Nutrient content in vegatables, beef (Response to Bob Avery) [s]

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FROM: Bob Avery [ <rwavery rwavery] Sent:

Sunday, April 24, 2005 9:08 PM RE: Protein powder is poison

Elchanan,

>The quantities of protein found in fruits and tender greens are perfect for

our species, after weaning, about 5-6% of total calories, perhaps even a bit

less. More than this is toxic.

 

I've been enjoying your posts from a lurking perspective of late, and for

the most part agree with them. I have to point out a correction here though.

You are right about the fruits, but the greens are about 25-35% protein by

calories, higher than steak.

Bob Avery

_____

Hi Bob,

Actually, the numbers are far more scattered, and as I've written before,

virtually no one in the RF world outside our little group has actually

worked in detail with nutritional data directly. Following are some data

points for greens, taken directly from the USDA nutrient database SR 17 (the

current release). Note that the USDA uses the Atwater conversion factors and

is therefore considered more accurate than virtually all commercially

available databases (Nutridiary, FitDay, etc.)

 

More specifically, these commercial nutritional analysis products typically

use the 9-4-4 factors (9 calories per gram of fat, 4 each per gram of

protein and carbohydrate). But the Atwater factor for calories per gram of

fat in vegetables is only 2.44. Therefore, these products significantly

overstate % protein from vegetables, across the board and all the time.

 

 

% protein in:

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

 

Arugula 25

Butter/bibb lettuce 25

Celery 12

Collards 20

Iceberg lettuce 16

Kale 16

Leaf lettuce 21

Romaine 18

Spinach 30

 

As you can see, greens average around 20% of calories from protein

(unweighted). Weighted (casually), and assuming that people eat far more

leaf lettuce, celery, and kale than the others, then the average is closer

to 16%. Add back spinach in any quantity, and you're back around 20%.

 

Regarding beef...we really don't pay much attention around here to the

macronutrient content of animal foods, most of our work focuses on plant

foods. In preparing this response, I did spend some time scanning the USDA

nutrient database in the beef section, which contains hundreds of entries.

There are some raw beef entries with protein in the 20-30% range, however,

there are far more entries in the 40s-70s. I would have to spend more time

than I ever (presently) plan to in this section of the nutrient database in

order to say more.

 

But even if it were true that beef averages around 20% of calories from

protein, this still would not put been on the same level as vegetables. Beef

has far more total calories than vegetables, so even if the percent of

calories from protein were similar, the ACTUAL grams of protein would be

much higher. So meats really raise your percent from protein for the day,

whereas greens almost never do. Further, all the leading studies (sans

Atkins), hundreds of them, point to animal foods and specifically to animal

proteins as the primary cause of almost all modern " diseases. " The proteins

themselves are QUITE different in chemical composition, much higher in acid

components (e.g., sulfur) than plant proteins.

 

Best to all,

Elchanan

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