Hello
I wanted to post some info for those interested in the benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet. I would also like to say that Just because the human species is capable of consuming meat, does not mean that it is not damaging to our system. Physiologically we are not well adapted for the consumption of animal matter; especially at the amounts consumed by North Americans. Many other primates are capable of eating animal matter, but do not.
The Issue of Protein
Can the vegan (strict vegetarian) diet provide enough protein for sound human health? The medical community agrees about the distinct health advantages of a vegan diet, but the protein question stays with us because animal products have been promoted by the industries that produce them, sell them, and want people to think of them as the best source of protein. This assumption is wrong and can be harmful, as a quick study of the facts about vegetable protein and nutrition shows.
The Importance of Protein
Protein is essential to human health. Our bodies—hair, muscles, fingernails, and so on—are made up mostly of protein. As suggested by the differences between our muscles and our fingernails, not all proteins are alike. This is because differing combinations of any number of 20 amino acids may constitute a protein. In much the same way that the 26 letters of our alphabet serve to form millions of different words, the 20 amino acids serve to form different proteins.
Amino acids are a fundamental part of our diet. While half of the 20 can be manufactured by the human body, the other 10 cannot.1 These “essential amino acids” can easily be provided by a balanced vegan diet.
How Much Protein?
As babies, our mothers’ milk provided the protein we needed to grow healthy and strong. Cow’s milk has about three times the amount of protein found in human breast milk. Once we start eating solid foods, non-animal sources can easily provide us with all the protein we need. Only 10 percent of the total calories consumed by the average human being need be in the form of protein.2 The Recommended Dietary Allowance for both men and women is 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight.3 People with special needs (such as pregnant women) are advised to get a little more. Vegans should not worry about getting enough protein; if you eat a reasonably varied diet and ingest sufficient calories, you will undoubtedly get enough protein. Protein deficiency, or “kwashiorkor,” is very rare in the U.S. and is usually diagnosed in people living in countries suffering from famine.4
By contrast, eating too much animal protein has been directly linked to the formation of kidney stones and has been associated with cancer of the colon and liver.5,6 By replacing animal protein with vegetable protein, you can improve your health while enjoying a wide variety of delicious foods.
Protein Sources
While just about every vegetarian food contains some protein, the soybean deserves special mention, for it contains all the essential amino acids and surpasses all other food plants in the amount of protein that it can deliver to the human system. In this regard, it is nearly equal to meat. The human body is able to digest 92 percent of the protein found in meat and 91 percent of that found in soybeans.7 The many different and delicious soy products (such as tempeh, soy “hot dogs” and “burgers,” Tofutti brand “ice cream,” soy milk, and tofu) available in health and grocery stores suggest that the soybean, in its many forms, can accommodate a wide range of tastes.
Other rich sources of non-animal protein include legumes, nuts, seeds, yeast, and freshwater algae. Although food yeasts (“nutritional yeast” and “brewer’s yeast”) do not lend themselves to forming the center of one’s diet, they are extremely nutritious additions to most menus (in soups, gravies, breads, casseroles, and dips). Most yeasts get about 50 percent of their calories from protein.8
Percentage of Calories From Protein
(Value per 100 Grams Edible Portion, From USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2003)9
LEGUMES
Garbanzo beans 21%
Kidney beans 58%
Lentils 34%
Lima beans 24%
Navy beans 37%
Soybeans 35%
Split peas 29%
GRAINS
Barley14%
Brown rice 8%
Buckwheat 15%
Millet 12%
Oatmeal 17%
Rye 18%
Wheat germ 26%
Wheat, hard red 15%
Wild rice 16%
VEGETABLES
Artichokes 28%
Beets 15%
Broccoli 33%
Brussels sprouts 31%
Cabbage 24%
Cauliflower 32%
Cucumbers 17%
Eggplant 17%
Green peas 27%
Green pepper 17%
Kale 26%
Lettuce 36%
Mushrooms 56%
Mustard greens 41%
Onions 9%
Potatoes 18%
Spinach 50%
Tomatoes 19%
Turnip greens 20%
Watercress 84%
Yams 5%
Zucchini 30%
FRUITS
Apple 2%
Banana 5%
Cantaloupe 10%
Grape 4%
Grapefruit 8%
Honeydew melon 6%
Orange 8%
Papaya 6%
Peach 9%
Pear 3%
Pineapple 4%
Strawberry 8%
Tangerine 6%
Watermelon 8%
NUTS AND SEEDS
Almonds 15%
Cashews 13%
Filberts 9%
Peanuts 18%
Pumpkin seeds 18%
Sesame seeds 12%
Sunflower seeds 16%
Walnuts, black 15%
As the above chart demonstrates, protein deficiency need not be a concern for vegans. If we ate nothing but wheat, oatmeal, or potatoes, we would easily take in more than enough protein.
Of course, an actual vegan would never want to be limited to just one food. The vegan diet can (and should) be full of a wide variety of delicious foods. Call 1-888-VEG-FOOD for some recipes and cooking tips to get you and your family started.
References
1 University of Arizona, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, “Amino Acids Problem Set,” The Biology Project, 25 Aug. 2003.
2 Paula Kurtzweil, “‘Daily Values’ Encourage Healthy Diet,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2003.
3 Food and Nutrition Board, “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein and Amino Acids (Macronutrients),” National Academy of Sciences (2002): 10-1.
4 U.S. National Library and the National Institutes of Health, “Kwashiorkor,” MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia, 11 Jul. 2002.
