Subject: [S-A] Vegetarians and Protein

[Guest guest]

[s-A] Vegetarians and Protein

Oct 30, 2004 19:41 PDT

 

" Misty L. Trepke "

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 15:35:19 -0000

[s-A] Vegetarians and Protein

 

Comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Vegetarians and the proteins

by Dr. D.P. Atukorale

 

http://origin.dailyfidylnews.lk/2001/08/10/fea04.html

 

It is an astonishing fact that the 'sacred cow' of proteins is still

a major problem for most of the laymen and health professionals such

as doctors and dieticians when they consider the meat-free way of

life.

 

Many laymen and professionals in Sri Lanka have various

misconceptions about vegetarianism and the proteins. One such

misconception is that vegetarians don't get sufficient quantity of

high quality proteins. Other misconception is that vegetable

proteins

are inferior in quality when compared to animal proteins.

 

Whenever I tell my friends and relations that I am a vegetarian

their

first reaction is " how do you get enough proteins? "

 

Vegetarians need not worry about proteins and it is almost

impossible

for a vegetarian to be protein deficient.

 

It is common knowledge that protein is of primary importance to good

health as it plays a crucial role in every cell of our body. All

enzymes are proteins.

 

Antibodies, many hormones and bones all contain proteins.

 

Proteins are capable of yielding some dietary energy (4

Kcal/gm), help to transport fats and vitamins and help to control

body's self-regulatory system (homeostasis).

 

We were taught in our schools and Medical College that eggs, meat

and

milk are first class proteins and plant based proteins are second

class

proteins.

 

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg who was an ardent vegetarian warned that

abundant animal proteins was in fact killing us. He said

that diets high in meat contributed to premature liver and kidney

failure. He was certainly closer to the truth.

 

When calories are adequate protein deficiency is virtually

non-existent. This is because good quality proteins with all the

essential amino-acids (E.A.A.) are abundant in grains, vegetables,

beans, nuts and seeds.

 

It is true that in the under-developed countries sometimes you come

across protein calorie malnutrition. This is not due to

vegetarianism

but due to lack of adequate amount of food.

 

It is true that vegetarians consume less proteins than meat eaters.

But they easily meet their protein needs and protein deficiency is

extremely rare among vegetarians.

 

Vegetarians should take a variety of plant foods and don't need to

consume carefully planned food combinations at every meal as was

believed earlier.

 

Plant protein is healthier than animal protein and excess animal

proteins are associated with increased heart diseases, loss of

calcium from bones

and poor kidney function.

 

One reason why some people in Sri Lanka have become fixed on animal

proteins is that fish, meat, eggs and poultry are expensive and that

makes them more socially desirable.

 

As above food items are very expensive, majority of Sri Lankans

especially those in rural areas can't afford to eat animal food very

often. In Sri Lanka consumption of meat, eggs and dairy products is

somewhat a state symbol.

 

In developing countries such as Sri Lanka, the rise in standard of

living is often accompanied by changes in life style and dietary

changes.

 

It is frequently seen that the " new rich " and the people who

migrate to urban areas from villages and who have never taken beef,

mutton, and pork and eggs emulate the eating habits of the " urban

rich " and consume more protein-rich animal foods and this trend

leads

to chronic diseases such as heart attacks, cancer, kidney diseases,

hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

 

Protein chemistry

 

A protein molecule consists of long twisted strands of aminoacids,

the building blocks of protein.

Every aminoacid contains nitrogen.

 

The food we consume contains about 20 different amino acids of which

we can make 11 of them in our body and these are called non-

essential

amino-acids. The other 9 are called essential amino-acids (E.A.A.)

and

these we must get from our food.

 

All proteins such as meat,eggs, beans, nuts and grains contain all

E.A.A.

 

Gelatin is the only protein which is lacking in most of the E.A.A.

Some

of the plant proteins do not contain all the E.A.A.

in sufficient quantities, but as vegetarians take a variety of foods

they don't get any deficiency of E.A.A.

 

Protein quality also depends on how well i.e. how easily a

particular

protein is digested and broken down into its individual amino-acids.

 

Plant proteins are about 85% digestible and those based on animal

proteins are about 95% digestible and that is a small difference.

 

How much proteins do we need

 

This depends on many factors such as age, body size, climate,

activity level and overall health.

