“If you are a heavy meat eater, your body will be so contaminated with toxins you would not pass the FDA’s standards to be sold for human consumption.”
There are ten essential amino acids needed for the body to manufacture protein. Again, the word essential means the body cannot produce them internally and therefore they must be supplied by what you eat. You have heard the terms complete and incomplete proteins. Meat, eggs and dairy are a complete protein, containing all ten essential amino acids in a single serving. A single plant food serving is not a complete protein, deficient in one or more of the ten essential amino acids, with soy and quinoa and a handful of other plant foods being exceptions. Consequently animal products were looked upon as a superior source of protein.
In 1971, Frances Lappe wrote the best seller, Diet for a Small Planet. She came up with the idea of putting together animal-free meal combinations that would provide complete protein recipes. For instance, brown rice and peas together contain all ten essential amino acids; therefore they combine to make a complete protein meal. Protein-combining became the new health fad, and her book sold over 3,000,000 copies. Although it was never her intention, Diet for a Small Planet reinforced the erroneous belief in the superiority of animal protein. Ten years later, after further studies, she became convinced that her protein complementary diet had been a mistake. Lappe stated in her new book, if people are getting enough calories, they are almost certain of getting enough protein.
Research has shown that the body is skillful enough to scavenge the missing essential amino acids from the vast number of bacteria in the lower intestinal tract. Besides, in any given day, as long as you are eating from a variety of nutrient-rich foods, all ten amino acids will be present in your diet. Protein deficiency does not exist among vegan vegetarians; in fact tests continue to show they are healthier and live longer.
When comparing animals to plants as a source of protein, meat gets to first base due to good absorbable levels of protein, B12 and iron. But there are some serous strikes against meat as your primary source of protein.
Strike One: Animals are high on the food chain. What this means to you is simple: residue toxins in feed and water concentrate in the flesh of the animal. When you eat animal flesh it further concentrates in your flesh. Meat eaters are at the very top of the food chain. Look at it this way: if you are a heavy meat eater, your body will be so contaminated with toxins you would not pass the FDA’s standards to be sold for human consumption. Cannibals would turn up their noses but cancer would love you. Plants are lowest on the food chain and therefore do not have the concentrated toxins animals do.
Strike Two: Animal products have zero fiber. This means that meat moves very slowing through the digestive system, putrefying and becoming progressively toxic. All whole plant foods are rich in colon-cleaning fiber.
Strike Three: Animal foods force the digestive system to produce hydrochloric acid, stripping the body of calcium. Plants foods do not have this effect. Raw plant food has the added benefit of digestible enzymes.
Strike Four: Animal foods have none of the micronutrients and phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables that help fight cancer.
Strike Five: Most animal meals are high in saturated fat, the number one cause of cardiovascular disease.
Strike Six: The huge increase of farm animals is a growing burden on the earth’s stressed ecosystem.
Strike Seven: You are eating a food source that is poorly suited to the human body.
Related Articles: How Much Protein Do We Need? Are Vegetarians Deficient In Iron and B12?