Proteins are literally the building blocks of our bodies. Every body cell contains protein. Protein forms most body structures, such as skin, nails, hair, membranes, muscles, teeth, bones, organs, ligaments and tendons. Protein is necessary for growth and tissue repair. All enzymes and most hormones contain protein. Protein is necessary for the function of the immune system. Protein regulates fluid and acid/base balance. Protein transports nutrients into and out of cells. Protein may also be used by the body for glucose and energy if there is not enough carbohydrate and fat in the diet. Carbohydrate and then fat are the preferred sources of energy. The “protein sparing” function of these energy nutrients saves protein for other more important uses.
Proteins are composed of one or more chains of amino acids. Our bodies use only 20 different amino acids, which are put together in different configurations to make up the thousands of different kinds of proteins we need. Eleven of these amino acids can be manufactured by a healthy bod; however, nine of these essential amino acids must come from the foods we eat – from good protein sources!
Sources of protein
Good protein from food comes from both animal and plant sources. Animal sources like dairy products, fish, poultry, eggs, and red meats contain all the amino acids that the body needs to make new proteins. These are called complete proteins. Plant sources lack one or more amino acids and are incomplete proteins; that means that any plant source of protein, such as legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, must be combined with something else to make a complete protein. In general, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) combined with grains, nuts, and seeds make a complete protein. Examples of combinations that provide a complete protein include beans and brown rice, black-eyed peas and stone ground cornbread, peanut butter and whole wheat bread, hummus and whole wheat pita bread, chili and sesame seed crackers, bean burrito or taco, lentil and bulgur soup – and there are many more possibilities. Vegans, or strict vegetarians, who eat no animal products at all, must combine plant proteins like this. Any plant protein can be made complete with the addition of a small amount of complete protein like milk, milk powder, cheese, eggs, and, of course, fish, poultry, or red meat. Millions of Americans today are vegetarians. That’s another story altogether! We will look at various aspects of vegetarianism at the end of this chapter.
Using plant protein sources alone or in combination with meat is also a great way to stretch your meat budget for meat – usually the most expensive item on our shopping lists! Animal sources of protein can actually be the “garnish” of a recipe and not the main ingredient, and still provide complete protein. Just a small amount of protein in any meal or snack helps give a feeling of fullness and satiety.
Lower cost, greater price
As we have seen in other food sources in the United States, time-honored traditions have gone by the wayside for the sake of convenience and the bottom line. In this country, animals raised for meat consumption including cattle, sheep and lambs, pigs, goats, and chickens, are now not fed as nature intended. Many are in confinement all their lives and are mass-produced, as is most everything else nowadays. These “factory farms” do help lower meat costs, but at a much greater price than we should pay health-wise. Animals raised in confined conditions are given diets designed to boost their productivity and lower costs. The main ingredient is grain, which is kept at artificially low prices by the government. To further cut costs, the feed may contain by-product feed, such as municipal garbage, cookies, poultry manure, chicken feathers, bubble gum, candy bars, and restaurant waste. Until 1997, cattle were also being fed meat that had been trimmed from other cattle, in effect turning herbivores into carnivores. This unnatural practice is believed to be the underlying cause of mad cow disease.
Also, a high-grain diet can cause physical problems for ruminant animals—cud-chewing animals such as cattle, dairy cows, goats, and sheep. Ruminants are designed to eat fibrous grasses, plants, and shrubs—not starchy, low-fiber grain. When cattle are switched from pasture to grain, for example, they can become afflicted with a number of disorders, including a common but painful gastrointestinal condition that causes them to kick at their bellies, go off their feed, and eat dirt. To prevent more serious and sometimes fatal reactions, these animals are given chemical additives along with a constant, low-level dose of antibiotics. Some of these antibiotics are the same ones used in human medicine. When medications are overused in the feedlots, bacteria become resistant to them.
Benefits of grass-fed
Switching ruminants from their natural diet of grasses to grains also lowers the nutritional value of their meat. Grain-fed animals have more total fat, but fewer fat-soluble vitamins and beneficial fatty acids in the fat they have. In other words, more calories and fewer nutrients-as a result of our modern advances in animal technology. Chickens, turkeys, and pigs are also being raised in confinement. Typically, they suffer an even worse fate than ruminants. Tightly packed into cages, sheds, or pens, they cannot practice their normal behaviors, such as rooting, grazing, and roosting. Worse yet, they cannot escape their own manure. Meat and eggs from these animals are also lower in a number of key vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. On large factory farms where animals are raised in feed lots, the surrounding soil is overloaded with nutrients, resulting in ground and water pollution that causes the “dead zones” in many US coastal areas, as discussed previously.
Supporting your local grass-fed meat and egg farms will not only help raise the nutritional value of your food, but also benefit the environment, and by the more humane treatment provided on such farms, the animals. Larger poultry, egg, and meat producers are beginning to feel the pressure to make their products healthier by feeding sources of omega-3 fatty acids to their animals and leaving off the antibiotics and hormones. These products may not be considered completely organic unless they have the USDA Organic Seal. However, with the support of consumers, this is a step in the right direction. Many countries, especially in Europe are way ahead of the United States in demanding natural organic grass-fed meat and dairy products. Hopefully, the US will catch up soon!
“I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.” (Deut. 11:15)
As a helpful resource, I have lots of articles on healthy ingredients and recipes that you can implement into your daily life.
If you’d like to dig deeper into my journey of discovering God’s plan for health and wellness, check out my book, Made For Paradise: God’s Original Plan for Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Rest.
