Yeah, there were a few "protein" power plans floating around supposedly to help with weight loss.
However, I can't see that being really great, unless you plan on taking something like Metamucil, pure protein and you won't find it fun or fast to take a crap....
Low carb for me relies on fruits and vegetables for carbs, so fiber is never an issue.
Quote:
You want a strong, lean body. You want to maintain your agility, your power, your strength, and your agreeable appearance. You want to burn fat while maintaining (or even building upon) your existing muscle. Heck, if you�re mostly interested in burning fat, you need the muscle. Muscle is a hungry, wasteful thing. It craves protein and fat to run effectively, along with a bit of glycogen every now and then to fuel up. Next to the organs and the brain, your muscle mass is one of the biggest consumers of energy in the body, and the more you have, the better your fat loss. It�s a delicious cycle � the right kind of exercise spares muscle and burns fat, and more muscle with reduced body fat allows you to do the right kind of exercise.
One of the primary topics covered on this blog is intermittent fasting (IF). Many approach IF as a diet or weight loss method. I know from research, personal experience and conversations with others that IF can indeed be an effective way to drop unwanted pounds. However, viewing IF as merely a new way to diet entirely misses what I believe is the most important reason to pursue it: the activation of hormetic processes that foster improved health, keep degenerative diseases at bay, and hold out the promise of a longer, more vibrant life. These benefits are a known consequence of calorie restriction, but intermittent fasting offers a more comfortable and versatile way to reap the benefits of calorie restriction without the sense of deprivation, the loss of lean body mass, and the metabolic risks that have been associated with simple calorie restriction.
Just do it. It will come in handy when the food shortage begins!! I might look into something like this for the holidays. I love challenges.
Many green leafy vegetables are actually complete proteins. The reason few people are aware of this is because
* The meat + diary industries want you to believe that the only sources of complete proteins are meat and diary (for obvious reasons).
* Nobody thinks of greens as a source of protein - after all, you'd have to eat loads of greens to get the same protein as one steak, right?
Actually, green leafy vegetables (and especially green sprouts) are a BETTER source of protein then meat or diary because animal protein comes in chains of hundreds or thousands of amino acids, which your body first has to break down into individual amino acids and then rebuild them into the specific amino acid chains it needs. The protein from green leafy vegetables is almost always in the form of individual amino acids, so your body can start building whatever proteins it requires without having to break up hugs chains of amino acids first. You cut out the middleman and save lots of energy + stress on your body.
Another important point is to consume these proteins raw - cooking denatures proteins and actually makes about 50% of any protein you eat unusable; proteins come in very complex 3-dimensional structures with many "layers", and your body produces specific digestive enzymes that have to fit perfectly with the protein to break it down. The proteins then need to be built back up into specific configurations so that they can do their job in your body, be it structural, as enzymes, etc. When cooked, the protein structure unfolds and become messed up, preventing your body from using most of the protein and making it work much harder for that which it can still use. That's a very simplified version of the actual process, but I don't think I need to get into advanced biochemistry here. In short, proteins are much more bioavailable when uncooked. Cooking foods also destroys or decreases the bioavailability of many nutrients and creates many carcinogens, so even though it does increase the bioavailability of some nutrients it is still much better to avoid it if possible.
Carcinogens caused by cooking:
* Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) - formed by cooking meat
* Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - also formed by cooking meat.
* Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) - these are particularly nasty, and do as their name suggests - a major cause of aging and every disease that comes with it in our society.
* Acrylamide - animal research has shown it to be genotoxic, neurotoxic, carcinogenic and it causes reproductive problems. Found in high-carbohydrate foods and fatty foods.
* Oxysterols (oxidized cholesterol), comes from foods that contain cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol damages your arteries and causes irreversible damage to your colon [that�s what the scientists say, but I don�t believe �em�the body can heal just about anything given the right resources]. You should still avoid it.
* Nitrosamines � carcinogenic, mainly found in processed meats.
Caramelizing food also produces many carcinogens and dramatically increases the glycemic index. Cooking any carbohydrate will increase the glycemic index of that food, making it more likely to cause insulin spikes and all of the problems that come with them.
Many others that aren't coming to mind right now, that's all I can remember off the top of my head.
It's true that it is impractical to try to get your protein by eating greens, but if you juice them it is very easy - 1 oz shot of wheatgrass juice, for example, contains 1 gram of highly bioavailable protein. The content holds true for most microgreens and green sprouts, so by drinking 40 oz of sprout juice a day I get 40 oz of complete, highly digestible protein even without considering the solid food I eat. That's more then most people get in one day because most of the protein they eat is unusable to the body [40 oz of sprout juice is worth well more then 80 grams of cooked protein], which causes huge problems because most people have some degree of leaky gut (I'll get into that in a later post). This leads to most autoimmune conditions.