 

Number of calories in the diet also affect protein needs. When

calories

are low, body burns proteins for energy and overall protein

requirement

goes up.

 

Protein needs depend on the nitrogen balance.

 

Nitrogen balance studies tell us how much protein we must consume to

meet our nitrogen needs.

 

Nitrogen balance studies have been used to establish the protein

R.D.A.

(recommended dietary allowance)

 

R.D.A. for protein is 63 grams for an adult male and 50 grams for an

adult female. These are American figures and Sri Lankan figures

should

be very much less.

 

Protein requirements depend not on the actual body weight but on the

ideal body weight.

 

The more specific R.D.A. for proteins is 0.8 grams for every

kilogram of

ideal body weight.

 

Vegetarians and proteins

 

Vegetarians usually have diets that are lower in proteins. As

vegetable proteins contain less protein than animal proteins and as

they contain limited amino-acids, vegetarians have to consume more

proteins.

 

A better R.D.A. for vegetarians (excluding lactovegetarians

and lacto-ovo-vegetarians whose protein needs are like that of

omnivores) is 1.0 gram of protein per kg of body weight compared to

0.8 grams recommended for non-vegetarians.

 

Vegans (pure vegetarians) get about 11-12% of their calories from

protein whereas omnivores get about 15-17% of calories from protein.

 

Surveys show that vegans get plenty of proteins.

 

Vegetarians don't have to do anything special to meet their protein

requirements.

 

Just eat enough calories, maintain your ideal weight and include a

variety of plant foods such as organic soya, lentils (dhal)and

other legumes such as beans, lima beans (mekaral) potatoes, spinach,

tofu, whole grains, red rice and peas.

 

Some of the vegetarian foods such as broccoli are superior to animal

foods such as beef and are more protein dense.

 

=====

Fidyl

Live Simply So That

Others May Simply Live

--

Protein in the Vegan Diet

 

---

 

Protein in the Vegan Diet

by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

---

 

Summary: It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the

recommendations

for protein, as long as calorie intake is adequate.

 

Strict protein 'combining' is not necessary; it is more important to

eat

a varied diet throughout the day.

 

Some Americans are obsessed with protein. Vegans are bombarded with

questions about where they get their protein.

 

Athletes used to eat thick steaks before competition because they

thought it would improve their performance. Protein supplements are

sold

at health food stores.

 

The concern about protein is misplaced.

 

Although protein is certainly an essential nutrient which plays many

key

roles in the way our bodies function, we do not need huge quantities

of

it.

 

In reality, we need small amounts of protein. Only one calorie out

of

every ten we take in needs to come from protein (1).

 

Athletic performance is actually improved by a high carbohydrate

diet,

not a high protein diet. Protein supplements are expensive,

unnecessary,

and even harmful for some people.

 

How much protein do we need?

 

The RDA recommends that we take in 8/10ths of a gram of protein for

every kilogram which we weigh (or about 0.36 grams of protein per

pound

that you weigh). This recommendation includes a generous safety

factor

for most people.

 

When we make a few adjustments to account for some plant proteins

being

digested somewhat differently from animal proteins and for the amino

acid mix in some plant proteins, we arrive at a level of 1 gram of

protein per kilogram body weight (0.45 grams of protein per pound

that

you weigh).

 

Since vegans eat a variety of plant protein sources, somewhere

between

0.8 and 1 gram of protein per kilogram would be a protein

recommendation

for vegans.

 

If we do a few calculations we see that the protein recommendation

for

vegans amounts to close to 10% of calories coming from protein [For

example, a 79 kg vegan male aged 25 to 50 years. His RDA for

calories is

2900 calories per day. His protein needs might be as high as 79 kg x

1

gram/kg = 79 grams of protein. 79 grams of protein x 4 calories/gram

of

protein = 316 calories from protein per day. 316 calories from

protein

divided by 2900 calories = 10.1% of calories from protein].

 

So, in the US it appears that vegan diets are commonly lower in

protein

than standard American diets. Remember, though, with protein, more

(than

the RDA) is not necessarily better.

 

There do not appear to be health advantages to consuming a high

protein

diet. Diets which are high in protein may even increase the risk of

osteoporosis and heart and kidney disease.

