Protein
Much of the raw information for this page
came from "Protein
Myths" at the FatFree.Com
Introduction: It's easy to get all the protein we
need without eating meat. While it is not easy or inexpensive to store meat, plant protein
can be stored very economically for a long time.
Points to remember about protein:
1. The RDA of protein for a 79kg (174 lb.) adult male is about 63 Grams. Women
(calculated for a 63kg or 138 lb. woman) need about 50 grams. (0.8 Grams protein per
Kilogram of body weight.) Pregnant and nursing women require about 30% more. Children need
as much as adults because they are growing. A rapidly growing child can require 2 to 3
times more protein than an adult by weight.
2. A safety factor was built into the RDA for protein and actually represents a little
over twice as much as our bodies actually need.
3. Our body gets all but 1/6 of the protein it needs from recycling old body tissue.
This amounts to 100-300 grams. The 1/6 we don't recycle must come from essential amino
acids we eat.
4. Hard work does not require more protein!
5. Protein is required for growing, body repair, and maintenance. A person with serious
physical injuries or illness requires much more protein.
6. If we do not get enough protein, our bodies will steal it from our muscles. This is
also true when we are ill. We need more protein, but often can't eat it.
7. North Americans generally eat 3 to 5 times more protein than they need. The protein
not needed is broken down further and most of it is used to make energy. However there is
some left over product from this process which is not good for our bodies.
8. We can only absorb about 25 grams of protein at one time. The rest is broken down
and burned or stored as fat.
9. Plant protein is absorbed at about 70-90%, animal protein at 85-100%. There is
concern among some about plant protein not being absorbed as readily as animal protein.
This is not a problem as we in North America presently eat 2 to 3 times the RDA for
protein anyway.
10. North Americans have been brain washed into believing they must get their protein
from meat. Third world nations all over the globe, who get enough calories in their diets,
eat little or no meat yet many of them are in excellent health from eating only plant
protein.
11. Men require about 2900 calories and women require about 2200 calories per day. Hard
work requires more.
12. Our bodies digest the proteins we eat, separating them into amino acids which are
absorbed into our blood stream.
13. Our bodies use 22 amino acids to make 50,000 different proteins we must have to be
healthy.
14. Our bodies can make all but 8 of these amino acids. The 8 amino acids it can't make
are called essential amino acids, as we must get them from the foods that we eat.
15. The RDA for the essential amino acids follow:
(From the National Academy of Sciences
Recommended Dietary Allowances "9th ed. 1980)
Requirement of Essential Amino Acids (per kg body wt) mg/day.
Amino Acid Infant Child
Required 4-6 mos 10-12 yr Adult
Histidine 33 ? ?
Isoleucine 83 28 12
Leucine 135 42 16
Lysine 99 44 12
Methionine & Cystine 49 22 10
Phenylalanine & tyrosine 141 22 16
Threonine 68 28 8
Tryptophan 21 4 3
Valine 92 25 14
16. It isn't necessary to mix plant protein to get a complete protein. After we eat,
our bodies store a several hour supply of amino acids in our blood, called an amino acid
pool. We may eat a meal that is deficient in one essential amino acid or another. But if
we eat a food with the missing amino acids sometime during the day they will combine in
our blood and give the necessary nutrition to our individual tissues.
17. Contrary to what many people believe, it is very easy to get the amino acids we
need from almost all foods. Except for fruits, sugars and fats and oils, nearly every food
has enough protein in it to supply us with the necessary amino acids if we eat enough of
it to get a day's worth of calories. The table below was generated by the web page author
to test this theory. As this is indeed the case, eating a normal diet, we will just about
have to be in a starvation situation to not get the amount of protein our bodies need.
Understanding the following table:
- Column 1 lists the food.
- Column 2 lists the letter for the limiting Amino Acid. The limiting amino acid has the
least amount of the RDA for all the essential amino acids in that food. Therefore, if a
food has enough of the limiting amino acid for our bodies, you can take for granted that
it also has enough of the other 7 essential amino acids. See the bottom of the first table
to see the limiting amino acid reference letters.
