THE GREAT PROTEIN DEBATE

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                  High protein, low protein, cooked, raw, vegetarian?  It's enough to confuse anyone.  Here are observations about protein based on 23 years as a holistic physician.

WHAT ARE PROTEINS?
                  Proteins are amazing chemicals that form all animal tissues.  Even our bones consist of a protein matrix that fills with calcium.  Proteins are associated with motion, the basic quality of animal life.  What sugars and carbohydrates are to plants, proteins are to animals.

     The primary structure of proteins consists of one or more long chains of simpler chemicals called amino acids.  The chains are twisted together and folded back on themselves in complex ways. The DNA double helix is a familiar example of a protein.

WHAT ARE PROTEINS USED FOR?
                  Proteins such as hemoglobin, transferrin, ferritin, ceruloplasmin and metallothionine transport and store minerals and oxygen.  Muscle proteins are required for motion.  DNA and RNA are proteins.  Collagen, elastin and keratin are proteins needed for body structure.

                  Proteins are required for blood clotting, growth, regeneration, detoxification, the immune system, cell membranes and to make hormones like insulin.  All enzymes are proteins.  Thousands of enzymes facilitate every chemical reaction in the body.  Proteins may also be converted to sugar or fat and used for fuel.

                  Adequate protein helps maintain a good energy level, stabilizes blood sugar, assists adrenal and thyroid gland activity and helps bowel function.

SOURCES OF PROTEIN

                  Protein-containing foods fall into three groups. Concentrated protein foods include red meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, cheese, yogurt and dried beans.  These foods contain 20% protein or more.  Others in this category are brewer¹s yeast, nutritional yeast and spirulina.

                  Grains such as rice, wheat, oats, millet and barley contain 6 to 14% protein.  Fruits, vegetables, milk, soy milk, and juices contain less than 5% protein.

                  Other protein sources are protein supplements.  These include protein powders, hydrolyzed protein and free-form amino acids.  Protein powders are made from whey, soy, milk, eggs or fish protein.  I recommend egg, goat milk or fish protein supplements.

                  Some people live on protein drinks instead of eating protein foods.  Protein powders are never a substitute for food, which contains many nutrients not found in the powders.

                  Hydrolyzed protein powders or liquids are predigested or broken down into amino acids for easier assimilation.  Free-form amino acids are individual amino acids that are specially grown on molds.  Amino acid supplements may be helpful at times.  However, efforts should always be made to improve protein digestion with digestive enzymes so that one can obtain amino acids from one's foods. 

PROTEIN QUALITY
                  Our bodies require about 22 amino acids.  We must eat 10 to 12 of these, called the essential amino acids.  The rest we can manufacture from the essential ones.  Protein foods that contain all the essential amino acids are called complete proteins.  Meats, poultry, eggs, peanuts, yogurt and cheese are considered complete proteins.  Incomplete proteins, such as grains and beans, combined  provide complete protein.

                  Some protein foods contain a much better balance of the essential amino acids than others.  A food with a good balance has a higher rating of biological quality.  Egg protein (albumin) rates highest in biological quality.  Meat protein has the second best biological quality.

PROTEIN METABOLISM
                  Proteins must be broken down or digested to be utilized.  Pepsin in the stomach and trypsin and chymotrypsin from the pancreas are among the important protein-digesting enzymes.

                  Systems such as the 'primal diet' suggest eating all protein raw.  I have not found this healthful for patients.  Gentle cooking kills bacteria and can improve the quality of a protein food.   I do not recommend microwaves, deep frying or overcooking protein foods.

                  Digestion depends on mineral nutrition.  Our bodies convert sodium chloride to hydrochloric acid in the stomach to help break down protein.  Enzyme production requires zinc, which is deficient in most people due to our depleted soils and refined food diets.  Vegetarian diets are much lower in zinc.  Today, many children are born low in zinc due to their mother's zinc deficiency.

                  For good protein digestion, eat slowly and chew thoroughly.  Relaxed, enjoyable, sit down meals help maximize digestive enzyme production.  Avoid overeating and relax after meals for at least 10 minutes to facilitate digestion.   Take digestive enzymes if you are unsure whether you are digesting protein properly.  My favorite digestive enzymes are pancreatin and ox bile.  Hydrochloric acid and pepsin is another common protein-digesting product.

                  Toxic, stressed and nutritionally depleted individuals often do not digest, absorb and synthesize proteins adequately.  If digestive enzymes are deficient, or if the stomach is too alkaline, protein foods will putrefy or rot, rather than digest.  Putrefaction produces harmful chemicals called toxic amines.  If the colon is alkaline due to improper flora such as candida albicans, more of these toxins are absorbed into the liver.  Constipation or low fiber in the diet also enhances toxin absorption.

                  Mineral analysis reveals this is the case in at least three-fourths of my clients.  It is a vicious cycle in which impaired protein digestion causes more toxicity and deficiency, which further impairs protein utilization.  Making sure one gets enough protein and taking plenty of digestive enzymes for a while can help break the cycle. 

SPECIFIC PROTEIN CONSIDERATIONS

                  Meats.  Meats from animals raised without hormones and antibiotics are excellent quality proteins.  These are more and more widely available.  Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey and wild game are all excellent protein foods.  I do not recommend pork or ham as they may contain trichina cysts.

                  Eggs.   The most maligned protein food is the egg.  Eggs contain excellent quality protein as well as lecithin, vitamin A and many other nutrients.  The famous Framingham, Massachusetts heart disease study examined the question of egg consumption.  The study found those who regularly consumed eggs lived longer than those who ate eggs only occasionally.  Especially for those who prefer to eat less meat, eggs are an essential source of high-quality protein.  Six eggs per week is not too many for most people.

