This was on the home page of Yahoo, to my surprise:

[shine.yahoo.com]



How much protein do you really need?


By Sarah B. Weir and Lori Bongiorno
Posted Mon Aug 8, 2011 2:04pm PDT More from Green Picks blog

Guess how much protein is in a juicy, 8-ounce cheeseburger washed down with a milkshake? This single meal contains two to three times as much as most people need per day.

It’s no great surprise that Americans chow down on a lot of protein. We love beef and consume about 67 pounds per capita annually (that’s four times the international average). The popularity of low-carb regimes such as Atkins has also made meat the go-to food for dieters.

In fact, the average person eats about double the amount of protein that their body requires, according to the results of 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How to fulfill your daily protein requirement

The human body uses protein to repair damaged cells and to build new ones. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU and author of What to Eat, estimates that the average adult man needs about 65 grams of protein a day and the average adult female needs about 55 grams. Some sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say you can maintain a healthy diet with even less.

What does this actually mean in terms of food choices? The National Institutes of Health explains that most people can meet their daily protein requirement by eating two to three small servings of a protein-rich food a day.

Examples of a single serving of protein include:

1 egg
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
2-3 ounces of red meat, poultry, or fish (about the size of a deck of cards)
½ cup of cooked dried beans such as black beans or chickpeas

Whole grains, seeds, and some vegetables also contain protein, so consuming enough is not difficult even if you don’t eat meat. Vegetarians and vegans can easily get what they need by balancing complimentary proteins such as corn and beans or rice and tofu. Nutritionists used to recommend combining foods at the same meal, but research now shows that is unnecessary.
Are there drawbacks to eating more protein?

Eating large amounts of red and processed meats is associated with higher rates of heart disease and cancer, and most nutritionists such as Marion Nestle recommend cutting back on meat, especially on fatty cuts.

However, it’s less well known that your protein choices can have a substantial impact on the environment. Meat and dairy production requires tremendous amounts of fuel, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, and generates greenhouse gases. The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) recently published Meat Eater’s Guide points out that if you ate once less burger a week it would be the environmentally-positive equivalent of taking your car off the road for 320 miles.

Meat is also expensive. Not all proteins are created equal -- neither at the doctor’s office, nor the cash register. Here’s a comparison of three typical proteins:

Porterhouse steak
Serving size: 4 ounces
Protein: 22 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: 2 nd worst out of 20 analyzed
Cost: 4 dollars
Fat: 22 grams
Saturated fat: 9 grams

Farm-raised salmon
Serving size: 4 ounces
Protein: 22 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: 5th worst
Cost: 3 dollars
Fat: 10 grams
Saturated fat: 2 grams

Lentils
Serving size: 1 cup
Protein: 17.9 grams
EWG carbon footprint rating: best
Cost: 20 cents
Fat: zero
Saturated fat: zero

Many people find meat to be a delicious and satisfying component of their diet that they don’t want to sacrifice. But if you want to save money, eat a nutritionally sound diet, and are concerned about the impact meat and dairy production has on the planet, consider reducing your consumption.

Here are some tips from the EGW's Meat Eater’s Guide:

Reduce portion sizes by eating one less burger or steak each week, or participate in Meatless Mondays by skipping meat (and cheese if you can swing it) just one day a week.
Choose the healthiest protein sources when you can. Beans, low-fat yogurt, and nuts are all high in protein and low-impact.
When you do eat meat and cheese, eat the highest quality that you can afford. (One way to save money is to eat less, but better quality meat and dairy products.) Here’s a guide decoding the labels, from cage-free to grass-fed.
Don’t waste meat. Uneaten meat accounts for about 20 percent of meat’s greenhouse gas emissions.

You don’t have to become a vegetarian or go to other extremes. These small changes will help reduce your impact, while providing plenty of protein in your diet.