- Column 3 lists the number of grams of food a 79kg man must eat to get just 100%
of the RDA of the limiting amino acid.
- Column 4 lists the number of pounds of food a 79kg man must eat to get just 100%
of the RDA of the limiting amino acid.
- Column 5 lists the number of calories of the food a 79kg man must eat to get just
100% of the RDA for the limiting amino acid. This is one of the main columns you want to
keep your eye on. As it passes 2,900, our theory of every food having enough protein if we
eat at least 2,900 calories gets tipped on its head.
- Column 6 lists the percentage of protein calories to total calories for
the individual food. For all the foods you eat during the day, ten percent protein
calories to total calories is considered optimum. For example, for your diet to
meet this target, of a total 2,900 calories, 290 calories of it should be from protein.
You will see from the table below the high numbers in this column for meat and legumes
require us to eat a lot of the less dence calorie foods to balance this number out.
- The table is sorted with the foods requiring the least amount of weight for a 100% RDA
of protein displayed first. The following table containing a total of 72 foods has been
broken up to permit comments.
Grams Pounds
Food Req. Food Req. Percent
Limit- For 100% For 100% Calories Protein
ing of RDA of of RDA of In This Cal to
Amino Limiting Limiting Amount Total
Food Acid Amino Acid Amino Acid Of Food Cal
----------------- ---- --------- ---------- --------- ------
Chicken, Roasted M 74 0.2 174 46
Rabbit, Roasted V 75 0.2 148 59
Turkey, Roasted T 76 0.2 157 55
Beef, Lean, Cooked V 77 0.2 224 41
Tuna, Canned in Oil V 81 0.2 150 57
Cheese, Cheddar M 102 0.2 409 25
Fish, Mackerel, Raw I 111 0.2 227 36
Ham, Canned, Lean I 123 0.3 177 50
Amino Acid References:
M=Methionine+Cystine T=Tryptophan L=Lycine
V=Valine I=Isoleuine P=Phenylalanine+Tyrosine
A=Several or All Amino Acids Missing
It's not at all surprising that the meats would be first listed as the most protein
dence foods. In fact, dried lean meat is almost 100% protein. We as a society enjoy our
meats, but there can be a problem with eating too much protein. Some researchers today
suggest that anything over two times the RDA of protein begins to be hard on our systems.
This alone is good reason why meats are to be used sparingly. If we ate only chicken, for
example, to get our 2900 calories, we would get 16.6 times the protein we needed. This
would have negative consequences for any of us. Too much meat protein contributes to
osteoporosis, gouty arthritis, cardiovascular disease and stresses the kidneys. Most
researchers believe, however, that meat isn't bad for us if not used in excess. Of course,
with meat, our theory about 2900 calories of food meeting the minimum amino acid
requirements holds true as the lowest protein meat in the sample, mackerel, only requires
227 calories to give us a complete protein. Now back to the table.
Grams Pounds
Food Req. Food Req. Percent
Limit- For 100% For 100% Calories Protein
ing of RDA of of RDA of In This Cal to
Amino Limiting Limiting Amount Total
Food Acid Amino Acid Amino Acid Of Food Cal
----------------- ---- --------- ---------- --------- ------
Soy Beans M 73 0.2 304 35
Split Peas (dry) M 127 0.3 432 29
Peanut Butter M 128 0.3 753 17
Kidney Beans M 129 0.3 431 28
Lentils Beans M 130 0.3 441 33
Lima Beans M 130 0.3 441 33
Peanuts, Dry Roasted M 133 0.3 777 16
Oats L 135 0.3 526 17
Navy Beans M 136 0.3 457 27
Pinto Beans M 146 0.3 496 25
Egg, Whole, Raw T 156 0.3 232 34
Whey, Sweet, Dried P 164 0.4 579 15
Rye I 173 0.4 578 18
Great Northern Beans V 189 0.4 640 26
Next in protein density comes the legumes. Hopefully, you remember the tables are
sorted by the weight of food required to give 100% of the protein required. This is why
you see a couple of non-legume items scattered in with the above sample. The grains oats
and rye are excellent protein sources when looking only at the essential amino acids, as
are the eggs in this sample. Legumes are great protein sources and contain many other
important ingredients as well. Even though legumes are low in Methionine, they contain
enough to require very little of the food to give enough amino acids to meet daily needs.