                  Milk and Cheese.  Milk is a high-quality protein food.  However, most people are allergic to the milk from hybrid cows.  Organic milk is a little better, but hybrid milking cows are still used.  I suggest goat milk, goat cheese and goat yogurt.  Goats are healthier animals and are less hybridized than cows.

                  Fish.  While fish are an excellent source of protein and many other nutrients, all fish today are somewhat contaminated with mercury and other toxic metals.  In particular, large fish such as tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel and others contain levels of mercury that make them unhealthful.  Shellfish are also more contaminated.  People who eat a lot of fish show higher levels of these metals on hair mineral analyses.  I suggest eating only smaller fish, and only twice a week.

                  Nuts and Seeds.  Nuts contain many excellent nutrients.  I prefer almonds toasted.   Other nuts may be eaten raw.  Nuts need not be soaked overnight.  Seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that are destroyed by soaking the seeds overnight before consuming them.

                  Grains.  Modern hybrid grains, which includes organically-grown grains, contain much less protein than the non-hybrids of 100 years ago.  Non-hybridized wheat contains about 14% protein.  Today's wheat, including organic wheat, contains about 6% protein.  Books that suggest one can obtain one's protein from grains are no longer correct.  An excellent higher-protein grain food is quinoa.  Another is organic blue corn.

                  Beans and Soy.  Dried beans in general are not considered complete protein sources.  This means the balance of amino acids is not adequate.  Roasted soy beans, isolated soy protein, soy powders, soy milks and textured vegetable protein or TVP contain anti-nutrients such as phytates, thyroid inhibitors and enzyme inhibitors.  Soy powders and soy isolate are leftover products from the manufacture of soy oil and contain chemical residues used in the oil extraction process.  I suggest eating only traditionally fermented soy products such as tempeh and tofu.  These are less toxic products.  They are still lower quality proteins and I would limit intake to no more than three times a week.

HIGH OR LOW PROTEIN

                  Today, many people are concerned about eating too much protein.  Reasons for this include possible calcium depletion and excessive cholesterol in fatty animal protein.  Some health authorities suggest that no concentrated protein foods need be eaten at all.  They note that animals such as horses and apes become strong living on grass alone. 

                  Reasonable protein intake does not deplete the bones of calcium.  Bone loss is due to many factors, particularly trace mineral deficiencies.  Humans may not do well on the diet of an ape or a horse.  These animals digest foods that we cannot, have little stress, and they eat all day.

                  My observation as a clinician is that many people do not eat enough protein.  A glass or two of soy milk and a few nuts and seeds, for instance, is very little  protein!  While 60-70 grams of protein are adequate, many people eat less than 40 grams/day.  Protein usually requires more preparation, costs more and is a heavier food to digest.  Some mistakenly believe that less protein will cause weight loss, though the opposite is true. 

                  I suggest eating some protein with each meal.  Those interested in food combining may say this is not good food combining.  Take enzymes if needed to digest the protein.  Skipping protein at meals often leads to protein deficiency, weight gain and low thyroid and adrenal gland activity.

ANIMAL VERSUS VEGETABLE
                  In my experience, most people eventually do not feel well on a limited, vegetarian regimen.  Animal protein is higher quality.  It also contains many other essential nutrients including vitamin B12, zinc, niacin, carnitine, taurine, cysteine, methionine, alpha-lipoic acid and others.  These are not present or less biologically available in vegetable proteins.  Deficiencies can take years to develop and can be difficult to correct.

                  Some body types need more animal protein than others.  What are called fast oxidizers and blood types O and AB often need more animal protein.  I encourage vegetarians to at least eat eggs for their high-quality protein, particularly the sulfur-containing amino acids such as taurine, cysteine and methionine.   These are essential for eliminating toxic metals and synthetic chemicals to which we are all exposed.  I cannot emphasize enough the need for the sulfur-containing amino acids found in greatest abundance in animal proteins. 

                  The argument to avoid animal protein due to its cholesterol content has been largely disproven.  Excess homocysteine, mineral deficiencies, toxic metals, infections and inflammation correlate much better with heart disease.  The cholesterol level depends mainly on stress.  Cholesterol is the raw material from which we make stress hormones.  Several strict vegetarian clients had high cholesterol levels because their bodies were out of balance. 

PROTEIN AND WEIGHT LOSS
                  Some people avoid protein thinking it will cause weight gain.  However, research by Robert Atkins, MD and many others indicates the exact opposite is true.  Protein stabilizes blood sugar and supports the activity of the adrenal and thyroid glands.  Thus it often assists weight loss.

SPECIAL NEEDS FOR PROTEIN
                  Children.  Adequate protein intake is very important for children, who are growing fast.  Vegetarian diets low in protein and consumption of refined grains, sugary desserts and other protein-deficient foods are a major problem for children around the world. 

                  Pregnant and Nursing Women.  During pregnancy and moreso during lactation, adequate protein intake is critical.

                  The Elderly.  Older people often suffer from protein deficiency because digestive enzyme secretion diminishes with age.  Often, they do not feel like eating as much protein as they cannot digest it.  Digestive enzymes are most helpful for older people.

                  Those with Chronic Illnesses such as Cancer.  Protein digestion is impaired in most chronic illness.  Proteolytic enzymes are an important supplement for anyone with chronic illness.

                  Body Builders.  This is the one group that often overdoes on protein.  Their excessive protein intake may be hard on the kidneys and can unbalance body chemistry. 

CONCLUSION
                  High-quality protein is the most essential food and often one that is deficient in modern diets.  Many people eat too little, rather than too much protein.  Adults need 4-5 ounces of concentrated protein food at least twice or better three times a day, along with many trace elements needed to digest and utilize protein.  Digestive enzymes are very helpful for all older people and many others whose protein digestion is not optimal.