About six years ago, I was told by an angry patient who really wanted to get well that she had been approached by the hospital nutritionists that she should include protein in her diet when she had indeed requested for the vegan diet. What the nutritionist wanted the patient to do was to include some meat or some egg with her meal. This particular patient who was hurting so much in her body especially in her knees said there were enough nutrients in her diet to give her more protein than she really needed. What is going on between the clinical nutritionist and this patient? Do we need more amino acids which are the building blocks for protein or animal flesh as the main source of protein in our diets? There seems to be more confusion about this protein business and many individuals including the health care providers are confused. In this article, we are going to take a close look at the very controversial topic on the subject of animal proteins and how they can negatively impact on our health. Before I continue, take a look at the Zebra, Elephant, and the Cow; where do they get their proteins from? These mammals do not eat meat or drink milk, so where do they get their proteins from?
The General Public is Mis-informed About Animal Protein.
It is clear that the general public has been misinformed on the best sources of protein. Because 9 out of 10 people asked about the source of protein would mention eggs, fish, chicken, bacon, and beef. Most of the time when people learn that an individual is a vegetarian, the most frequent question asked is, “where do you get your supply of protein?” We learn from this type of questions that many people still hold on to the old misinformation on the better sources of protein for a better health. Many still believe that eggs, beef, chicken, etc are category A protein foods while protein from vegetables and fruits are category B. This is wrong! To add to the misinformation about the true facts on protein, some dietary programs encourage people to depend solely on animal protein for food.

What is Protein?
The Dorland’s illustrated medical dictionary defines protein as any group of complex organic compounds which contain carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and usually sulfur, the characteristic element being nitrogen. Protein is made up chains of amino acids and is present in all living organisms. The human body according to the literature on nutrition does not store excess protein consumed during meals. This excess protein has to be eliminated by the body and therefore consuming a lot of protein overworks the body. This is because the toxic residues of metabolic waste in the tissues cause autotoxemia (self blood poisoning), over-acidity, and nutritional deficiencies, uric acid and purine accumulation and intestinal putrefaction (rot), all contribute to the development of most of the common serious chronic diseases. Once the body’s internal environment becomes acidic, the body attempts to balance the PH by releasing more calcium from the bones. This explains why there is a lot of osteoporosis – bone thinning in places where the diet is loaded with a lot of milk and meats! Dr. Ariola has also said that a high protein diet causes premature aging and lowers life expectancy. Have you ever felt so weak in the morning after an evening of barbecuing?

The Original and Best Source of Protein.
Contrary to popular belief, the original and best source of protein is plants. This is what I consider as primary protein, because most mammals depend directly on plants for life. If you depend on animals for your protein supply, you are getting secondary protein with its numerous health problems In the original plan by God, man was not an exception. When God created man, He said in Genesis 1:29 man should depend on the fruits and vegetables and nuts for all the essential nutrients for growth. It was not until after the flood was man permitted to “temporally” eat animal flesh as articles for food and after this change in diet, the lifespan for man became shorter with the proliferation of numerous diseases. This same trend of high mortality and morbidity is seen in modern societies where lots of animal flesh and processed foods are consumed.

A history on why people eat too much animal protein in modern society.
A key reason why the general public, especially in western societies consume more animal flesh for food is based on the 1914 great rat experiment by researchers Osborn and Mendel. These researchers found out that rats grew faster when fed animal protein. The result of this research catalyzed the commercial farmers of the meat and dairy industry to establish nutritional education programs to all schools that encouraged the consumption of more meat and dairy products for protein and calcium.
Mad cow, mad deer, mad pig, and who knows, mad chicken diseases will occur and infect man as the original diets of these animals are replaced with animal protein. Do more search on the causes of mad cow disease and you would understand what I am talking about!
Although there has been many scientific data warning us about the many dangers of the consumption of animal flesh, the medical community has been very slow to accept these new findings about the health hazards of animal protein sources. In his book, Dr. Malkmus has said that “ the dangers of high protein diet are not commonly known by the general public because we have been fed more misinformation and propaganda about protein than any other category of nutrition. A combination of badly outdated animal experiments and self-serving indoctrination, disguised as nutritional education, has left most people badly misinformed about our body’s protein needs”
As we went through school we were made to understand that good protein sources were from animals, (fish, eggs, meat etc.) Contrary to this misinformation, we can get all our protein supply and the essential nutrients that our body need for growth and also avoid the many chronic diseases like heart attacks, cancers and strokes that continue to kill us!

Are there any medical problems associated with eating animal protein?
Yes, any diet that is loaded with animal protein, fats and processed foods increases the risk of developing the chronic killer diseases like heart disease, cancer, arthritis and diabetes. Therefore changing the diet to the vegetarian lifestyle helps decrease the incidence of the many chronic diseases seen in modern times. According to the American Cancer Institute, at least 60% of most cancers could be prevented by eliminating animal flesh from the diet.

A Word of Advice
If good health and peace is your goal this year, then know who you take your nutritional advice from. This is because many of the healthcare providers have little idea about what constitute real nutrition. Anyone who advices you to eat more animal flesh for more protein and blood is of the old school, since such nutritional advice would eventually make you SICK.
You are strongly encouraged to leave cows milk and dairy products alone because they would eventually make you suffer one or more of the chronic diseases mentioned above. Cow milk is designed to feed baby cows and once weaned, these cows do not chase other mother-cows for milk. Milk unfortunately causes loss of calcium from the bone-osteoporosis, but we have been educated otherwise.
Eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts for your primary protein sources and you would be healthy and happy in the end.
Where do the cow and the elephant get their protein from? From the grass or the leaves that these animals eat!

Article by Dr Kwame Asenso ND NP
Director Naturopathy and Holistic Healing
Health Talk Inc, Burke VA USA
www.healthtalkinc.com
703 822 7471, 703 599 1941