I am at a point in my life where I am trying to let go of any concept that you need animal protein in your diet,and that you can rely only on the amino acid(enzyme) protein in raw fruits and veggies.
Vinny

Yes, but for Yahoo to even publish something like this is surprising. They are admitting that humans do not need large amounts of protein, first time ever I read this on Yahoo. Of course, the article was on the home page for just a little while.

Thanks for posting the article rab.

I hope we can someday move beyond the notion that being a vegetarian is "extreme". But what was that old saying? Something about climbing a mountain starts with one step forward? Articles like this are definitely a step in the right direction, and that's encouraging.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2011 08:25AM by suncloud.

Pretty much whats always been said from what ive read study wise, there recommending about a gram of protein per kg of bodyweight which is pretty much the accepted standard worldwide give or take.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

A lot of mainstream clinicians I've talked to have mentioned this, especially during my mom's cancer journey[animal protein overconsumption has been linked to cancerous mutagenesis]so perhaps the idea is moving as a meme into the mainstream, and Yahoo wants to get out ahead of it? Good for them!

They key is over-consumption though where the side effects come into play(which isnt hard if your eating fast food and a SAD diet), some hear that and go totally in the other direction and go low protein which is equally as damaging in my opinion, being that amino acids are required for so many health processes and in turn for the body to function normally and optimally. (i know you know this tamukha, was just meaning generally).

Although there are some cases where the body needs extra protein such as if your an athlete and specifically someone who weight lifts regularly.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2011 02:16PM by powerlifer.

Cool article. According to the kg thing, I would need about 50 grams of protein per day. But I am athletic so I will shoot for a little more. I put a typical day's food into cronometer this morning and it said I was getting about 60 grams a day. I'm still eating a lot of beans though. I don't understand how people make that number with all raw greens! :\ I feel like I'm eating tons of kale and other greens and it only showed the protein levels at like 10-15 grams... is the protein from greens higher quality so we need less?

Corathegreen Wrote:
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is the protein from greens higher quality so we need less?

Nope just the same if not less than foods with compete amino acids(although not grossly necessary at the one time) but obviously they are held in higher regard

Most of the other protein comes from fruits, nuts, seeds for these other people.

EDIT: Noticed you said eating all raw greens, not sure who survives for long on just green vegetables.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Well I guess I was thinking of people who eat lfrv, lots of bananas and then maybe some green salad for dinner. Just trying to figure how they are getting enough protein, since I know they don't eat many nuts and what not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2011 03:02PM by Corathegreen.

There is about a gram of protein per banana so 30 odd bananas would be over half of your protein then the 10-15 grams you said from your green vegetables would be near your recommended protein intake for yourself.

I would like to punch in what the amino acid profile is like on the above though as i don't reckon it is very great looking. There bound to be low levels of some of essential aminos. But i couldn't say for sure without seeing it calculated properly, a woman on another site did an article on it before but i lost the link, if i remember there was low levels of some of the essential aminos and some non-essential. As well as fatty acids.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2011 03:17PM by powerlifer.

Am I safe assuming that the long term hard core raw foodists rarely if ever count grams of protein,or anything else?
Vinny

I want to know too... I didn't worry about it for awhile but now that I'm trying to go all vegan I am concerned. Whenever I put my info in those calorie count sites it tells me I have wayyyyyy over the recommended carbs and hardly any protein.

Their "carb recommendation" for my body height and weight was so low that ONE morning smoothie put me over the limit. How can that be correct?

Eagle, I think probably even the long term hard core raw food vegans are all different; but I'm one of those, and in my experience, learning to use an online nutrition calculator has helped a lot.

If nothing else, it helps give me the confidence to keep doing what I'm doing, if I know I'm getting enough of the right nutrients. I've also found that getting enough of everything I need - especially the minerals - cuts cravings for all the stuff I don't need.

Calorie counts: If anyone is worried about not getting enough protein, it might be more helpful to look at the actual grams of protein you're getting rather than the percent. Also, it helps to know how much protein is recommended for you, considering your age, size, and exercise level.

