Spring is here and we’re talking protein! How much do we really need?
Last month I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Gigi from De La Heart on all things health, the Standard American Diet, and protein. There were a few key takeaways I thought we should put down on paper for those who missed it or simply don’t have the time to listen!
Protein is essentially the building blocks of our body. It’s the stuff that forms the structure of our cells, organs, tissues and enzymes. We couldn’t live without protein. Protein is in everything – even bananas have protein.
The most important piece of information to take away from our podcast last week is this; Most of our ancestors ate meat, but it was in very small amounts. It was eaten once a week as a treat, or it was served in small portions alongside grains and vegetables, but it was never the centerpiece and never a daily event. We’ve turned that around: today Americans eat animal protein three times a day, seven days a week. Many of us are afraid to follow pure vegetarian diets because we worry about not getting enough protein or eating “incomplete proteins” from plant sources. The fact is, we truly don’t need to eat a complete protein in every bite of food or in every meal. I realize this sets me apart from your conventional nutritionist, but my entire philosophy is based in lowering fear around nutritional science especially when it comes to protein, staying away from looking at foods as numbers rather than nourishment and restoring confidence in the individual.
As a culture, protein deficiency in the US is extremely rare. Most Americans consume almost twice as much protein in their diet as people in any other country in the world. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is .8 gram per kilogram of body weight or .36 gram per pound of body weight. This equals roughly 50 grams of protein for a 150 pound person or about 10% of your calories, not more than 35%. The WHO recommends even less, landing at .66 gram per kilogram of body weight. In America we are getting 70 to 100 grams without even trying, daily. The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics produced a study that found that, on average, even vegetarians and vegans get 70 percent more protein than they need every day (70-plus grams).
I realize some experts recommend even more than the above recommended RDA, and emphasize animals as the most important source of protein, but why? America’s health crisis does not necessarily merit this and you do not have to be a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or a doctor to have a finger on the pulse of what’s going on. The population with perhaps the highest life expectancy in the world doesn’t eat any meat at all – the Adventist vegetarians in California. They are one of the five Blue Zones. Blue Zones are the hotspots across the globe with statistically the highest percentage of centenarians. And guess what, the number one thing these zones all share in common is their diet consisting of 95% plants, very little animal proteins, never counting or weighing anything.
So why are we so hyper focused on protein in the US? We have women spiraling into disordered eating because a specialist told them they aren’t getting enough protein and told to start tracking and weighing if they want to remain healthy and live long.
Which brings me to my next point, the idea that complete proteins are necessary to sustain health and musculature and that they can come only from animal sources is a completely outdated myth. As I shared above, nearly all foods contain small amounts of protein, and it’s very easy to obtain your daily protein requirements from beans, grains, nuts, and green vegetables. The Myth of Complementary Protein is outdated. You will find that any single whole natural plant food, or any combination of them, if eaten as one’s sole source of calories for a day, would provide all of the essential amino acids and not just the minimum requirements but far more than the recommended requirements!
Do you know anyone in your life who is protein deficient? Doubtful. On the flip side, it is likely that someone you love suffers from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or stroke. I think we need to worry more about eating enough vegetables than we do about whether we get enough protein. The data shows we are getting plenty.
Reminder; Healthy protein sources can come from all foods, but it is the quality you need to focus on not the quantity.
Protein sources:
- Quinoa
- Legumes (presoaked)
- Nuts and Seeds
- Nori wraps
- Spirulina algae
- Non-GMO, organic tofu and tempeh
- Organic, cultured dairy products, such as kefir and yogurt
- Free-range, organic eggs
- Free-range, organic chicken
- Fish and seafood (preferably wild-caught, or sustainably-caught)
- Organic, pasture-raised (local, if possible) red meat products
- High-quality vegan protein powders, such as hemp protein and peas.
Take Away
1. You are likely getting enough protein.
2. Focus on the source and quality over the quantity (what is your protein pre-packaged with? Is it fat, cholesterol, and hormones or is it phytonutrients, antioxidants, and minerals?).
3. Animal proteins once a day if desired, 2-3 times a week even better (tap into true ancestral living here).
4. Don’t count or weigh grams. Use intuition & mindfulness (Look at your food as nourishment, not numbers, and Remember that your body will naturally send the signal to eat for whatever your lifestyle is.)
Trust your body and our ancestral history.
Functional Nutritionist & Founder @aTayloredHealth