How do plant-based athletes eat for peak energy, performance, and recovery? And what can the rest of us learn from their experience?

Competitive athletes Robert Cheeke and Matt Frazier, co-authors of The Plant-Based Athlete, are living proof that the human body doesn’t need meat, eggs, or dairy to be strong. In this free Forks Over Knives webinar, Cheeke and Frazier will answer audience questions and discuss how a consciously calibrated plant-based diet offers the best possible recovery times, injury prevention, and restorative sleep, allowing athletes—and anyone who is active—to train more effectively with better results.

WATCH THE REPLAY

Originally aired July 19, 2022

The post Webinar Replay: The Truth About Protein, and Other Secrets of Plant-Based Athletes, with Robert Cheeke & Matt Frazier appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The large-scale study, published in the ​​Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle, analyzed data from more than 85,000 women aged 60 and older over the course of two decades to determine whether the type of protein they consumed impacted their likelihood of developing frailty—a common and sometimes very dangerous condition in older adults. Frailty greatly increases the risk of infections, falls, surgical complications, and illnesses that require hospitalization. For the study, researchers defined frailty as meeting at least three of the following five criteria: fatigue, low strength, reduced aerobic capacity, five or more chronic illnesses, and weight loss of 5% or more. Food intake questionnaires provided data on the womens’ diets.

Over the course of the study, researchers recorded more than 13,000 cases of frailty and found that women who ate the most animal-based protein (red meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy) experienced the highest rates of frailty, while the women who consumed the most plant-based protein (bread, cereals, pasta, nuts, beans, and legumes) experienced the lowest rates.

After adjusting for variables such as baseline body mass index, alcohol intake, and smoking status, the study found that swapping just 5% of protein intake from animal-based sources to plant-based sources could drastically reduce frailty. Researchers further discovered that the level of frailty reduction differed based on the specific type of animal protein that the plant protein replaced:

• Replacing overall animal protein reduced the risk of frailty by 38%
• Replacing dairy protein reduced the risk of frailty by 32%
• Replacing nondairy animal protein (including meat, fish, and eggs) reduced the risk of frailty by 42%

“Plant-based foods are associated with lower risks of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers,” says Vanita Rahman, MD, clinic director at Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “They are also associated with less inflammation and improved joint health. By collectively decreasing the burden of chronic disease, plant-based foods support lower rates of frailty.”

While previous research has suggested that eating more protein in general can reduce the risk of frailty, this latest study found that only plant-based protein seemed to offer protective benefits, with the authors noting that “habitual long-term intake of total protein, animal protein, and dairy protein was not associated with lower risk of frailty.”

“Although we need definitive research evidence, I suspect that the more women move towards a plant-based diet, the more improvements they can expect in their health and frailty scores,” says Rahman.

Apart from mitigating the physical symptoms of frailty during old age, a 2019 study published in Advances in Nutrition found that a plant-based diet could also slow cognitive decline in elderly adults. Researchers found that polyphenol-rich foods such as citrus, berries, nuts, and cocoa improved specific regions of cognition in the brain, particularly the frontal lobe which controls executive functioning. Eliminating animal products has also been shown to reduce cancer risk, increase your lifespan by more than a decade, and lower medication usage for older adults.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Swapping Out Animal Protein for Plant Protein Reduces Frailty in Older Women by 42% appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

What Is Protein?

Let’s start with a basic definition: Protein is one of three macronutrients our bodies use for energy. (The other two macronutrients are carbohydrates and fat.) Protein is made up of 20 individual building blocks called amino acids. Amino acids are vital to our bodies—necessary for building and repairing cells, creating enzymes and antibodies, and performing other essential functions. Our bodies can synthesize most amino acids on our own, but there are eight that we cannot synthesize: These are the essential amino acids, and we easily get them from food. Read more about amino acids here.

Protein Intake: How Much We Need, How Much We’re Getting

When it comes to protein intake, there’s a surprising discrepancy between how much we need and how much we’re getting.

How Much Protein Do Most of Us Really Need?

For the general population, getting 10–15 percent of daily calories from protein is sufficient. This is true even for people who lead an active lifestyle.

Government-issued recommendations for protein intake have varied over the years. Currently, the U.S. government’s protein RDA is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. The World Health Organization, on the other hand, recommends 0.66 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For a 140-pound person, the U.S. RDA translates to about 50 grams of protein a day; if that person consumes 2,000 calories in a day, 50 grams of protein is exactly 10 percent of total calories.

How Much Protein Do Most of Us Get?

Science shows that most of us already get more protein than we need. 

In 2013, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics published the largest study to date comparing the nutrient intake of more than 71,000 non-vegetarians, vegetarians, and vegans. The study found that, on average, vegetarians and vegans get 70 percent more protein than they need every day (70-plus grams), while non-vegetarians get even more than that (almost 80 grams). 

Without even trying, you are most likely getting more protein than you need—whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore. Protein deficiency is almost exclusively seen in people suffering from a calorie deficiency. In these cases, the concern should be getting more calories and more of all nutrients—not just protein.