Algae such as spirulina is also a great source of protein and far more
bioavailable then meat.
I've got quite a bit to say about phytic acid and other nutrient inhibitors when I have more time.
Quote:
What do you think of beans/lentils as a protein source? Think they can replace meat?
Always sprout them; just soaking only removes a fraction of the phytic acid and other nutrient inhibitors.
I hear that people with very good digestive health can actually synthesize most of the protein they need in thier gut via the bacteria that live there so they need to eat very little protein. But sadly most people have horrible digestive health and not only can't do that, but they only absorb a fraction of the nutrients that they eat.
You can also produce all of the b12 you need if you have a very "clean" digestive tract with high levels of beneficial gut flora.
Much safer to just stick with the sprout juices for protein, you can't go wrong that way and the amounts of other nutrients in them is phenomenal.
I hear that people with very good digestive health can actually synthesize most of the protein they need in thier gut via the bacteria that live there so they need to eat very little protein. .
That is my understanding when it comes to a cow's three stomachs. The end intake is the same as any omnivore's.
Probably, but for cows it really isn't necessary - grass and greens are loaded with protein. Eating that all day, cows probably get more protein then carnivorous animals. I was talking about eating very little protein but having the bacteria in your digestive tract synthesize it from fiber and other compouds that are indigestable to us, maybe even from sugar. I never looked into it closely 'cause I get plenty of protein.
We humans don't have 3 stomachs, but a good juicer substitutes for the other two.
There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about phytic acid and other antinutrients; they aren't just present in grains and legumes, but also nuts, seeds, and just about every plant food in varying amounts. Greens and fruit have phytates and antinutrients too.
A chart of a few foods that contain phytates (only a partial list):
I have another one that lists phytate content in leafy vegetables and fruits, but I can't find it online and I don't have a scanner.
Cooking only removes a small amount of the nutrient inhibitors, as does soaking; sprouting is by far the best way to minimize them. Even boiling quinoa for 25 minutes only removes 15-20% of the phytates, for example. Sprouting removes much more.
The only thing I object to in the above link is their assertion that you have to cook your food to avoid the phytic acid, that's plain WRONG! But the rest of the information is very good.
From the above link:
"Phytic acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially the bran portion of grains and other seeds. It contains the mineral phosphorus tightly bound in a snowflake-like molecule. In humans and animals with one stomach, the phosphorus is not readily bioavailable. In addition to blocking phosphorus availability, the “arms” of the phytic acid molecule readily bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, making them unavailable as well. In this form, the compound is referred to as phytate.
Phytic acid not only grabs on to or chelates important minerals, but also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food, including pepsin, needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase, needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine, is also inhibited by phytates."
The minerals are present in the plants, but are bound up and not available for our use...in addition, they also inhibit our absorption of many other nutrients. Proper sprouting (fermenting works too) removes the anti-nutrients and thus not only stops the binding of other valuable nutrients, but frees up many of the minerals that were previously unavailable to us. In the case of phytates, for example, sprouting activates the enzyme phytase, which breaks down the phytates and frees the phosphorous. Phosphorous is very important for bone structure and overall health, but most (unsprouted - hint hint) plant sources are in the form of phytates, which do more harm then good.
Sprouting for inadequate lengths of time only removes some of the nutrient inhibitors, as does sprouting at cold temperatures. Sprouting at warmer temperatures in acidic conditions produces many more enzymes then sprouting at neutral pH, room temperature conditions (and many more then sprouting in cold conditions). I think this is due to partial fermentation. Sprouting with warm and acidic water is the secret to having the best sprouts possible allows you to almost entirely avoid all antinutrients, + you get the highest levels of enzymes possible. You can also grind up fresh rye (preferably sprouted) in the soak water of your sprouts, rye has the highest levels of the enzyme phytase and will remove most if not all of the phytic acid in your sprouts.
Phytase is also produced by your gut bacteria if you have a healthy digestive tract. Beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tract are very very VERY important; they enhance your immune system, kill pathogens, produce all kinds of enzymes to digest things that we can't, neutralize toxins we eat, and even seem to produce neurotransmitters and hormones. It is extremely important to have a healthy population of good bacteria in your digestive tract, it's one of the most important factors if you want radiant health and longevity. Science still doesn't understand most of the benefits that they provide, but even the little it has discovered is amazing.
Probably, but for cows it really isn't necessary - grass and greens are loaded with protein. Eating that all day, cows probably get more protein then carnivorous animals. I was talking about eating very little protein but having the bacteria in your digestive tract synthesize it from fiber and other compouds that are indigestable to us, maybe even from sugar. I never looked into it closely 'cause I get plenty of protein.
We humans don't have 3 stomachs, but a good juicer substitutes for the other two.
I was too vague, but I think you understood what I was trying to say about the flora in the cow's gut 'making' the protein necessary to form milk and steak.
Linear Mode