5 Gary C. Curhan et al., “A Prospective Study of Dietary Calcium and Other Nutrients and the Risk of Symptomatic Kidney Stones,” The New England Journal of Medicine 328 (1993): 833-8.
6 Kathleen M. Stadler, “The Diet and Cancer Connection,” Virginia Tech, Nov. 1997.
7 Gertjan Schaafsma, “The Protein Digestiblity-Corrected Amino Acid Score,” Journal of Nutrition 130 (2000):1865S-1867S.
8 USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, “Leavening Agents, Yeast, Baker’s, Active Dry,” 16 Jul. 2003.
9 Agricultural Research Service, “Nutrient Data Laboratory,” United States Department of Agriculture, 29 Aug. 2003.
Keeping a Healthy Heart
Heart disease is the number one health problem in the United States, accounting for more than a million heart attacks and a half million deaths every year.1 Because we now know what causes heart attacks, we can prevent them. Studies show that people who have heart attacks often have high cholesterol levels; many also smoke or have high blood pressure. When these causes are controlled, heart attacks become rare.
Cholesterol and Your Heart
In many studies, researchers have found that higher levels of cholesterol are linked to a greater risk of having a heart attack. For every 1 percent increase in the amount of cholesterol in your blood, there is a 2 percent increase in your risk of having a heart attack; conversely, every 1 percent reduction in your cholesterol level reduces your risk by 2 percent.2
Elevated cholesterol—anything above 150—promotes atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol, fat, and cells in the arteries that feed the heart muscle.3 When these arteries become clogged, a section of this muscle loses its blood supply. The result is a heart attack.
Fortunately, this process can be reversed without drugs and their side effects. Dr. Dean Ornish demonstrated this fact in his landmark study of patients with advanced heart disease. Dr. Ornish put a group of patients on a completely vegetarian diet, which was less than 10 percent fat. They were also asked to begin a moderate exercise program, walking a half hour every day, and were taught relaxation techniques. Patients in this group found that their chest pain disappeared and their cholesterol levels dropped at a rate comparable to that of cholesterol-lowering drugs, without the side effects. Because the patients felt so much better, they were motivated to stick with this program. The plaques that had been growing in their hearts for decades actually started to dissolve within one year.4
According to Ornish and other heart researchers, a vegan (pure vegetarian) diet is the best for lowering cholesterol levels. Plant foods contain no cholesterol, whereas meats, eggs, and dairy products contain large amounts of cholesterol, saturated fats, and concentrated protein, all harmful substances. Also, the high fiber content of a vegetarian diet (meat, dairy products, and eggs have no fiber at all) helps “wash away” excess cholesterol in your digestive tract.
Lowering Your Cholesterol Level
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the meat, dairy, and egg industries, many Americans still believe that animal products are necessary for good health. One of the largest studies of lifestyle and health found the heart disease mortality rates for lacto-ovo vegetarian males to be only one-third that of meat-eating men.5 The British Medical Journal published findings from a study concluding that lifelong vegans have a 57 percent reduced risk of death from heart disease.6
Don’t settle for halfway measures; you’ll only be half as healthy as you could be. It’s never too late to change your habits and improve your health. For breakfast, forget bacon and eggs and enjoy oatmeal, cereal, bagels, scrambled tofu, or fresh fruit smoothies. For lunch, try salads, vegetable-based soups, or veggie “burgers” and “dogs.”
For dinner, make spaghetti with marinara sauce instead of meat sauce, fix bean burritos instead of beef tacos, or try vegetable lasagna, using soft tofu or nutritional yeast instead of ricotta cheese. Virtually any meat-based dish can be made with vegetables or with soy substitutes that mimic meat flavor. Try Tofutti or other nondairy ice creams for dessert.
Eating out? Chinese, Mexican, Thai, and Indian restaurants offer an array of tasty vegetable and/or tofu dishes. More and more American restaurants offer veggie or portobello burgers or pizza (hold the cheese); and you can always ask for a vegetable plate with a baked potato or rice or try the salad bar. Be creative! Meatless meals can be as tasty as they are healthful.
Preventing Heart Attacks
• Become a botanical gourmet. Choose beans, grains, vegetables, and fruits. Avoid meats, fish, eggs, and cheese.
• Include high-fiber foods in your diet. Whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oats, and vegetables supply fiber, which helps lower cholesterol.
• Avoid dairy products; they contain cholesterol and saturated fats. Calcium can be obtained from vegetables, nuts, and beans.
• Avoid tobacco. Smoking promotes atherosclerosis and robs your body of oxygen.
• Have your blood pressure and cholesterol level checked regularly.
• Exercise regularly. Walking, running, tennis, and any other activity that increases the heart rate is helpful.
• Write to PETA for delicious, eggless, nondairy vegetarian recipes.
Resources
1American Heart Association, “Heart Attack and Angina Statistics,” 3 Oct. 2003.
2Neal Barnard, Food for Life (New York: Harmony Books, 1993) 34.
3W.C. Roberts, “Preventing and Arresting Coronary Atherosclerosis,” American Heart Journal 130 (1995): 580-600.
4Dean Ornish et al., “Can Lifestyle Changes Reverse Coronary Heart Disease?” The Lancet 336 (1990): 624-6.
5R.L. Phillips et al., “Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Among Seventh-Day Adventists With Differing Dietary Habits: A Preliminary Report,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 31 (1978): S191-S198.
6M. Thorogood et al., “Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins in Groups With Different Dietary Practices Within Britain,” British Medical Journal 295 (1987): 351-3.
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