Can Athletes Get Enough Protein on a Vegan Diet?

Generally speaking, athletes can easily get enough protein on a whole-food, plant-based diet, and they don’t need to consume protein powders or bars—or even focus on eating whole foods with high concentrations of protein, such as beans—to do so. As Alona Pulde, MD, and Matthew Lederman, MD, write in The Forks Over Knives Plan: “Athletes do require more protein (and all nutrients) than sedentary people, but there is no evidence that they require a higher percentage of protein compared to other macronutrients in their diet to perform more optimally.” In other words, most athletes just need to eat more food, period. 

In an interview with Forks Over Knives, Garth Davis, MD, author of Proteinaholic, noted one situation that might be an exception: “The only time I’ve seen where [proportionally] more protein truly seems to help seems to be in a situation where you’re on a calorie deficit and you’re trying to prevent muscle mass loss,” says Davis. “A bodybuilder cutting for a bodybuilding competition … [will] want a higher percentage [of their calories to come from] protein … to preserve the muscle mass.” 

Living Proof: Plant-Based Athletes on the Rise

If you have any doubt that a plant-based diet can provide you with enough protein to become a high-performing athlete, you needn’t look far for living examples, such as bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, ultra-endurance athlete Rich Roll, ultra-runners Matt Frazier and Fiona Oakes, and the many elite athletes highlighted in the new documentary film The Game Changers. 

Looking for more tips to thrive athletically? Check out Cheeke’s Top Tips for Plant-Based Athletes and Rich Roll’s article Slaying the Protein Myth.

Plant Protein vs. Animal Protein

We’ve established that vegans get more than enough protein, but do meat and dairy somehow offer qualitatively “better” protein than plant sources? Not by a long shot. 

The Dangers of Animal Protein

It might seem wise to err on the side of getting too much protein. But doing so poses health risks, particularly if you’re consuming animal protein: A growing body of research demonstrates a link between animal protein intake and serious health problems, including cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

A 2018 study of more than 81,000 people found that regular meat consumption was associated with a 60 percent increase in the risk of heart disease. High consumption of animal protein was associated with early death in a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Another  2019 study found that white meat is as cholesterol-raising as red meat. In a cohort study published in 2014, high protein intake, especially from animal sources, was associated with elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And despite a common assumption that eating more protein can be helpful in achieving weight-loss goals, eating animal protein is actually associated with weight gain. 

“Animal protein is a major cause of weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and cancer,” says Michelle McMacken, MD, director of the Adult Weight Management Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in New York City. “Contrary to popular perception … excess protein does not make us stronger or leaner. Excess protein is stored as fat or turned into waste.” 

There may be hormonal ramifications, as well: A 2022 meta-study reviewed 27 interventional studies in which participants were assigned to low-carb, high-protein diets and found that, on average, such participants saw a 17 percent decrease in their testosterone levels.

Can Excess Plant Protein Be Dangerous?

The adverse effects of consuming high quantities of animal protein are well-documented. Is it unhealthy to consume too much protein from plants?

This is an area in need of more research, but Davis speculates that plant protein could accelerate aging the same way that protein from animal products does. “There is quite a bit of sense in the science of aging that protein is a big driver of aging,” Davis says. “Is it just that it’s animal protein? Well, it appears that it’s leucine, specifically, and maybe some other [amino acids] like methionine. It happens that meat protein is higher in leucine and methionine than plant protein is. But if you’re going to keep pushing plant protein enough, you’re going to get enough leucine where you get that same effect,” says Davis. 

Do Vegans Need to Combine Foods to Get Complete Proteins?

There’s no need to combine specific plant foods to ensure your proteins are “complete.” Your body breaks down the amino acids in foods and builds them up into complete proteins all on its own. “Any single whole natural plant food, or any combination of them, if eaten as one’s sole source of calories for a day, would provide all of the essential amino acids and not just the minimum requirements but far more than the recommended requirements,” writes Jeff Novick, MS, RD. Read more about The Myth of Complementary Protein.

Plant-Based Protein Sources

You can get all the protein you need simply by eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. You don’t need to expend any extra effort to ensure you’re getting enough protein or any other macronutrient or micronutrient. As Drs. Pulde and Lederman write in The Forks Over Knives Plan, “You should not worry about how much protein you’re getting any more than you should worry about the perfect number of breaths you take in a day.” 

Whole plant foods that have high concentrations of protein are beans (including soybeans and tofu and tempeh), lentils, and other legumes; bulgur; nuts; and seeds. But as vegan ultramarathoner Matt Frazier writes in The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, “It’s not just tofu, beans, and nuts that pack the protein in a plant-based diet. Indeed, just about everything else in whole-food, plant-based diets—grains, veggies, everything except most fruit—has a protein content at or above 12 to 15 percent of total calories. Put it all together, and you get a diet that provides you with plenty of protein—even as an athlete.” 

What Are the Best Sources of Protein?

The bottom line: The best sources of protein are whole plant foods, which provide ample protein without any cholesterol.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post The No-B.S. Guide to Plant-Based Protein appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

But it’s important to understand that having a higher proportion of essential amino acids, as animal protein does, is actually damaging (not advantageous) for our health. We outline seven ways that animal protein damages your health.

