P
rotein is required for the
development of the human body
but the protein consumed should
be of the highest quality. It is
often misunderstood exactly how
much protein we need per day.
A child requires around 15 to 20 per
cent a day and an adult needs around 10
to 15 per cent per day, although in many
cases, much less. Consuming more protein
than this can cause inflammation in the
body, particularly if it comes from animal
products.
Other than lychees, all fruit and vegetables
have all 8 amino acids (protein) and omega
3 fatty acids.
There are proteins in everything that
grows as long as it’s not a refined food.
If some of our vegan foods don’t stack up
against animal foods and are deficient in
certain amino acids, they are compensated
for by their abundance in other goodies and
eating a variety will help overcome this.
Green leafy vegetables and small
amounts of a variety of nuts, legumes,
sprouts and seeds provide this high level of
nutrients and protein.Eat your greens daily
A pregnant and lactating woman can get
all the protein she needs by eating a variety
of rich wholefoods without deficiencies.
Eating meat floods the body with protein
waste products. The kidneys then need to
eliminate these acidic wastes, requiring
calcium as a buffer and leeching calcium
from the bones. Calcium is continually lost
in the urinary waste, and may result in
osteoporosis or bone loss. Studies have
now shown that people who consume dairy
in large daily amounts over their lifetime
tend to have osteoporosis.
Vegetable protein is much more easily
absorbed into the bloodstream without the
loss of calcium from eating animal protein.
Animal-based protein places a great stress
upon the liver and kidneys. (Please see
facebook.com/DrGoldner/videos/
1885607438132191/).
Also, excess proteins have a negative
effect on calcium stores because amino
acids contain sulfur, which in turn affects
the body’s pH balance. Excess calcium
prevents fat absorption within the gut. To
combat this, eat your calcium rich foods
like kelp, dulse, celery, broccoli, figs,rhubarb and oranges away from fats and
proteins. On the other side of the spectrum,
insufficient amounts of calcium will affect
your bone and teeth health.
Rather than eating more protein,
increasing your B12 will help with protein
absorption, and K2, for teeth and bone
health, acts like a public transportation
system for calcium.
Vitamin D from the sun also helps us
absorb calcium from the foods we consume.
The body easily absorbs vitamin D with
just 15 minutes of exposure to sunshine
per day and triggers ergosterol, which is
transformed into vitamin D. This will help
take the pressure off the body from
excessive protein, unless you are following
a low fat, high carb raw vegan diet.
Vitamin K2 takes the calcium to where
it needs to go in the body. Without vitamin
K2, calcium can end up hardening in your
arteries as plaque, and deposits in the
joints, arteries, kidneys, brain and elsewhere.
Often we seem to be low or high in
calcium when it’s due to heavy metal.
Calcium gets drawn out of the bones and
teeth and floats around the blood not being
able to be utilised and then urinated out.
This means it is present, but cannot be used
properly. This condition causes symptoms
of both deficiency and excess at the same
time because there can be a deficiency of
available calcium and an excess of bio-
unavailable calcium at the same time.
We should eat the food to which we
are naturally adapted to. Food which has
ample amounts of protein, omega 3 fatty
acids, nutrients and essential carbohydrates- fruits, vegetables, green leafy vegetables,
sprouts, berries, sprouted legumes, nuts
and seeds.
Protein-rich plant foods:- sunflower seeds....................100g - 42%
- black beans..........................100g - 42%
- chickpeas.............................100g - 37%
- chia seed.............................100g - 34%
- buckwheat...........................100g - 26%
- hempseed.............................3tbs - 22%
- edamame.............................100g - 22%
- lentils..................................100g - 18%
- tofu.....................................100g - 16%
- quinoa cooked......................100g - 12%
- baked beans.........................100g - 12%
- green peas...........................100g - 10%
Percentages based on daily recommended intake
Yes, you can get your protein
and calcium from a vegan diet
OLIHVW\OH health
By Hannah Mills Raw Vegan Nutritionist, Nourish to Health