Protein, Protein, Protein!
Protein, protein, protein—I’m tired of hearing about how “essential” animal protein is to our bodies! Yeah, man the big giant hunter, distinguishable by our sharp talons, large canine teeth, and pack-mentality. Ask Dr. Fuhrman, he’ll tell you, most people can get all the protein they need from plant sources; check out Nutrient Density of Green Vegetables.
But Americans love their meat! Beef, pork, bacon, chicken, sausage—you name it, we’ll fry it, and slam it in between two pieces of white bread. Yum. Borrowing a catch phrase from Stephen Colbert, “Guess what Nation?” According to Sally Squires of The Washington Post a little extra lean protein in the morning will help satisfy you until lunch, and beyond! Here’s more:
Hungry for more on the protein issue? Read this post by Dr. Fuhrman’s colleague Jeff Novick: Complementary Protein Myth Won't Go Away!
But Americans love their meat! Beef, pork, bacon, chicken, sausage—you name it, we’ll fry it, and slam it in between two pieces of white bread. Yum. Borrowing a catch phrase from Stephen Colbert, “Guess what Nation?” According to Sally Squires of The Washington Post a little extra lean protein in the morning will help satisfy you until lunch, and beyond! Here’s more:
Of all the macronutrients that we eat, "protein blunts your hunger the most and is the most satiating," says Wayne Campbell, who leads a team investigating protein at Purdue University's Campbell Laboratory for Integrative Research in Nutrition, Fitness and Aging…How ironic is it that PURDUE University is leading this investigation, not to mention the study was funded by the National Pork Board—who would have thought there was such a thing? I asked Dr. Fuhrman about this, and he was blunt, to say the least:
…It doesn't seem to matter what type of protein is eaten as long as it's lean. So poultry without the skin, fish, vegetable protein such as soybeans, eggs, low-fat or nonfat dairy products are just as good as eating lean cuts of meat. Nor does it take a lot of protein to see the effects. For healthy people, "an extra three ounces per day is well within the acceptable range," says Campbell, whose study was funded by the National Pork Board. (If you have type 2 diabetes or any medical condition that could affect your kidneys, be sure to check with your doctor before boosting protein intake.)
It was funded by the pork industry. Of course they found out that giving people an extra piece of Canadian bacon helped!!Now, I question the merit of these studies just as much as I do studies funded by pharmaceutical companies. It would seem there is a hidden—or not-so hidden—agenda at work. What’s really sad is someone could read a report like this and then start downing bacon seven days a week—I give you the Atkins crowd.
Hungry for more on the protein issue? Read this post by Dr. Fuhrman’s colleague Jeff Novick: Complementary Protein Myth Won't Go Away!
