28 THE CHINA STUDY
Confusion reigns on many of the most basic questions about protein:- What are good sources of protein?
- How much protein should one consume?
- Is plant protein as good as animal protein?
- Is it necessary to combine certain plant foods in a meal to get com-
plete proteins? - Is it advisable to take protein powders or amino acid supplements,
especially for someone who does vigorous exercise or plays sport? - Should one take protein supplements to build muscle?
- Some protein is considered high quality, some low quality; what
does this mean? - Where do vegetarians get protein?
- Can vegetarian children grow properly without animal protein?
Fundamental to many of these common questions and concerns is
the belief that meat is protein and protein is meat. This belief comes
from the fact that the "soul" of animal-based foods is protein. In many
meat and dairy products, we can selectively remove the fat but we are
still left with recognizable meat and dairy products. We do this all the
time, with lean cuts of meat and skim milk. But if we selectively remove
the protein from animal-based foods, we are left with nothing like the
original. A non-protein steak, for example, would be a puddle of water,
fat and a small amount of vitamins and minerals. Who would eat that?
In brief, for a food to be recognized as an animal-based food, it must
have protein. Protein is the core element of animal-based foods.
Early scientists like Carl Voit (1831-1908), a prominent German
scientist, were staunch champions of protein. Voit found that "man"
needed only 48.5 grams per day, but nonetheless he recommended a
whopping 118 grams per day because of the cultural bias of the time.
Protein equaled meat, and everyone aspired to have meat on his or her
table, just as we aspire to have bigger houses and faster cars. Voit figured
you can't get too much of a good thing.
Voit went on to mentor several well-known nutrition researchers of
the early 1900s, including Max Rubner (1854-1932) and WOo Atwater
(1844-1907). Both students closely followed the advice of their teacher.
Rubner stated that protein intake, meaning meat, was a symbol of civi-
lization itself: "a large protein allowance is the right of civilized man."
Atwater went on to organize the first nutrition laboratory at the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As director of the USDA, he