Joel Fuhrman - Eat To Live

140 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Whai about the athlete, weight lifter, or pregnant woman? Don't

they need more protein? Of course an athlete in heavy training

needs more protein. I was on the U.S. World Figure Skating Team in

the early 1970s. I often exercised more than five hours daily. Besides

all the grueling work on the ice, 1 did plenty of weight lifting and

running. With all that exercise, sure I needed more protein, but I

needed lots more of everything, especially calories. When you take

in more food, you get the extra protein, extra fat, extra carbohy-

drates, and the extra nutrients that you need. I loaded up the back-

seat of the car with huge amounts of fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, and

whole grains. I ate lots of food and took in more protein (and every-

thing else) in the process. Your protein needs increase in direct pro-

portion to the increased caloric demands and your increased appetite.

Guess what? You automatically get enough. The same is true during

pregnancy.

When you meet your caloric needs with an assortment of natu-

ral plant foods, you will receive the right amount of protein — not

loo much, not too little.

Putting the RDAs into Perspective

The RDAs are levels set by our government for various nutrients

considered to be desirable for good health. But are they correct? Are

these levels appropriate, and will even higher levels of certain nutri-

ents benefit us? Difficult questions to answer, but first we must con-

sider how the RDAs were derived.

The RDAs were first developed when the government began

questioning the nutritional value of military rations distributed to

our soldiers during World War n. Later, our government's Food and

Nutrition Board looked at what foods they expected most people to

eat. By analyzing the average diet, they came up with a suggested

minimum and then added an upward adjustment to theoretically

ensure optimal health.

The RDAs are biased in favor of the conventional level of intake.

They are not based on how people should eat to maintain optimal

health; rather, they have been formulated to represent how we do

eat. They characterize the conventional diet: high in animal prod-

ucts; lots of dairy products and fat; and low in fiber, antioxidants, and

other nutrients, such as vitamin C, that are rich in plant foods. The

RDAs reflect a diet that caused all the problems in the first place.