2005. Awaiting revision 2007 Our National Obsession with ProteinAs a society we are obsessed with protein, and
I believe we eat far too much of it. That's a reason many
kids are overweight. Kids under age three only need about
one gram of protein per pound body weightper day, older
children and teenagers need half that. Given the content
of protein in a Western diet, these are extremely easy
requirements to meet.
When the body metabolizes fats and proteins in the absence of essential carbohydrates, toxic byproducts are produced. These by-products are known as ketones or ketone bodies. When these build up to a high enough level in the body, an abnormal state known as ketosis is created. Those on high-protein diets desire ketosis, although it is abnormal and unsafe. They can tell by the way they feel, in fact, that they are going into ketosis because they feel a "high," and when they feel this "high," they know their high-protein diets are effective. In actual fact, this feeling heralds the beginning of a state of starvation. Physiologically, ketones behave very much like psychotropic drugs. At low levels, they create a sense of euphoria - the ketotic "high" well known to high-protein dieters. At high levels, they produce sleepiness and disorientation. At even higher levels, coma can result. Diabetics who receive insufficient insulin can get into this state quite quickly. The coma seen in newly diagnosed diabetics is due to extreme ketosis, combined with the acidosis produced when the body goes too long without sufficient carbohydrates. The difference between diabetics and high-protein dieters is that diabetics actually consume carbohydrates, but because they lack the insulin to drive glucose into the cells, they replicate starvation on a cellular level. The result is a break-down in fats and proteins producing ketosis, which can lead to the so-called diabetic coma. Obviously, untreated diabetes represents the most severe example of carbohydrate deficiency. Yet, it is important to realize that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets can also produce ketosis harmful to the brain and central nervous system. Many who have tried these fad diets have experienced the light-headedness and occasional fainting associated with this unhealthy approach to eating. To recommend high-protein diets to children and adolescents is unconscionable. Complex carbohydrates must be the key to every child's eating plan, as they are with the Slim & Fit plan. They are crucial for the rapid energy production required by active lives and allow for the proper balance of structure and function required by the developing nervous system. Still the perpetuation of the protein myth continues. Even the mainstream media seems to have fallen victim to the advertising clout of the meat and dairy industries. I feel sorry for parents who must rely on what they read in popular magazines and see on television for their nutritional information. They look upon these sources as authoritative and therefore believe everything they read in them. Should they believe everything they read? Not long ago Good Housekeeping magazine published a very misleading article by a reputable nutritionist stating that there wasn't enough protein in The New Beverly Hills Diet. The author said that by concentrating on fruit and carbohydrates, people participating in the diet ran the risk of protein deficiency, scaring readers into thinking that their muscles and organs would begin to break down if they followed the diet. All this hysteria because the diet did not include that wonderful American dietary icon - meat - in every meal. It pleases me that at long last even Uncle Sam has given those who choose to be vegetarian "permission." The federal government has recently updated its nutritional guidelines telling us that even vegetarian diets, as long as they are well rounded, provide Americans with more than enough protein to maintain healthy bodies.
While I'm not recommending you or your child become a full-fledged vegetarian, you really need to think seriously about the amount of animal protein you and your child ingest, and start looking for other sources of protein that are easier to digest and will compete less with the digestion of fats and carbohydrates - sources that may, in fact, be healthier than meat, given the insecticides, antibiotics, hormones and fertilizers present in most of the meat products we eat. Soy, an excellent protein source, could, I think, provide the answer to many of our nutritional problems, particularly those of children. Soy can literally replace animal proteins in all areas of diet. In the short term, soy is extremely beneficial in that it provides carbohydrates, calcium and fiber. Over the course of a lifetime, there is evidence that soy offers protection against heart disease, osteoporosis and elevated cholesterol. The soybean is a recent addition to our agricultural repertoire. It comes to us from the Far East, where it is considered almost sacred by some Buddhist vegetarians. In America, soy is attracting enormous attention because of its amazing versatility as a healthy, non-meat protein source. Soy has other advantages, too. It's a great source of natural zinc, an element that's proving more and more important to healthy diet. It contains phytoestrogens, an estrogen receptor blocker, especially important since the estrogens found in meats have been connected to prostate and breast cancer. Phytoestrogens in soy can potentially block the effects of these chemicals and hormones providing protection against the carcinogens found in our other food products. Can soy also lessen the potential growth-promoting influences of these hormones? Ongoing research will hopefully give us the answers to these questions. By Judy Mazel and John E Monaco MD (Extracted with kind permission from their book 'Slim & Fit Kids: Raising Healthy Children in a Fast-Food World', pub. Health Communications Inc)
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Burn The Fat - Feed The Muscle Use training and nutrition science to boost permanent fat loss - men & women. Burn-The-Fat.com |
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Fat Loss 4 Idiots 10 idiot-proof rules of fat loss will get the weight off. Fat-Loss-4-Idiots.com |
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Master Cleanse Secrets 10 Day Diet Lose weight while getting healthier - guided by an expert. Master-Cleanse-Secrets.com |
|
Fat Loss Secret Medical doctor explains the shocking reason you may be fat - and how to cure it. Fat-Loss-Secret.com |
|
Strip That Fat! Revolutionary new diet system lets you eat more - and lose more. Strip-That-Fat.com |
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Eat - Stop - Eat Alternate fasting - nutrition professional & athlete reveals unique method to let you control your weight. Eat-Stop-Eat.com |
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Fat Burning Furnace The 5 Big Truths of fast and permanent weight loss. Lose average 26lb in 7 weeks. Fat-Burning-Furnace.com |
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Burn The Fat - Feed The Muscle Use training and nutrition science to boost permanent fat loss - men & women. Burn-The-Fat.com |
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