For example, I'm 60 and short, but I get a fair amount of exercise. At 5'1", with a small frame, I only need 33 grams of protein/day. According to Becoming Raw by Davis and Melina (both registered dietitians), a range would be 38 g for a body weight of 105 lb. to 60 g for a body weight of 165 lb.

Today I calculated (on nutritiondata.com) that my carb/fat/protein ratio was 85/10/5. That's just 5% protein. BUT the 5% protein came out to 34.3 grams of protein, which is 104% of my actual requirement. Do you see what I mean? It's the grams that count, if you're checking to see whether you're getting enough.

The percent won't tell you that. If you ate just ONE bug all day long, you would have a very high percent of protein in your ratio for that day. BUT you would definitely not get enough protein to fulfill your daily protein requirement.

My menu today came to 2137 calories. I had 1/2 ounce chia (1/8 cup), 1/4 ounce brown sesame seeds (1/16 cup), 1/4 ounce sunflower seeds (1/16 cup) plus a couple of stalks of celery, a couple of carrots, a couple of sheets of nori (not included in the count) and lots of fruit. For more protein, a person could add just about whatever they wanted, and they'd get more protein. Nuts, seeds, and greens are concentrated sources, but the difference is, you need a large quantity of greens to add as much protein as a small quantity of nuts and seeds. And of course, nuts and seeds have minerals and vitamins that greens don't have, and vice versa.

The grams was 20 something... below what I'd think was recommended. That was after stuffing myself with green smoothies, fruit, and two huge salads with lots of kale and what not. When I eat til the point I can't eat anymore and only take in 20 something grams of protein it makes me discouraged about how I'm going to be able to do this raw vegan thing.

I mean, what more can I eat? I'm an athlete and I'd like to aim for around 60 grams a day. As a non vegan I was probably eating closer to 100 grams a day. Dropping to 20 something isn't good.

Maybe I should start a thread so you guys can help me with my diet... I'm confused. I know a lot of it is fear... I don't want to stupidly fear just because YOU NEED PROTEIN has been drilled into my head for years now. But at the same time, I feel stronger and better when eating more of it, and I can't ignore that.

Corathegreen, I think you're probably correct that 20 grams of protein on a daily basis are not enough!

What more could you eat? For heavens sake, if you want to stay raw, try eating a few nuts and/or seeds, and quit stuffing yourself! Even 80/10/10 includes an ounce of nuts or seeds a day, which is about 1/4 cup. I normally eat more like 1/2 cup nuts or seeds, and get over 40 grams of protein/day. In my experience, nuts and seeds have to be organic, or they will make me sick.

When I ate like you, I couldn't stay raw either. I'm not sure anyone can. Seeds are the cheapest way to go, and they pack a protein wallop, as well as providing a nutrient-dense source for many of the minerals you need.

Corathegreen Wrote:
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> Maybe I should start a thread so you guys can help
> me with my diet... I'm confused. I know a lot of
> it is fear... I don't want to stupidly fear just
> because YOU NEED PROTEIN has been drilled into my
> head for years now. But at the same time, I feel
> stronger and better when eating more of it, and I
> can't ignore that.

Do make a thread if you need help, ignoring a vital macro-nutrient such as protein isn't wise and in the long run or even short term you would get ill.

Its better safe than sorry, i hear many raw foodists say ohh who cares about iodine, b12 etc this isnt a good attitude in my opinion. When you have irreparable damage from vitamin B12 deficiency it would be a different matter.

Anyway suncloud started you on the right road, nuts and seeds a protein rich by weight so adding in some of those will help increase your protein intake.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Yeah I forgot to mention I've been eating those. Not in huge amounts but I make seed cheese out of pumpkin and sunflower seeds a couple times a week, and I make dressings and sauces with cashews.

I agree with what you said, I want to do this the right way.