1. Animal Protein and Fiber (or total lack thereof)

Unlike plant protein, which comes packaged with fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, animal protein comes with exactly none of the foregoing. To this point, meat, eggs, poultry, dairy, fish and other animal foods have absolutely no fiber whatsoever.

Many people, in their effort to “get enough” protein, tend to eat large amounts of animal foods, which displaces plant foods that have these important nutrients. Fiber deficiencies, in particular, are far more common than not.

For example, The Institute of Medicine recommends that men consume 38 grams of fiber, but the average adult only eats about 15 grams per day—less than half the recommended amount. In fact, according to the USDA, almost all Americans (~95%) do not get an adequate amount of dietary fiber.^38,39

High fiber intake is associated with decreased cancer risk, specifically colon and breast cancers, as well as lower risk of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, constipation and diverticulitis. It may also reduce the risk of stroke, high cholesterol, and heart disease.^40,41

2. Animal Protein and IGF-1 (increased cancer risk)

When we ingest proteins that have a higher proportion of the essential amino acids (which is a characteristic of animal protein), it results in our bodies producing higher levels of the hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).^2-8

This hormone stimulates cell division and growth in both healthy and cancer cells and, for this reason, having higher circulating levels of IGF-1 has been consistently associated with increased cancer risk, proliferation, and malignancy.^2-8

3. Animal Protein and TMAO

Consuming animal protein also results in us having higher circulating levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO).

TMAO is a substance that injures the lining of our vessels, creates inflammation, and facilitates the formation of cholesterol plaques in our blood vessels. And that, of course, is highly problematic for cardiovascular health.^9,10

TMAO is created by complex interactions involving our gut flora and the nutrients in the food we eat. And when we eat animal foods, it alters our gut flora in such a way that facilitates the creation of TMAO.^9,10

So, consuming animal foods result in higher TMAO levels, which is damaging to our vessels. Even without all of the other problematic aspects of animal foods, this one issue involving TMAO is, according to the recent president of the American College of Cardiology Dr. Kim A. Williams, sufficient by itself for people to vigorously avoid animal foods.¹¹

4. Animal Protein and Phosphorus

Animal protein contains high levels of phosphorus. And when we consume high amounts of phosphorus, one of the ways our bodies normalize the level of phosphorus is with a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23).

FGF23 has been found to be harmful to our blood vessels. It can also lead to hypertrophy of the cardiac ventricle (abnormal enlargement of our cardiac muscle) and is associated with heart attacks, sudden death, and heart failure.^12,13 So eating animal protein with its high concentration of phosphorus can result in increased levels of this hormone in our bodies, which in turn is highly problematic for our health.

5. Animal Protein, Heme Iron, and Free Radicals

Iron is the most abundant metal in the human body. We can consume it in two forms: (a) heme iron, found widely in animal foods like meat, poultry, and fish; and (b) non-heme iron found widely in plant foods.

One of the problems with heme iron is that it can convert less reactive oxidants into highly reactive free radicals.¹⁴ And free radicals can damage different cell structures like proteins, membranes, and DNA.^14,15

Heme iron can also catalyze the formation of N-nitroso compounds in our bodies, which are potent carcinogens. So, not surprisingly, high intake of heme iron has been associated with many kinds of gastrointestinal cancers as well as other pathologies.¹⁵

It is true that heme iron has higher absorption rates and bioavailability than non-heme iron. However, iron itself can cause oxidative stress and DNA damage, so with iron generally, it’s not always a situation where “more is better.”¹⁵

While we definitely need iron, the absorption and bioavailability of iron from a well-rounded plant-based diet is generally adequate, and we can avoid the problems associated with heme iron and other negative health attributes of animal foods.^16,17

6. Higher Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids and Bone Health Problems

Animal proteins also have, in general, higher concentrations of sulfur-containing amino acids, which can induce a subtle state of acidosis when metabolized.¹⁸ One of the mechanisms our bodies use to compensate for this acidosis is leaching calcium from our bones to help neutralize the increased acidity. Over time, this can have a detrimental effect on bone health.^19-24

This is thought to be one of the reasons why some studies have found that populations with higher dairy consumption, as well as higher consumption of animal protein in general, also have a higher incidence of bone fractures.^18-30

7. Animal Protein and Cholesterol

Most animal foods contain saturated fat and cholesterol (this is true for even so-called “lean” meats like chicken, turkey, and salmon, regardless of how they are cooked or prepared—even if boiled, baked, or steamed).

As humans, we do not need to consume any cholesterol, since our bodies synthesize all the cholesterol we need for our physiologic functions.

Eating cholesterol despite this fact is problematic for our health, as it increases our risk of developing heart disease—currently the No. 1 cause of death for both men and women in the United States.^31-37

Atherosclerosis, or plaques of cholesterol that accumulate in the lining of our vessels, is exquisitely less common on a plant-based vegan diet devoid of animal products. And some studies have found that eating this way can even reverse atherosclerosis.^32-37

The Real “High Quality” Foods

Given all the issues, the “high quality” aspect of animal protein might be more appropriately described as “high risk” instead.

