LettersAn Inquiry from J about Protein - 11 Sep 2002
Letters From All-Creatures.org and The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation

An Inquiry from J about Protein - 11 Sep 2002

J wrote:

I am a wanna be vegetarian that still doesn't want to give up getting whole (muscle building and repairing) protein from food. I was wondering if eating the whites of unfertilized eggs makes me a meet eater if all they are are protein chains made for a life that didn't exist in the first place. Also I would like to know other more significant sources of creatonin.

Frank L. Hoffman responded 11 Sep 2002:

Dear J:

There is a common misconception about protein and our need to eat whole (animal) proteins.

Look at elephants for example. They are strict vegetarians, yet they have no problem building muscle.

If we eat a whole (animal) protein, our digestive system must first break it down into its component amino acids, which are then absorbed into our blood stream and recombined to make our own bodies.

From what we've read, our bodies only need about 45-60 grams of protein (amino acids) a day to sustain us. If we are building muscle, we might need as much as double that amount. Too much animal protein can cause kidney problems and remove calcium from our bones.

A half cup serving of cooked or canned beans (no sugar added) usually contains about 110-120 calories and 7-9 grams of protein. A 100 calorie serving of broccoli contains 11 grams of protein. A half cup of rolled oats (dry) contains about 155 calories and has 6.5 grams of protein.

If you made a large salad containing 1/2 pound of romaine lettuce, it would contain only about 32 calories but have over 3.5 grams of protein (about the same as broccoli).

If we eat a well rounded, healthful, whole food, vegan diet, it is virtually impossible not to get enough protein.

We have been posting nutritional information in our recipe section in the "ingredients" subsection which you might find helpful. www.all-creatures.org/recipes/  

Creatine is an amino acid found in the muscle tissue of some vertebrates, it is not an essential amino acid, as it is manufactured by those animals.

The eight Essential Amino Acids required by adults, are: tryptophan, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, valine, methionine, threonine. These are supplied in abundance from a varied diet of whole plants food in sufficient amounts to meet caloric need. Infants also require histidine in the diet, which is partly why they require milk.

Of the eight essential amino acids, a very safe daily dietary intake would be 0.5 g tryptophan, 0.58 g phenylalanine, 2.2 g leucine, 1.4 g isoleucine, 1.6 g lysine, 1.6 g valine, .22 g methionine, 1.0 g threonine.

We believe all the talk about needing to eat creatine is a bunch of hype to sell a product.

We hope this helps, and we look forward to hearing from you again.

In the Love of the Lord,

Frank


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