Day 16- Protein, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Wellness

Do NOT ask what's in the protein bars in the movie Snowpiercer.

The first time I went vegan (almost 5 years ago), I gained about 15 pounds. Dismayed, I declared, “I must need more protein.” The real trouble? I told myself that since I wasn’t eating meat, I was “healthy” as I ate French fries. Anything that wasn’t an animal product was fair game. I ate all the bread I could get my hands on. Dessert. The only vegetables I would eat were broccoli, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, and corn. Breakfast would be coffee. Lunch would be a frozen meal, microwaved, with a side of French fries. Dinner would be pirogies or another easy, white starch. Snacks: potato chips, candy bars, cappuccinos from a machine. Yeah, must have been the lack of protein for sure…

But why did I immediately blame the protein instead of taking a closer look at my diet? And when we tell people we are vegan/vegetarian, why are they so quick to shout: “But what about your protein? You have to get enough protein! Stop right now! Eat some meat!” And then they tell me about the "unhealthy" vegetarians they know and how I'm probably going to die. Personally, all the vegetarians and vegans I know have glowing skin and firm bodies. They seem pretty healthy to me. And again, this is an experiment on how our bodies feel. I can honestly say that I'm feeling lighter, more energetic, healthier.

This is such a journey and I'm nowhere near ready to claim I am "there" yet. But it feels refreshing to go back in a direction that makes me feel so good.

We have been brainwashed as a society to eat protein, protein, protein. Protein to lose weight. Protein to gain muscle. Protein to save the world.

“The average 19- to 30-year-old American consumes 91 grams a day, nearly twice the recommended daily amount (56 grams for an adult male, 46 for an adult female)…Too much protein stresses the kidneys…and can leach calcium from the bones.” – Scott Jurek, Eat and Run

“It is a complete myth that we need a massive amount of protein,” write Barnouin and Freedman in Skinny Bitch. As a matter of fact, over-consumption of protein – especially animal protein- “can impair our kidneys; leach calcium, zinc, vitamin B, iron, and magnesium from our bodies; and cause osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, and obesity.”

Can you remember the last time you heard of someone being hospitalized for a protein deficiency (kwashiorkor-is the clinical term)? Never heard of it. How about cancer, kidney failure, heart disease, osteoporosis, obesity? Now those sound familiar…

And on quality of life: “High amounts of protein can damage our tissues, organs, and cells, contributing to faster aging. People in other cultures consume half the amount of protein that we do, yet they live longer, healthier lives.” – Skinny Bitch

According to Rip Esselstyn in the Engine 2 Diet, as a vegan, “not only will you get all the protein that you need, for the first time in your life you won’t suffer from an excess of it.” In Forks Over Knives as he's doing climbing up the fire house pole by only his arms and we get to watch his perfectly healthy muscles ripple, he says, "Real men eat plants."

Even the strongest animals in nature – gorillas, elephants, hippos, bison –are plant eaters. And they don’t seem to have any trouble growing and thriving while eating only veggies.

According to the American Dietetic Association, “eating a vegetarian diet provides twice the amount of protein needed daily.”

Carl Lewis, winner of 10 Olympic medals in track, said that his best year competing was the first year he ate a vegan diet.

While watching Forks over Knives, I was inspired by Ruth Heidrich's story. She had thought she was eating a healthy diet, choosing chicken and fish, along with low-fat dairy and running daily. Still, she developed breast cancer and decided to join in Dr. John McDougal's research study, where breast cancer patients committed to eating a vegan diet. She felt so good on her vegan diet- during cancer treatment- that she decided to compete in the Ironman (a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, then running a 26.2 mile marathon.) Not only was she the first woman to compete over the age of 47, she was also the first cancer patient. She is now a six time Ironman Triathlon finisher and has won more than 900 medals in races around the world, including more than 60 marathons. Did I need to mention that the cancer reversed itself and she discovered better endurance, more energy, better sleep, and even the disappearance of arthritis?

This is Ruth at age 70. I think she looks pretty darn healthy.

Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, whole grains, soy products, fruits, and many vegetables have plenty of protein.

Those Skinny Bitches tell us, “If you want an extra boost, treat yourself to spirulina, a high protein algae that contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, B-12 (important for vegetarians), enzymes, and minerals. It also supports the immune system, fights cancer, and helps with hypoglycemia, anemia, ulcers, diabetes, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Spirulina also contains all nine essential amino acids.”

In The Kind Diet, Alicia creates a chart that is very illuminating, so I’m sharing. This chart demonstrates the protein in steak vs. the protein in beans.

Steak                                   vs.                    Beans
20% of calories from protein                          25% of calories from protein
80% of calories from fat (mostly saturated)     5% of calories from fat (unsaturated)
0% of calories from complex carbs                 70% of calories from complex carbs
Contains excess hormones                              Help discharge excess hormones
Raises cholesterol                                           Lowers cholesterol
No fiber                                                         High in Fiber
Contains steroids, antibiotics                           If organic, contains no chemicals
Constipates                                                    Keeps you regular
Unsustainably produced                                 Sustainably grown
Depletes the earth                                          Beans add needed nitrogen to soil
$5-$10/lb (1 serving)                                     $2-$4/lb (4 servings)

Another thing you've probably heard is that “animal proteins are complete proteins and plants are not.”

According to Esselstyn, “The myth that [plant proteins are not complete] or are of a lesser quality than animal proteins, dates back to experiments performed on rats in the early 1900s. Forget the fact that rats aren’t humans, have different nutritional requirements, and need more protein than humans to support their furry little bodies. The meat, dairy, and egg industries have marketed the hell out of this ancient research and …most every Dick, Tom, and Jane thinks the only way to get complete protein is through meat, eggs, or dairy.”

So don’t worry about protein. Now you are free to focus on world peace.

Here is a protein-packed dinner:

Spicy Black Bean Soup (in the Slow Cooker)
2 cups dried black beans
8 cups water or vegetable broth
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 roasted red pepper from a jar (or roast a fresh one in oven if time)
2 ½ tomatoes, diced large
½ habanero pepper, diced small (optional)
1 TB olive oil
2 tsp cumin (one in the beginning and one for later)
2 tsp chili powder (one in the beginning and one for later)
2 tsp garlic powder (one in the beginning and one for later)
1 tsp salt
2 ears of corn, grilled or cooked (frozen corn would be okay, too – ½ cup)
½ yellow squash, grilled and diced into small pieces
For the garnish:
½ diced avocado
½ diced tomato
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a small pan on medium heat. When hot, add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Then add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds, until garlic is aromatic.

2. Place onion mixture, beans, water, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and habanero pepper into slow cooker. Stir, set on low, and cook for 8-9 hours

3. One hour before serving, stir in 1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Re-cover and let continue to cook on low.

4. Use an immersion blender or hand mixer to puree some of the beans to thicken the soup. It’s up to you how many beans to puree and how many to keep whole based on the texture you like.

5. Grill the corn and yellow squash, then scrape corn off and dice ½ of yellow squash. (I used the other half in a salad that I served on the side.) Place corn and yellow squash into slow cooker, stir and you are now ready to serve the soup. Check seasonings and add more salt/chili powder/cumin, if necessary.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with diced tomato, avocado, cilantro, and green onions.

If you like, you could bake corn tortillas, cut them in strips, and float on top of the soup. If no slow cooker, this would probably take 2 hours on the stove. If you don’t have a hand-held immersion blender, you could scoop some of the soup out and put it in a blender to thicken (but be careful not to fill to high and let the soup cool a bit.)

I served with a salad on the side to make it a beautifully balanced meal.