And there’s no need to obsess about getting enough protein either. If you are eating a sensible variety of plant foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, roots, nuts, and seeds), and you are eating enough calories (i.e., you feel satisfied), there is no need to worry about protein adequacy.

The amino acids we need are structurally identical regardless of the source. However, as discussed above, there are serious health implications depending on whether the amino acids are packaged within animal or plant foods. Dr. Walter Willett, the chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, said it well:

“To the metabolic systems engaged in protein production and repair, it is immaterial whether amino acids come from animal or plant protein. However, protein is not consumed in isolation. Instead, it is packaged with a host of other nutrients.”⁴²

He therefore recommends that you “pick the best protein packages by emphasizing plant sources of protein rather than animal sources.”⁴²

In the end, plant foods are the real “high quality” foods that we should be eating for optimal health.

_Sources:

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The post 7 Ways Animal Protein is Damaging Your Health appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

You might be asking yourself how protein can be associated with weight gain when you have always been told to eat protein to lose weight. There are many possible answers to this very complex question. One comprehensive 2009 review considers mounting evidence that the chronic acid intake from high-protein diets may actually cause cellular dysfunction and eventual weight gain (Berkemeyer 2009). While this article is an interesting read (to me, at least), I think the answer is much more simple.

Volumetrics and Calorie Density
You may have heard of a term called “volumetrics.” Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., a nutritionist at Penn State, invented this term to describe a very simple idea: if you eat food with low-calorie density, then you will not gain weight. The idea is that the stomach has stretch receptors that feed back to the brain when our stomachs are full. If you eat food with lots of calories per weight, by the time your stretch receptors alert your brain that you’re full, you have already eaten too many calories. However, if you eat food with a low amount of calories [per weight], you can stuff your face until your stomach tells you that you’re full without overconsuming calories (Rolls 2000; Rolls and Bell 1999; Rolls, Ello-Martin, et al. 2004).

The Fiber Factor
Fruits, vegetables, and beans are high in fiber, which is not absorbed into our bloodstream. So some of the weight of these plant foods does not translate into calories absorbed. Likewise, the fiber holds water and obviously water won’t cause fat gain. So if you eat a giant 280 gram slice of watermelon, due to the fiber and water, you get only 85 calories. A 280 gram piece of chicken delivers almost six times the calories (480). If you could actually consume 280 grams of olive oil (20 tablespoons, in case you’re crazy), you’d take in a whopping 2,380 calories.

This is why I tell my patients they do not need to count calories when they eat a plant-based diet. I don’t care how many apples they eat, or how much kale they consume. I have never seen anybody get fat from broccoli or bananas. One patient didn’t believe me and tried to prove me wrong by eating six apples a day. She still lost weight. Even the most dedicated overeater will become full before eating too many calories.

As an added bonus, the fiber in fruits and vegetables acts as a binder to the sugar they contain. I don’t recommend drinking juices because they remove the fiber from the sugar. When you drink orange juice, the sugar goes into your system real fast. This doesn’t make you fat, but it does make you hungry in an hour or so. Eat an orange, on the other hand, and the fiber turns the sugar into a slow release pill so you don’t experience the same sugar rush. High fiber decreases the glycemic load of the food, and studies have shown that this really does decrease hunger (Lennerz, Alsop, et al. 2013). I believe this is why fiber is so well associated with weight loss. When you look at large studies, people eating the most fruits, veggies, and grains are eating the highest fiber and thereby eating lower calories and losing more weight than meat eaters (Mozaffarian, Hao, et al. 2011).

Plant-Based Diet for Weight Loss
I have been using plant-based diets for weight loss for many years with considerable success. My goal is not to make everybody vegan, but rather to greatly increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes consumed, while decreasing our usual reliance on [animal] protein. I want my patients to turn their plate around. I tell them to dethrone the meat from its starring role in the center of the plate. I always hear that plant-based diets are hard to do, but it hasn’t been for my patients. It’s not just me; studies have found that vegetarian diets are very well tolerated in clinical settings (Berkow, Barnard, et al. 2010; Thedford and Raj 2011).

A plant-based diet liberates us from counting calories, but it goes further; I tell my patients not to count anything. Years of counting points and carbs, and weighing portions, has made them addicted to measuring. It is a huge relief for them to stop having to starve themselves and worrying about portions. I instruct them to eat the rainbow with a wide variety of fruits and veggies, without limits. If you are hungry, I tell them again and again, have an apple. Enjoy it fully and don’t worry. I provide them with delicious recipes that allow large portions but with low-calorie content. Time and again they tell me how easy it is to eat this way. They gush over how delicious the food is, how they are never hungry, and how they feel fantastic. Remember, my business is helping people lose weight. If they didn’t lose weight, I wouldn’t be successful. Thankfully, this diet is extremely successful, which is why I recommend it.

