And the Genius Said….

In yesterday’s health news, in my daily paper, there was an article about a study on eaters of animal protein.  It compared people who ate different amounts of animal protein and how it impacted their chances of getting type 2 diabetes.   Put quite simply, for every 10 grams more a person ate, they increased their chances of getting the disease.  The people that ate the most (72 grams per day) were almost 20% more likely to end up diabetic.

The first thing that strikes me about this study is that 72 grams of animal protein a day is NOT that much for someone who eats a couple of eggs for breakfast (about 13 grams), a chicken wrap for lunch (let’s say about 20 grams in the chicken)  and a piece of meat or fish (about 30 grams in 6 ounces of fish)  for dinner.   That’s 63 grams before a glass of milk, a piece of cheese, etc.  There is no mystery behind why our society is overweight and under-“healthed.”  The same foods that cause diabetes, happen to also contribute to cancer, Alzheimers, and many auto-immune disorders.

The other thing that struck me about this news story, is that it isn’t really news at all!

We were ALL schooled to believe we need way more protein then we actually do.  We were also schooled to believe our protein can only come from animals.  While it is certainly harder to get protein from plants and grains, it is easily do-able.  Athletes do need more than non-athletes and most of us aren’t athletes!  The average person would do just fine with about 1/2 gram of protein for every pound they weigh.  Serious athletes will go to over 1 gram per pound they weigh.  Even at that, if you do your homework you can find protein in many foods that are healthy for you, for the planet and for the animals.

Hopefully you will consider this information as you make food choices today, on Vegan (Feast) Thursday…and every day.