 

 

 

Table 1: Sample Menus Showing How Easy It Is To Meet Protein Needs

 

Protein (gms)

 

Breakfast:

1 cup Oatmeal 6

1 cup Soymilk 9

1 whole grain organic bagel 6

 

Lunch:

2 slices Whole Wheat Bread 5

1 cup Vegetarian Baked Beans 12

 

Dinner:

5 oz firm organic Tofu 16

1 cup cooked Broccoli 5

1 cup cooked Brown Rice 5

2 Tbsp Almonds 3

 

Snack:

2 Tbsp organic Peanut Butter 8

6 Crackers 2

 

TOTAL 80 grams

Protein Recommendations for Male Vegan 63-79 grams

[based on 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight for 79-

kilogram

(174-pound) male]

 

 

---

 

 

Breakfast:

2 slices Whole Wheat Toast 5

2 Tbsp Peanut Butter 8

 

Lunch:

1 cup non-gmo Soy Yogurt 12

2 Tbsp Almonds 3

1 Baked Potato 4

 

Dinner:

1 cup cooked Lentils 18

1 cup cooked Bulgur 6

 

Snack:

1 cup organic Soymilk 9

 

TOTAL 65 grams

Protein Recommendation for Female Vegan 50-63 grams

[based on 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight for 63-

kilogram

(138-pound) female]

 

Additional food should be added to these menus to provide adequate

calories and to meet requirements for nutrients besides protein.

 

 

 

--------------------------------

 

Table 2 shows the amount of protein in various vegan foods and also

the

number of grams of protein per 100 calories. To meet protein

recommendations, the typical adult male vegan needs only 2.2 to 2.7

grams of protein per 100 calories and the typical adult female vegan

needs only 2.3 to 2.9 grams of protein per 100 calories. These

recommendations can be easily met from vegan sources.

 

Table 2: Protein Content of Selected Vegan Foods

 

FOOD AMOUNT PROTEIN PROTEIN

(gm) (gm/100 cal)

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Tempeh 1 cup 31 9.5

Seitan 4 ounces 15-31 21.4-22.1

Soybeans, cooked 1 cup 29 9.6

Veggie burger 1 patty 5-24 3.8-21.8

Lentils, cooked 1 cup 18 7.8

Tofu, firm 4 ounces 8-15 10-12.2

Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.8

Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.8

Black beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.3

Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup 15 5.4

Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup 14 6.0

Black-eyed peas, cooked 1 cup 13 6.7

Vegetarian baked beans 1 cup 12 5.2

Quinoa, cooked 1 cup 11 3.5

Soymilk, commercial, plain 1 cup 3-10 3-12

Tofu, regular 4 ounces 2-10 2.3-10.7

Bagel 1 medium(3 oz) 9 3.7

Peas, cooked 1 cup 9 3.4

Textured Vegetable Protein

(TVP), cooked 1/2 cup 8 8.4

Peanut butter 2 Tbsp. 8 4.1

Spaghetti, cooked 1 cup 7 3.4

Spinach, cooked 1 cup 6 11.0

Soy yogurt, plain 6 ounces 6 6

Bulgur, cooked 1 cup 6 3.7

Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup 6 3.3

Almonds 1/4 cup 6 2.8

Broccoli, cooked 1 cup 5 10.5

Whole wheat bread 2 slices 5 3.9

Cashews 1/4 cup 5 2.7

Almond butter 2 Tbsp 5 2.4

Brown rice, cooked 1 cup 5 2.1

Potato 1 medium(6 oz) 4 2.6

 

 

Sources: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 12,

1998

and manufacturers' information.

 

The recommendation for protein for adult male vegans is around

63-79 grams per day; for adult female vegans it is around 50-63

grams

per day (see text).

 

It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for

protein. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds

contain

some, and often much, protein.

 

Fruits, sugars, fats, and alcohol do not provide much protein, so a

diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of being too

low

in protein.

However, not many vegans we know live on only bananas,candy,

margarine,

and beer.

 

Vegans eating varied diets containing vegetables, beans, grains,

nuts,

and seeds rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long

as

their diet contains enough energy (calories) to maintain weight.

[see

the sections on Pregnancy, Lactation, and Infants and Children for

details about protein needs during these special times.]

 

 

-

 

Table 3 shows the amount of protein in selected foods from animal

sources. Many of these foods are high in protein, so high that it

may be

difficult to remain below the suggested upper limit for protein

which is

4.5 grams of protein per 100 calories for adults (6).