(Read More: Obesity—It’s Not About the Carbs)

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Can you believe people actually avoid fruit in an attempt to lose weight? There has never been a single credible study showing that fruit consumption leads to weight gain, and yet this concept is as prevalent as any nutrition dogma. I have treated people for obesity for years and I can tell you, nobody is coming to see me because they ate too many apples or grapes. Why do people think fruit leads to weight gain? The quick answer from my patients is because of the carbs.

When I ask my patients what their downfall is, when it comes to weight loss, they unanimously blame carbs. Their diet log will read: eggs-and-bacon breakfast sandwich, Subway sandwich and chips for lunch, and a pork roast with potatoes for dinner. When asked the part of that menu that is causing them to gain weight, they blame the bread from the sandwiches, the chips, and the potatoes. It is always the bun, never the hamburger. Now don’t get me wrong; there is nothing healthy about chips, loaded with fat. The sandwich bread is likely bleached flour with little, to no, nutrient value.

However, the vast majority of the calories are coming from fat and protein. Pizza and donuts are considered carbs despite the fact that they contain as many (or more) calories from fat as carbs.

Here are two examples. The first is for a Pizza Hut six-inch Personal Pan Meat Lover’s Pizza (admittedly one of their more calorically dense and fat-heavy options). Of the 850 total calories, 430 come from fat. That’s 51 percent. Another hundred calories come from protein, leaving 320 calories from carbs.

Second, a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donut. According to the company’s website (updated September 2014), a single donut delivers 190 calories, 100 of them from fat. That’s 53 percent. Carbs account for 84 calories (44%), while protein comprises another 6 calories (3%).

Widespread Misconceptions About Protein, Carbs, and Fat

Here’s a recent conversation with a patient, a woman from Ghana, that really highlights the misconceptions about diet and weight loss. She has lived in the United States for many years, and during much of that time, struggled mightily with obesity. She has seen endocrinologists, dietitians, and trainers. She has done the Atkins diet several times and most recently went to a doctor who prescribed Belviq (the newest prescription medication targeting obesity). She sees a registered dietitian and a trainer regularly. Despite the meds, the medical oversight, and her sincere and steadfast efforts, she still has a body mass index (BMI) of 40, which classifies her as morbidly obese.

And as you’ll see, she already knows everything she needs to make smarter decisions. It’s only the proteinaholism that blinds her to the truth:

ME: So what do you typically eat for breakfast?

PATIENT: Usually eggs of some sort and a protein.

ME: What do you mean by “protein”?

PATIENT: Well, it could be chicken or bacon or sausage.

ME: Hmm, those aren’t really protein. I mean, some of those choices have more calories from fat than protein. So really, you could just as well say, “I have eggs and some fat for breakfast.”

PATIENT: (Chuckles) Never thought about it like that.

ME: So what’s for lunch?

PATIENT: Usually salad with a pro-um,

I mean fish or chicken.

ME: OK, do you snack during the day?

PATIENT: No. My issues really are at night, when we eat more carbs from our traditional diet from Ghana. We eat lots of yams and stews. Lots of starches.

ME: Interesting that you view that as your bad meal when to me it’s your best. Have you visited Ghana recently?

PATIENT: Yes. Funny enough, whenever I visit Ghana I lose weight. That is the only place I lose weight.

ME: What do you eat there?

PATIENT: Lots of yams, yam stews, lots of maize (corn), fruit.

ME: Are there lots of obese people in Ghana?

PATIENT: Not at all. In fact, when I am there I am one of the biggest.

ME: So do you see what I’m getting at? In Ghana you eat lots of starches and fruits, and people are thin and you lose weight. But come to America and eat American “health food,” and you gain weight. As I look at your diet history, you have always tried diets that focus on high protein. You told me you try to eat lots of protein and it has never worked long for you. Yet you have completely avoided a diet that you enjoy and have lost weight on.

PATIENT: Well, I thought fruits and starches made you fat, and we need more protein. That is all I hear.

In Ghana, the obesity rate is 5.5 percent, slightly higher for women (7.9%) and slightly lower for men (2.8%), compared to America’s 34.9 percent rate of obesity. Higher rates of obesity were found among those who live in the more Westernized portions of Ghana and eat less fruit. Also, those who had not completed a secondary school education were much less likely to become obese than those who graduated from secondary school, high school, and college. This suggests that with higher earning power came the ability to buy meat and other rich Western fare. The Ghanian traditional diet was the one most closely correlated with normal weight and is high in beans and starches, including maize, yams, fruits, and cassava roots (Biritwum, Gyapong, et al. 2005)[1].

Traditional diets high in fruits, veggies and starches have worked for thousands of years, and continue to keep people slim and healthy. But our obsession with counting fat, carbs, and protein blinds us to this truth.

[1] Biritwum, R., Gyapong, J., & Mensah, G. (2005). The epidemiology of obesity in Ghana. Ghana Med J, 39(3), 82–85.

The post Obesity: It’s Not About the Carbs appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?

• The average recommended intake of protein is 42 grams a day.
• Non-vegetarians eat way more than that (almost 80 grams), but so does everyone else.
• Vegetarians and vegans actually average 70 percent more protein than they need every day (over 70 grams).

