At 4/23/2012 1:45:17 PM, CrazyPerson wrote:
At 4/23/2012 12:54:57 PM, CrazyPerson wrote:
At 4/23/2012 2:57:00 AM, vbaculum wrote:
At 4/22/2012 7:00:45 PM, CrazyPerson wrote:
Haha. I just read this on a pro-vegan website.
"Eating for complete protein isn't a scientific system of food combining, where you have to keep track and analyze everything you eat. It's a natural traditional way of eating, which most human beings have thrived on, for thousands of years. Food is a sensual pleasure, and complete protein is a side benefit."
What??!??!?
I don't quit get what they are saying.
However, vegans can easily get all the essential and non-essential amino-acids.
"You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.
Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. You don't need to consciously combine these foods ("complementary proteins") within a given meal."
(source: http://www.heart.org...)
Correction -
The idea is that we need every protein, a complete set of proteins in order the function well on all levels. I do not believe it is plausible to consume that complex on a continuous level without consuming meat, without forming serious health problems. Even at an elementary level, one can note the unlikely-hood of plant matter consisting of the proper protein complex needed to produce, build, and maintain animal flesh - it just doesn't equate.
I happen to be of a different opinion. I believe that a diet of strictly plant-based foods provides an adequate source of protein. I base this on several things. The American Dietetic Association states that "Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure ad-
equate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal" and "Well-planned vegan, lacto-vegetarian, and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy and lactation." (
http://www.eatright.org...)
The American Heart Association, as I've already said, states that, "You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.
Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. You don't need to consciously combine these foods ("complementary proteins") within a given meal."
Clearly, the scientific consensus is that plant-based diets provide adequate sources of protein.
There is also the science itself. The Oxford Vegetarian Study of 6,000 vegetarians and 5,000 carnists (www.ajcn.org/content/70/3/525S.full.pdf) show that vegans receive protein intakes that are right on target in meeting dietary recommendations. This is confirmed by about a dozen other studies done on smaller groups in various Western countries.
I also have studied the amino acid profiles of plant-based foods (like tofu) and have concluded that they are superior sources of protein to many meat such as your beloved mackerel.
There is also the (somewhat relevant) fact that there is zero science that indicates that vegans, whose caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs, get sick due to a lack of protein in their diet.
What scientific evidence do you have that vegans, as you claim, eventually develop serious health problems due to a lack a protein (or anything else for that matter)? If you can't provide scientific evidence for this opinion then it isn't a justifiable belief. There has been to much research done on vegans and vegetarians to say that it is an open-ended or debatable claim.
"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