 

A varied vegan diet can provide adequate, but not excessive protein.

 

 

Table 3: Protein Content of Selected Animal-Derived Foods

 

FOOD AMOUNT PROTEIN PROTEIN

(gm) (gm/100 cal)

 

 

 

--

 

 

Chicken, baked 3 oz 28 17.9

Pork roast 3 oz 25 11.4

Sirloin steak 3 oz. 24 11.4

Flounder, baked 3 oz 21 20.6

Ground beef, lean, baked 3 oz 20 8.9

Cow's milk 1 cup 8 5.1

Cheddar cheese 1 oz 7 6.2

Egg 1 large 6 8.4

 

Source: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 12,

1998.

 

 

The RDA for protein for adult males is 63 grams per day;

for adult females it is 50 grams per day. An average of no more than

4.5 grams of protein per 100 calories is recommended (6).

 

A 3-ounce portion of meat or fish is a small portion, about the

size of the palm of an adult woman's hand.

 

 

---

 

 

What about combining or complementing protein? Doesn't that make the

protein issue much more complex?

 

Let's look at a little background on the myth of complementing

proteins.

Protein is made up of amino acids, often described as its building

blocks.

 

We actually have a biological requirement for amino acids, not for

protein.

 

Humans cannot make nine of the twenty common amino acids, so these

amino

acids are considered to be essential. In other words, we must get

these

amino acids from our diets.

 

We need all nine of these amino acids for our body to make protein.

 

Eggs, cow's milk, meat, and fish have been designated as high

quality

protein. This means that they have large amounts of all the

essential

amino acids.

 

Soybeans, quinoa (a grain), and spinach also are considered high

quality

protein.

 

Other protein sources of non-animal origin usually have all of the

essential amino acids, but the amounts of one or two of these amino

acids may be low.

 

For example, grains are lower in lysine (an essential amino acid)

and

legumes are lower in methionine (another essential amino acid) than

those protein sources designated as high quality protein.

 

Frances Moore Lappe, in her book Diet for a Small Planet advocated

the

combining of a food low in one amino acid with another food

containing

large amounts of that amino acid.

 

This got to be a very complicated process, with each meal having

specific amounts of certain foods in order to be certain of getting

a

favorable amino acid mix. Many people got discouraged with the

complexity of this approach.

 

Actually, Lappe was being overly conservative to avoid criticism

from

the " Nutrition Establishment. "

 

She has since repudiated strict protein combining, saying " In

combating

the myth that meat is the only way to get high quality protein, I

reinforced another myth.

 

I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without

meat,

considerable care was needed in choosing foods.

Actually it is much easier than I thought " (.

 

We recommend eating a variety of unrefined grains, legumes, seeds,

nuts,

and vegetables throughout the day, so that if one food is low in a

particular essential amino acid, another food will make up this

deficit.

 

 

Even if you ate only one food and not the variety of foods typical

of a

vegan diet, you would probably get enough protein and essential

amino

acids.

 

Remember, almost all protein sources of non-animal origin contain

all

of the essential amino acids. You would have to eat a lot of the

protein

source (if there was only one source of protein in your diet) to

meet

essential amino acid needs.

 

Table 4 (page 147) shows the amounts of various foods an adult male

would have to eat if he relied on a single food source for his

protein

needs. Females would need about 20 percent less of each food due to

the

lower protein recommendation for women.

 

 

 

---

-----------

 

 

References

1. Food and Nutrition Board, National Research Council: Recommended

Dietary Allowances, 10th ed. Washington, DC: National Academy Press,

1989.

2. Bergstrom J, Hermansen L, Hultman E, Saltin B. Diet, muscle

glycogen

and physical performance. Acta Physiol Scan 1967; 71: 140-150.

 

3. Messina M, Messina V. The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets.

Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, 1996.

 

4. Kerstetter JE, Allen LH. Dietary protein increases urinary

calcium. J

Nutr 1990; 120: 134-136.

 

5. Dwyer JT, Madans JH, Tumbull B, et al. Diet, indicators of kidney

disease, and later mortality among older persons in the NHANES I

epidemiologic follow-up study. Am J Public Health 1994; 84: 1299-

1303.

 

6. Committee on Diet and Health, Food and Nutrition Board: Diet and

Health. Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease. Washington, DC:

National Academy Press, 1989.