There is so much fuss over protein, even though the studies Dr. Greger cites in the video show that 97 percent of Americans eat enough protein.

Americans Don’t Eat Enough Fiber

Everyone is so concerned about protein, but what we really need to be concerned about is dietary fiber.

Virtually all Americans get enough protein, but less than 3 percent of Americans get the minimum recommended intake of fiber.

Why Is Fiber So Important?

A lack of dietary fiber has been associated with a higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and various cancers, as well as higher cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

Why Aren’t Americans Eating Enough Fiber?

Fiber is found only in plants, like beans, fruits, vegetables, whole grains.

Nearly the entire United States population fails to eat enough whole plant foods.

Watch the entire Nutritionfacts.org video to learn more about how to close the fiber gap and how to spread the word about eating a plant-based diet for better health and wellbeing.

NOW READ:

The Myth of Complementary Protein
Why the High-Protein Trend Is Dangerous
An Ultra Athlete Slays the High-Protein Myth

The post Do Vegetarians and Vegans Eat Enough Protein? appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

All this flop-flopping has the public scratching their heads, and news headlines are proclaiming that we can all safely go back to eating meat and eggs. Now that cholesterol has been exonerated, sugar and carbs seem to be the dietary bad guys in the health world. But in a recent Op-Ed for The New York Times, Dr. Dean Ornish challenged the notion that Americans are eating too much starch and sugar and not enough meat, fat, and eggs.

He cites stats to show that Americans are eating more meat, fat, and sugar than ever. He then goes on to break down the science to establish that the meat and animal fats in many high-protein diets are linked to disease and cancer:

“Although people have been told for decades to eat less meat and fat, Americans actually consumed 67 percent more added fat, 39 percent more sugar, and 41 percent more meat in 2000 than they had in 1950 and 24.5 percent more calories than they had in 1970, according to the Agriculture Department. Not surprisingly, we are fatter and unhealthier.

The debate is not as simple as low-fat versus low-carb. Research shows that animal protein may significantly increase the risk of premature mortality from all causes, among them cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Heavy consumption of saturated fat and trans fats may double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

A study published last March found a 75 percent increase in premature deaths from all causes, and a 400 percent increase in deaths from cancer and Type 2 diabetes, among heavy consumers of animal protein under the age of 65 — those who got 20 percent or more of their calories from animal protein.

Low-carb, high-animal-protein diets promote heart disease via mechanisms other than just their effects on cholesterol levels. Arterial blockages may be caused by animal-protein-induced elevations in free fatty acids and insulin levels and decreased production of endothelial progenitor cells (which help keep arteries clean). Egg yolks and red meat appear to significantly increase the risk of coronary heart disease and cancer due to increased production of trimethylamine N-oxide, or TMAO, a metabolite of meat and egg yolks linked to the clogging of arteries. (Egg whites have neither cholesterol nor TMAO.)”

Read the full article at The New York Times.

Dr. Ornish is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of The Spectrum and Eat More, Weigh Less.

The post Dr. Dean Ornish Weighs In on Hazards of the High-Protein Trend appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I enjoy reminding my patients that their fork can be more powerful than my prescription pad when it comes to preventing and reversing chronic diseases. This conversation usually uncovers some common misconceptions about food and nutrition. Here are five myths that I hear almost every day, among patients and colleagues alike:

1. “I need to eat more protein.”

Many people don’t realize that the average American consumes more than twice the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein, most of it from animal products. ^1,2 Unfortunately, animal-based proteins have been shown to promote faster growth, not only of normal cells but of cancer cells, and have been linked to a variety of cancers as well as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and kidney stones.^3,4

Plant foods contain plenty of protein, and a well-planned whole-foods, plant-based diet can easily meet our protein requirements. And unlike animal proteins, plant proteins from whole foods are not associated with cancer or other chronic diseases. In fact, these foods actually prevent many of the diseases we see today!

(RELATED: Do Vegans Eat Enough Protein?)

2. “I need to drink milk to have strong bones.”

Many people equate dairy with calcium, strong bones, and the prevention of osteoporosis (low bone density). Generations of advertising slogans have perpetuated this idea. However, dairy isn’t the answer here. Studies show that dairy products may actually increase the risk of fractures related to osteoporosis!^5-7

The biological purpose of cow’s milk is to support the rapid growth of a calf. Humans have no nutritional or medical need to consume the milk of cows or any other nonhuman species. Cow’s milk naturally contains female hormones, and can contain antibiotics, pesticides, saturated fat, and cholesterol — substances that definitely do NOT do a body good! Dairy has been specifically linked with prostate, ovarian, and uterine cancer, as well as heart disease and early death.^7-13

The best sources of calcium come from the earth, in foods such as kale, broccoli, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts. As a bonus, these vegetables are high in vitamin K, which is also important for strong bones. (Some greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard, are high in calcium but the calcium is not well absorbed due to the high oxalate content of these foods.) Fortified plant milks and calcium-set tofu are other good sources of calcium.

