The human body consists of over fifty thousand various proteins. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are essential, meaning that they must be acquired from the diet and cannot be regenerated by the body. These essential amino acids are: L-tryptophan, threonine, lysine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, and phenylalanine. Without the intake of a complete protein from the diet, a normal protein synthesis is impossible.
The best protein is found from animal sources. It’s also how our evolutionary ancestors have been acquiring nearly all of our protein since the onset of our species. If you are relying on combining vegetarian sources of protein such as beans and rice for your complete protein intake, you’ll require a dangerously excessive amount to meet your daily protein requirement. While beans and rice combine to form a complete protein, they consist of over 60% starch, a complex carbohydrate that results in surges of insulin and leptin levels, leading to blood sugar disregulation.
Unlike carbohydrates, protein is essential to life and to our daily diet. But how much protein is enough? Nutritional Therapist and author of the bestselling book, “Primal Body, Primal Mind,” Nora Gedgaudas, CNT, recommends no more than 3 ounces per meal. That’s one egg or a small portion of turkey. Too much protein in the diet can result in increased aging as well as increased risks of cancer. A study published in the journal “Aging Cell” suggested that “a reduced protein intake (no more than .95g/kg of body weight per day) may become an important component in anticancer and antiaging dietary interventions.”
Another study, titled, “Clinical Experience of a Diet Designed to Reduce Aging,” the authors stated, “It has been demonstrated that the longevity effects of calorie restriction be partially attributed to the reduction in protein intake.” THe RDA for people of low to average weight and metabolic demands is about 45 to 50 g of protein, and for the more muscular, demanding athletics, an increased amount to 80 g is advised. That’s consuming complete protein from animal sources, and is best assimilated when divided equally among meals.
When your daily protein intake is too high, then a large portion of the excess is readily converted into sugar and stored as fat as a means of surviving what could be a coming famine. Furthermore, our mTOR metabolic pathways are up-regulated, so that we can produce new cells, grow new tissues, have children, and store more fat. When this happens, our anabolic state, which allows for repair, regeneration, and maintenance, is down-regulated, leading to a decreased longevity.
The bottom line is, when we limit our protein intake to a moderate amount of animal protein (6 to 9 oz. a day), we allow the body to become more efficient at metabolizing the protein, increasing our longevity and improving our health and well-being. And this is something the body cannot do if we’re deriving most of our protein from vegetable or grain sources such as rice and beans.
Jason Lincoln Jeffers is a health Coach, Online Life Coach and the founder of The Art of Transformation, a company devoted to teaching Self Realization to the world. His Online Life Coaching practice uniquely synthesizes spiritual wisdom with self transcendence, holistic health, life path astrology, heart-brain intention, the power of presence, and the law of attraction.