 

7. Lappe FM. Diet for a Small Planet. New York: Ballantine Books,

1971.

 

8. Lappe FM. Diet for a Small Planet, 10th anniversary edition. New

York: Ballantine Books, 1982.

 

9. Young VR, Pellett PL. Plant proteins in relation to human protein

and

amino acid nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59 (suppl): 1203S-1212S.

 

10. Position of The American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian diets.

J

Am Diet Assoc 1997; 97: 1317-1321.

 

11. Kies C. Bioavailability: A factor in protein quality. J Agric

Food

Chem 1981; 29: 435-440.

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

[Guest guest]

Body builders who switched to soy protein from egg and whey protein

started to lose muscle mass right away.

 

Vegetarians have other deficiencies too; notably EPA and DHA, which

are needed in fairly large amounts and when deficient, are replaced by

LA in cell membranes, leading to the inflammation and atherosclerosis

vegetarians are known for.

 

I tell vegetarians to eat fish, eggs and undenatured whey.

 

Duncan

 

> Comments?

> Misty L. Trepke

> http://www..com

> Other misconception is that vegetable

> proteins

> are inferior in quality when compared to animal proteins.

>

[Guest guest]

In the book " Breaking The Food Seduction, " by Dr. Neal Barnard, he states that

meat, fish, diary, eggs, chocolate (and related sweets), are all part of a food

" seduction, " and that we'd all be better off without them..

 

Who are we to believe?

jp

-

Duncan Crow

Friday, September 22, 2006 9:07 AM

Re: [s-A] Vegetarians and

Protein

 

 

Body builders who switched to soy protein from egg and whey protein

started to lose muscle mass right away.

 

Vegetarians have other deficiencies too; notably EPA and DHA, which

are needed in fairly large amounts and when deficient, are replaced by

LA in cell membranes, leading to the inflammation and atherosclerosis

vegetarians are known for.

 

I tell vegetarians to eat fish, eggs and undenatured whey.

 

Duncan

 

> Comments?

> Misty L. Trepke

> http://www..com

> Other misconception is that vegetable

> proteins

> are inferior in quality when compared to animal proteins.

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.8/455 - Release 9/22/2006

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Opinions on veganism can easily be manipulated by emotion, compromize

and idealism. Rather than believing someone else's pre-manipulated

opinion you can form your own. Talk and books are cheap; everyone has

the same data to fall back on.

 

Duncan

 

 

, " John Polifronio "

<counterpnt wrote:

>

> In the book " Breaking The Food Seduction, " by Dr. Neal Barnard, he

states that meat, fish, diary, eggs, chocolate (and related sweets),

are all part of a food " seduction, " and that we'd all be better off

without them..

>

> Who are we to believe?

> jp

> -

> Duncan Crow

>

> Friday, September 22, 2006 9:07 AM

> Re: [s-A]

Vegetarians and Protein

>

>

> Body builders who switched to soy protein from egg and whey

protein

> started to lose muscle mass right away.

>

> Vegetarians have other deficiencies too; notably EPA and DHA,

which

> are needed in fairly large amounts and when deficient, are

replaced by

> LA in cell membranes, leading to the inflammation and

atherosclerosis

> vegetarians are known for.

>

> I tell vegetarians to eat fish, eggs and undenatured whey.

>

> Duncan

[Guest guest]

I tell vegetarians to eat fish, eggs and undenatured whey

 

Duncan, I read on another list that whey is made from bovine blood products.

Can you clarify this if it is true and please tell me what exactly undenatured

whey is. Thank you, Betty

 

 

[Guest guest]

When the casein (a protein) and most of the lactose are taken from

milk, the liquid that is left is undenatured whey. The casein and

lactose are later fermented as cheese.

 

This is something anyone could look up before they publish pure

bullshit, but agenda sites say what they want, often with little

regard for truth as they concentrate on an emotional argument. Their

disinformation had to be deliberate in this case.

 

Beware the agenda sites

 

Relax, you're on a good list now; I'd drop the other one if I were

you.

 

Duncan

 

> , " Betty Shelly "

<pigeon2003 wrote:

>

> I tell vegetarians to eat fish, eggs and undenatured whey

>

> Duncan, I read on another list that whey is made from bovine blood

products. Can you clarify this if it is true and please tell me what

exactly undenatured whey is. Thank you, Betty