3. “Chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs are healthy sources of protein.”

Chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs contain significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat, in many cases as much as beef,¹⁴ so they are not “heart healthy” foods. Plant-based sources of protein contain zero cholesterol and far less saturated fat. Chicken and turkey usually contain antibiotics, pesticides, and fecal contaminants, and have been associated with salmonella, staph, and other infectious disease outbreaks. Chicken, fish, and eggs have been associated with an increased risk of diabetes.^15-23 Almost all fish contain mercury, which can cause neurologic and cognitive problems; many also contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a toxin associated with cancer.¹⁴ And a recent study showed that eggs cause intestinal bacteria to make a substance called TMAO, which can trigger heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.²⁴

Whole plant foods can supply plenty of protein, and they don’t come packaged with cholesterol or high levels of saturated fat. Instead, their protein is bundled with fiber and many necessary nutrients! Great plant-based sources of protein include beans, peas, lentils, tofu or tempeh, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

4. “I can’t eat carbs.”

Many people are mistakenly led to believe they should avoid carbohydrates, particularly for weight management and diabetes control. Instead, they focus on proteins—especially animal proteins—and fats. Sadly, this approach actually increases the risk of chronic disease and death,^25-29 and it deprives people of the numerous nutrients found in carbohydrate-containing foods.

It is true, however, that not all carbohydrate-rich foods are created equal. Refined, highly processed carbohydrates can raise triglycerides, promote weight gain, and drive up blood sugar. On the other hand, starches that come from whole grains bring fiber, essential fatty acids, B vitamins, zinc, and protein, and other essential nutrients into our diets and provide an excellent source of energy. Beans, lentils, peas, starchy vegetables, and fruits are other healthy carbohydrate sources. Balancing these foods with non-starchy vegetables is an optimal way to eat for weight loss, diabetes control, and reversal of heart disease.

(RELATED: Obesity—It’s Not About the Carbs)

5. “Healthy food is too expensive.”

You don’t need to shop at a gourmet health food store to find nutritious foods. Actually, some of the healthiest foods are the least expensive, and they are readily available at most grocery stores and many local farmers’ markets. Beans, lentils, brown rice, and frozen vegetables are usually inexpensive, especially when bought dried and in bulk. (Organic fruits and vegetables can cost more, but eating nonorganic plant-based foods is still more nutritious than eating meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy, organic or otherwise.)

Even when processed foods and animal products are sold cheaply, they are expensive in terms of the cost to your health. What you may save now, you could end up spending later in pharmacy co-payments and medical bills!

(RELATED: 7 Things That Happen When You Stop Eating Meat)

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References

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The post Top 5 Misconceptions About Food: A Doctor’s Daily Experience appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Conventional wisdom is that “vegan” and “athlete” simply don’t get along — let’s call it irreconcilable differences. I’m here to say that is utter nonsense.

“But where do you get your protein?”

Not a day goes by that I am not asked this question. If I had a dollar for every time this came up, everyone in my family would be driving a Tesla.

Most vegans bristle at the question. Armed for battle, they assume a defensive position and hunker down for the inevitable, age-old omnivore versus herbivore fight that always ensues. Because belief systems around food are entrenched — they’re right up there with religion and politics — emotions run high. Before you can blink, arrows are flying in both directions. Conversation becomes debate. And debate all too often devolves into mudslinging … an endless, hopelessly unproductive merry-go-round that leaves each side further entrenched in their preferred dogma and never leads anywhere constructive.

I hate that — it’s why a large portion of the general public finds vegans so unpalatable. Instead, I welcome the question. If someone is asking, I presume a genuine interest — simply an opportunity for a productive dialog. So let’s try to have that dialog. The productive kind. My perspective on the elephant in the room … nothing more, nothing less.

We live in a society in which we have been willfully misled to believe that meat and dairy products are the sole source of dietary protein worthy of merit. Without copious amounts of animal protein, it’s impossible to be healthy, let alone perform as an athlete. The message is everywhere, from a recent (and wildly successful I might add) high-profile dairy lobby ad campaign pushing chocolate milk as the ultimate athletic recovery beverage (diabolically genius), to compelling food labels, to a dizzying array of fitness expert testimonials. Protein, protein, protein — generally reinforced with the adage that more is better.

Whether you are a professional athlete or a couch potato, this hardened notion is so deeply ingrained into our collective belief system that to challenge its propriety is nothing short of heresy. But through direct experience, I have come to believe that this pervasive notion is at best misleading, if not altogether utterly false … fueled by a well-funded campaign of disinformation perpetuated by powerful and well-funded Big Food, Big Ag, and industrial animal agriculture interests that have spent countless marketing dollars to convince society that we absolutely need these products in order to continue breathing air in and out of our lungs.

The animal protein push is not only based on lies, it’s killing us, luring us to feast on a rotunda of factory-farmed, hormone- and pesticide-laden, low-fiber foods extremely high in saturated fat. Eating this way, I remain convinced (despite the current populist fervor over high-fat, low-carb diets), is indeed a contributing factor to our epidemic of heart disease (the world’s #1 killer) and many other lifestyle-induced infirmities that have rendered our prosperous nation one of the sickest societies on Earth.

