Protein

[Guest guest]

I hope no one minds if I step in here to make some comments. On a daily basis, the body should be going through 3 cycles: cleansing, healing, and repair/building.

1. The first requires fiber (only in plant food...does not need to be nutrient dense).

2..The second required a wide variety of nutrients which must, by the nature of individual

differences, be individualized. This is accomplished by nutrient dense food (plant and

animal). Often the fibrous plants, however, need to be steamed to get their nutrients.

3. The third requires PROTEIN. Children, who are building (anabolism), need more protein

than adults. Teen age boys need more protein than teenage girls. Adults engaged in

hard MANUAL LABOR need more protein than those who are not. Individuals who

have had major surgery or a serious injury to tissues need more protein than those

who have not. Pregnant and nursing women need more protein than those who are

not.

In general, the body recycles 95% of it protein. In an effort to determine optimal protein amounts in the diet, the WHO analyzed mother's milk of women over the entire world. ALL mother's milk was found to be 5% protein. Since baby's grow the fastest they ever will (except in utero) during the first year of life, it seems that 5% protein is the optimal amount for MOST PEOPLE if gotten as mother's milk. However, we can't nurse forever. Therefore, optimum protein levels have been determined, holistically, to be the following. Most people could survive well on 5% protein as long as the source of that protein was animal protein or protein dense plant protein (nuts and seed). The only exceptions would be very rapid growth periods (teenage boys), very hard manual labor, pregnancy and nursing (mother needs to get 5% for herself and 5% for baby), and those who have had surgery/severe tissue injury. The general consensus among holistic

nutritionists is that pregnant and nursing woman as well as teenage boys and those who have had surgery need about 10% of their caloric intake as protein. Those doing HEAVY MANUAL LABOR need about 15%.

This would imply that the largest % of caloric intake you would want to be protein would be 15%. Assuming your protein source was not being adequately assimilated, you still should not need more than 20% of your caloric intake as protein.

mary

Jeff Novick <jnovick@...> wrote:

thanks. I saw the info arguing against the WHO protein requirements. Seems like after years of them arguing "downwards" they are know beginning to argue for slightly "higher" recommendations. So, we will see where it falls soon. its probably better to ere on the side of slightly high than slightly low especially in a CR diet. however we have to make sure we get in enough carbs/calories to spare the protein. . There have been studies done on endurance athletes that showed when they increased the percent carb in their diet, so more was available,without increasing caloric content, they burned less protein during their competitions. So, maybe, some of us burn more protein, as you said, cause we take in insufficient carb or calories. Jeff

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