Again, our theory holds true. Our least dense protein food, great northern beans, only
requires 640 calories, equaling 189 grams or 7 ounces of food. Keep in mind that for all
the legumes, this is dry weight. To determine what the weight would be if they were
rehydrated raw, multiply the dry weight by 2. Of course, the amino acid content and
calories will remain the same. For cooked and drained legumes multiply the dry weight by a
factor of 2.2. (Kidney beans were used for the sample.)
Grams Pounds
Food Req. Food Req. Percent
Limit- For 100% For 100% Calories Protein
ing of RDA of of RDA of In This Cal to
Amino Limiting Limiting Amount Total
Food Acid Amino Acid Amino Acid Of Food Cal
----------------- ---- --------- ---------- --------- ------
Amaranth M 189 0.4 708 15
Buckwheat P 194 0.4 666 15
Macaroni V 203 0.4 753 14
Barley I 208 0.5 736 14
Wheat, Hard Red Sprng L 235 0.5 772 19
Egg Noodles Enrich Dry L 248 0.5 943 15
Triticale L 260 0.6 873 16
Wheat, Hard Red Winter L 283 0.6 925 15
Quinoa M 302 0.7 1,128 14
Rice, Brown L 313 0.7 1,158 9
Wheat, Duram L 313 0.7 1,061 16
Rice, White L 367 0.8 1,341 8
Corn, Dry T 447 1.0 1,596 8
Millet L 447 1.0 1,690 12
And now we have the grains as the next protein dense food. Grains are traditionally low
in the amino acid Lysine. This block of foods also represents the foods that we should be
eating the most from in our diets. They are generally rich in complex carbohydrates giving
us good sustained energy over a long period of time. And they are mostly over the 10%
protein calorie to total calorie figure. They are low in fats and cholesterol, and have a
good ratio of many of the B vitamins and essential minerals. Does our theory still hold
true? Yes. Millet, our lowest food in the above category requires 1,690 calories and 447
grams or 1 lb. to meet our RDA for protein. And at least half of the grains require only
half of this amount.
Grams Pounds
Food Req. Food Req. Percent
Limit- For 100% For 100% Calories Protein
ing of RDA of of RDA of In This Cal to
Amino Limiting Limiting Amount Total
Food Acid Amino Acid Amino Acid Of Food Cal
----------------- ---- --------- ---------- --------- ------
Cottage Cheese M 484 1.1 410 82
Kidney Bean Sprout Raw I 510 1.1 148 28
Milk, 2% Liquid M 687 1.5 341 27
Mushrooms, Dried T 765 1.7 2,263 13
Potatoes, Raw M 1,339 2.9 1,058 10
Broccoli, Boiled M 1,386 3.0 388 42
Sweet Potatoes, Boiled M 1,463 3.2 1,536 6
Corn, Sweet, Canned T 1,972 4.3 1,597 13
Brussels Sprouts Boil M 1,975 4.3 770 26
Asparagus, Canned M 2,079 4.6 291 51
Yams, Cooked M 2,079 4.6 2,412 5
Carrots, Boiled M 2,146 4.7 966 10
Green Beans, Boiled M 2,633 5.8 685 21
Banana, Raw I 2,873 6.3 2,643 4
Squash, Boiled M 3,435 7.6 687 18
Rutabagas, Boiled M 3,591 7.9 1,400 13
Onion, Raw V 4,096 9.0 1,557 12
Cauliflower, Boiled M 4,198 9.2 966 32
Cabbage, Boiled M 4,389 9.7 966 18
Tomatoes Whole Canned V 4,608 10.1 922 19
Turnips, Boiled M 6,077 13.4 1,094 16
Pumpkin, Boiled M 7,900 17.4 1,580 14
Celery, Raw M 7,900 17.4 1,264 19
Cucumber, Raw M 7,900 17.4 1,027 21
Here are many of our vegetables. Again, we've thrown in a couple of non-vegetable items
as this is where their sort order falls within the table. Vegetables are also very good in
our diets in rounding out many of the missing vitamins, minerals and roughage we haven't
seen in large amounts in the tables above. They add great variety and some of them are
even staple items, like the potato. Does our theory still hold true? Yes. But bananas come
closest to busting our 2,900 calorie theory, requiring 2,643 calories to give us a
complete protein for the day. However, at this point another problem rises to the front
burner. And that is the food is so scarce of calories and protein that to get the 2900
calories or the needed protein it would be almost impossible for anyone, except maybe a
teen-ager, to eat that much. For example we would have to eat 6.3 lb. of bananas. We'd be
banana eating son-of-a-guns (not to mention if our one food was celery or cucumbers
requiring us to eat 17.4 lbs.).
