Protein: the necessary evil?

SmokinJoe77

Who should we believe about protein?

Animal protein is bad because it causes inflammation all over the human body and promotes cancer. http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/09/20/why-meat-causes-inflammation/

Soy products are high in protein but are bad (for men) because of the estrogen, Omega 6 and a host of other things. http://authoritynutrition.com/is-soy-bad-for-you-or-good/

Seitan is probably one of the highest sources of protein but is bas because it’s basically pure gluten, and gluten is of the devil, right? http://authoritynutrition.com/6-shocking-reasons-why-gluten-is-bad/

Ok, so here are my opinions, but I would love to hear from the community. Lean meats and seafood are better for you than red meat and, in moderation, also provide needed amino acids and other nutrients. Soy (Tofu/Tempeh) is touted as one of the world’s healthiest foods – high is protein, calcium, Omega 3’s and a ton of other stuff. Asians have eaten this stuff for thousands of years and are historically some of the longest-living people in the world. Seitan is also a staple in many Asian countries. It’s high protein and low in fat and carbs and a good source of iron. If you make it at home, you can control the sodium content.

My girlfriend and I are going to kick off the New Year with a pretty intense strength training regimen and will need to significantly increase our protein intake (compared to what we are getting today). This year, we’ve changed our diet lifestyle to one of whole-foods/plant based. We still eat meat from time to time, but try to limit that to chicken and seafood and only about 5%-10% of our weekly diet typically includes meat. We want to stay on this path to a vegetarian (and maybe eventually vegan) lifestyle. Through this approach, and sticking to a moderate workout routine, we’ve lost about 100 pounds collectively since January.

The punchline, I guess, is “where can I get protein that won’t lead to man-boobs or cancer?”

jayeme

That's crazy paranoid in my opinion, there is someone somewhere saying any kind of food at all is bad for you. If you like tofu, though, and don't want to eat soy, there is hemp tofu. The brand Tempt sells it at Whole Foods, and you can also make your own. The Tempt one is decent. The texture is different from soy tofu but it's not bad.

SmokinJoe77

LOL - I agree about it being crazy paranoid. Though, it's what's going on in the world today. Thanks for the feedback - I'm going to swing by Whole Foods on my way home and see if I can find Hemp Tofu. I bet it's got more protein in it (hemp seed is pretty high protein too).

SLHysell

The whole gluten thing is what confounds me. Yes, some tiny percentage of people have a sensitivity to it, but that doesn't mean we have to apply it to everyone. If we apply the same logic, we should all avoid milk and peanuts too. ~Scott

AliceDark

Seriously?? No, you probably shouldn't eat your weight in tofu or steak every day. You shouldn't eat your weight in carrots, either. Anything in excess can be detrimental to your health, but animal protein, soy and seitan are all fine in moderation.

Do you have an issue with eggs or dairy? Both are good sources of vegetarian protein. I average 120g of veg protein daily, mostly from eggs, whey, cottage cheese, yogurt and legumes.

FWIW, unless you've been diagnosed with Celiac disease, gluten is fine for you. Gluten-free, unless you have Celiac, is a fad.

MsHarryWinston

Gluten, pffffft. My guy is full on allergic to WHEAT. And gluten free doesn't always equal wheat free. He of course found out about his alergy after two years of making fun of "gluten free hipsters"! Ha haaa! Sucker! *cough* anyway. Different people need different things. He NEEDS to avoid wheat as much as possible to be healthy. And I NEED to devour half my weight in animal protein every day to feel healthy. Seriously though my protein macros are crazy high.

Stop worrying about trends and listen to your body. And not as a couple, you guys don't share a body. Figure out individually what your bodies need to perform optimally. It could be COMPLETELY different things. Good luck.

scottacular

Protein evil? Trollololololololol.

AllonsYtotheTardis

if you don't want that steak, can I haz it?

sympha01

Be more skeptical of your sources. Both of the sources you cite (Authority nutrition especially, but the other one also looks pretty sketchy to me) talk a lot of noise about being "science-based" but appear to be advocacy entities that cherry pick *which* scientific studies they cite in order to confirm their own biases or the personal hobbyhorses of their owner / editors.

It's hard for us laypeople to know who to trust, but in general you're safer with:

1. Peer-reviewed research
2. Non-biased, independent objective organizations, ideally ones you've ACTUALLY heard of for clinical experience (e.g. the Mayo Clinic) or for working with medical professionals in a broad-based way (American Heart Association, American Cancer Society). If the organization exists solely for the purpose of disseminating information to non-professionals like you and me, consider them suspect: they're selling something: either your eyeballs to advertisers, or they're true believers in some specific point of view that medical professionals WON'T accept.