Indeed, protein is an essential nutrient, absolutely critical not just in building and repairing muscle tissue, but in the maintenance of a wide array of important bodily functions. But does it matter if our protein comes from plants rather than animals? And how much do we actually need?

Proteins consist of twenty different amino acids, eleven of which can be synthesized naturally by our bodies. The remaining nine — what we call essential amino acids  —  must be ingested from the foods we eat. So technically, our bodies require certain amino acids, not protein per se. But these nine essential amino acids are hardly the exclusive domain of the animal kingdom. In fact, they’re originally synthesized by plants and are found in meat and dairy products only because these animals have eaten plants.

Despite the “butter is back” hysteria that recently graced the cover of TIME magazine, the best medical science establishes beyond reproach that both casein and whey contribute materially to degenerative disease. A family of proteins found in milk, casein has been linked to the onset of a variety of diseases, including cancer. And whey is nothing more than a highly processed, low-grade discard of cheese production — another diabolical stroke of genius courtesy of the dairy industry that created a zillion-dollar business out of stuff previously tossed in the garbage.

On a personal anecdotal level, adopting a plant-based lifestyle eight years ago repaired my health wholesale and revitalized my middle-aged self to reengage fitness in a new way. As hard as it may be for some to believe, the truth is that my athletic accomplishments were achieved not in spite of my dietary shift but rather as direct result of adopting this new way of eating and living.

I’m not alone in this belief:

• Just ask Oakland Raiders defensive tackle David Carter.
• Watch this video of strongman Patrik Baboumian breaking a world record for most weight carried by a human being when he hauled over 1200 pounds — roughly the weight of a Smart Car — 10 meters across a stage in Toronto last year.
• Witness two-time World Champion Freerunner and parkour artist Timothy Shieff hopscotching off rooftops like a video game character.
• And be amazed by this video of plant-based strength athlete freak-of-nature Frank Medrano doing things with his body you didn’t think possible.
• Then there are MMA/UFC fighters like Mac Danzig, Jake Shields, and James Wilks.
• And multisport athletes like Brendan Brazier, Rip Esselstyn, and Ben Bostrom — a world-renowned motorcycle, mountain bike, and road bike athlete & victorious member of this year’s Race Across America 4-man relay team.
• Also professional triathlete & Ultraman World Champion Hillary Biscay who just raced her 66th Ironman.
• Check out ultramarathoners extraordinaire like Scott Jurek, his fruitarian compadre Michael Arnstein, and my old friend Jason Lester, with whom I completed 5 Ironman distance triathlons on 5 Hawaiian islands in under a week. Jason has since criss-crossed the USA on two feet and is currently prepping for a 100-day run across China.
• Then of course there is Timothy Bradley, Jr., who took down Manny Pacquiao last year (well kind of, but you get my drift).

The point is this: each of these athletes, and countless others, will all tell you the same thing: rather than steak, milk, eggs, and whey supplements, opt instead to eat lower on the food chain and source your protein needs from healthy plant-based sources like black, kidney, pinto, and other beans, almonds, lentils, hemp seeds, spirulina, and quinoa. Even eating less-concentrated sources of protein like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and bananas will get you exactly where you need to be.

If you ate nothing but a variety of fresh fruit, you still would never suffer a deficiency of protein (or even any particular amino acid). Short of starving yourself, it’s almost impossible. Despite the incredibly heavy tax I impose on my body, training at times upwards of 25 hours per week for ultra-endurance events, this type of regimen has fueled me for years, without any issues with respect to building lean muscle mass. In reality, I believe that eating plant-based has significantly enhanced my ability to expedite physiological recovery between workouts — the holy grail of athletic performance enhancement. In fact, I can honestly say that at age 47 I am fitter than I have ever been, even when I was a world-class-level competition swimmer at Stanford in the late 1980s.

And despite what you might have been told, I submit that more protein isn’t better. Satisfy your requirement and leave it at that. With respect to athletes, to my knowledge, no scientific study has ever shown that consumption of protein beyond the RDA-advised minimum (10 percent of daily calories) stimulates additional muscle growth or expedites physiological repair induced by exercise stress. And yet most people — the overwhelming majority of whom are predominantly sedentary — generally consume upwards of three times the amount of daily protein required to thrive.

The protein craze isn’t just an unwarranted, over-hyped red herring, it’s harmful. Not only is there evidence that excess protein intake is often stored in fat cells, it contributes to the onset of a variety of diseases, such as osteoporosis, cancer, impaired kidney function, and heart disease.

Still not convinced? Consider this: some of the fiercest animals in the world — the elephant, rhino, hippo and gorilla — are plant-powered herbivores. And nobody asks them where they get their protein. So ditch that steak and join me for a bowl of quinoa and lentils.

NOW READ:

Do Vegetarians And Vegans Eat Enough Protein?

The Protein Juggernaut Has Deep Roots

An Athlete’s Journey From Vegan Protein Addict to Plant-Based Whole Foods

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