Study (Campbell, 2006) we see how they were simply able to “turn on”
and “turn off” cancer just by adjusting the amount of animal protein fed. A diet of 5% protein turned it OFF. More than that turned the cancer back ON. Participants of the study done with the
documentary Forks Over Knives were CURED of their heart disease after they were
told they didn’t have much longer to live because of their heart disease. Seriously, if you haven’t already, please
watch Forks Over Knives.
A
friend asked me why I would reject “God’s perfect food, the egg,” saying it was
the greatest source of protein and nutrients, followed by informing me of his
numerous years of nutritional studies.
OHMYWORD. My Dear Sweet Lord in Heaven, thank you for
the gift of patience, peace, and passivity.
I simply said, “Hmmmnnnn… I have a study for you to read.”
The
study, by the way, is The China-Cornell-Oxford Project (Cornell University,
2001). It’s a 30+ year-long study on
MILLIONS of people, THE most comprehensive study on nutrition ever known to
man. It’s not someone’s opinion… It is
factual information YOU (yes, YOU!) need to know.
Also, I want you all to know that “The Incredible Edible Egg” may be EDIBLE,
but it is certainly NOT healthy, nutritious, or safe, and that is even coming
from our own USDA (Greger, 2014)! A
fellow vegan blogger named Sarah, researched it quite well on her blog right
here: https://whativegan.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/the-not-so-incredible-egg/
What
I want you to take away from this is the truth
about protein: You really only need
about 5% of your diet to be from protein, preferably plant sources of
protein. Animal sources of protein ARE
NOT healthy for you and are a true danger to your health. It IS scientifically proven so with The
China-Cornell-Oxford Project that is still in progress, on millions of
people! If you can show me a study that
is done on an equal number of participants, over an equal amount of time, that
is NOT funded by a party with a conflict of interest, and proves differently, I
will acknowledge it.
Happy
forking, my friends!
Resources:
Alderman
H, Shekar M. Nutrition, food security, and health. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE,
Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed.
Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 43.
American
Diabetes Association, National Diabetes Statistics Report, June 10, 2014 Retrieved
on December 10, 2014 from: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/#sthash.QfNLq5C4.dpuf
Campbell,
Thomas M. The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever
Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term
Health. Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2006. Print.
Center
for Disease Control, Adult Obesity Facts, Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Cornell
University, China-Cornell-Oxford Project, 2001, Division of Nutritional
Sciences, Cornell University. Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from: http://webarchives.human.cornell.edu
Forks
Over Knives. Dir. Lee Fulkerson. Prod. Brian Wendel. Perf. T. Colin Campbell,
Ph.D and Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. Monica Beach Media, 2011. DVD.
Greger,
M. (February 17, 2014). Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? NutritionFacts.org.
Retrieved December 10, 2014 from: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/.
Howlader
N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, Garshell J, Miller D, Altekruse SF, Kosary CL, Yu M,
Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z,Mariotto A, Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA (eds).
SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2011, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda,
MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2011/, based on November 2013 SEER
data submission, posted to the SEER web site, April 2014.
IIMSAM,
Intergovernmental institution for the use of micro-algae spirulina against
malnutrition, Retrieved on December 10, 2014 from: http://iimsam.org/en/a-welcome-from-the-iimsam-secretary-general-remigio-maradona/
Simon,
D.R., Meatonomics: How the Rigged Economics of Meat and Dairy Make You Consume
Too Much-and How to Eat Better, Live Longer, and Spend Smarter, Conari
Press, September 1, 2013