Sarauk2sf

Who should we believe about protein?

I would start with either better sources for research, and/or reading what you have found more thoroughly.

slvrsrfr

Firstly, you're comparing a broscience blogger with a medical doctor.

I'd stick to one source for a start and then check out the actual studies
that are being reviewed.

Protein is good and necessary, though animal protein has it's problems.
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein

Plant protein is preferred:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/

And gluten is fine for 98/99% of us:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/

As others have said, review the science. Nutrition Facts has all sources
cited for your own review.

chivalryder

On here, you will see numerous threads about how carbs will kill you. You will occasionally see a thread about how fat will make you fat, and now there's a thread about how protein is bad for you as well.

Obviously, the only true solution is to just stop eating.

ucabucca

You will find someone saying something bad about every kind of food on internet. All food has some risks nothing is 100% pure and good water ground etc all now have chemicals in them. Protein is good I do eat around my weight in grams of protein but I also feel better, have energy and all lab work from MD is positive so I am going to keep going and living life and not being afraid of it.

eric_sg61

Firstly, you're comparing a broscience blogger with a medical doctor.

I'd stick to one source for a start and then check out the actual studies
that are being reviewed.

Protein is good and necessary, though animal protein has it's problems.
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein

Plant protein is preferred:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/

And gluten is fine for 98/99% of us:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/

As others have said, review the science. Nutrition Facts has all sources
cited for your own review.

FYI, that site is run by a militant vegan activist

DopeItUp

Focus on overall calories, overall macros and eat a variety of food. That's 99% of the equation. Focusing on the supposed "dangers" of animal protein, gluten, etc is pretty silly unless you have specific medical conditions that warrant it.

AliceDark

Firstly, you're comparing a broscience blogger with a medical doctor.

I'd stick to one source for a start and then check out the actual studies
that are being reviewed.

Protein is good and necessary, though animal protein has it's problems.
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/animal-protein

Plant protein is preferred:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-protein/

And gluten is fine for 98/99% of us:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/gluten/

As others have said, review the science. Nutrition Facts has all sources
cited for your own review.

FYI, that site is run by a militant vegan activist

The first thing it says on the OP's page is that he recently watched Forks Over Knives. He should be right at home with the militant vegan crowd.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/everything-we-eat-causes-cancer/

johnnylakis

Let's be clear

Animal protein is bad because it contains hormones and anti-biotics.

Soy products are high in protein but are bad when eaten in excessive amounts.

Gluten and by association wheat is of the devil because it has been Genetically Modified. Think about it, how many celiacs did you know 20 years ago?

Farm raised seafood is raised in fresh water (unnatural). It is fed corn, wheat and they eat their own poop!. Imagine the bacteria. Read the ingredients on a can of farm raised salmon and you will find "added color"! Wild Seafood is the only sea food you should eat. Wild seafood lives in salt water which has antibacterial and preserving properties when applied in abundance to foods. Salt water deters the reproduction of many microorganisms.

Also, by the RDA's own guidelines, a male needs only 56 grams of protein per day, a woman needs only 46!

Now you have the facts!

llUndecidedll

Well, I like beans. You can usually get about 14grams of protein, complex carbs/fiber, vitamins for about 200 calories of light red kidney beans.

A cup of cooked spinach gives you about 5 grams of protein for only about 40 calories.

DopeItUp

Let's be clear

Animal protein is bad because it contains hormones and anti-biotics.

Soy products are high in protein but are bad when eaten in excessive amounts.

Gluten and by association wheat is of the devil because it has been Genetically Modified. Think about it, how many celiacs did you know 20 years ago?

Farm raised seafood is raised in fresh water (unnatural). It is fed corn, wheat and they eat their own poop!. Imagine the bacteria. Read the ingredients on a can of farm raised salmon and you will find "added color"! Wild Seafood is the only sea food you should eat. Wild seafood lives in salt water which has antibacterial and preserving properties when applied in abundance to foods. Salt water deters the reproduction of many microorganisms.

Also, by the RDA's own guidelines, a male needs only 56 grams of protein per day, a woman needs only 46!

Now you have the facts!

Good post. So the only thing safe to eat is wild-caught seafood. Well, until the mercury kills you, right?

Good suggestion on the protein intake too, I definitely think he should try his "pretty intense strength training regimen" on only 56g of protein a day. I'm sure that will work out just fine.

LexiMelo

A life without red meat, dairy and gluten is not a life worth living IMHO. No steak, no bacon, no ice cream, no blueberry muffins?
the idea makes me