In theory and practice, if we eat our RDA of 2,900 calories from any of the above
foods, we will get the protein our bodies need. This is true if we eat only one of them,
or a mix of them in any amount. It almost goes without saying that this also holds true
for women as the RDA per kilogram of body weight is the same between the sexes. A 63kg
(138 lb.) woman requires 2,200 calories. She needs proportionately less protein than a
man. Now we move into much less friendly territory.
Grams Pounds
Food Req. Food Req. Percent
Limit- For 100% For 100% Calories Protein
ing of RDA of of RDA of In This Cal to
Amino Limiting Limiting Amount Total
Food Acid Amino Acid Amino Acid Of Food Cal
----------------- ---- --------- ---------- -------- ------
Apples, Raw M 3,759 8.3 9,134 2
Peaches, Can Lt Syrp L 6,771 14.9 3,657 3
Watermelon, Raw M 9,875 21.7 3,160 8
Apricots, Cnd lt syrp M 15,800 34.8 9,954 3
Grapes, Canned I 23,700 52.1 9,480 5
Pineapple, Canned V 715,977 1,575.1 229,113 5
Grapefruit, Raw A Infinite Infinite Infinite 8
Pears, Canned Lt Syrp T Infinite Infinite Infinite 1
Plums, Canned Lt Syrp T Infinite Infinite Infinite 2
Sugar, Brown A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Sugar, Granulated A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Fat, Beef Tallow A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Fat, Mutton Tallow A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Fat, Pork Lard A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Oil, Peanut A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Oil, Vegetable Canola A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Oil, Vegetable, Corn A Infinite Infinite Infinite 0
Fruits, refined sugars, and fats and oils. Does our theory hold out now? No. Of the
fruits that have all the amino acids, we would have to eat much more than the daily
caloric intake of that food to get enough protein. And that's if we could even eat that
much fruit. Is this a problem with fruits? Not really, unless we are on a fruit intensive
diet and eat no high protein foods. Do we then need fruit in our diets? Of course, for a
multitude of reasons.
Fats, oils and refined sugars give us a much greater problem when it comes to protein.
And that's because we are so addicted to them. Fats, oils and refined sugars have no
proteins (or hardly any other nutrients, for that matter). Fats and oils are the most
calorie rich foods there are by weight, with 1 gram giving us 9 calories of energy.
Incidentally, protein, and carbohydrates including sugars and starches, are considered
energy rich yet only have 4 calories per gram. It is possible, though difficult, to have a
protein deficient diet by eating nothing but fatty or sweet junk food (not to mention all
the other deficiencies we would have.) Fats aren't all together bad, however, as we need
some saturated and unsaturated fats in our system.
Protein, and their building blocks, the amino acids, are some of the most important
nutrients we need on a daily basis. To dig even deeper into the protein puzzle, see the Protein FAQs at the FatFree.Com from which much of this information was
gleaned.
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