Community Magazine February 2003

P rotein is one of the most important nutrients for the body. Its name (Pro – Tein) in Latin, suggests “first vitamin”, “Pro” meaning first, and “tein”, vitamin. The composition of protein in the human body is about 20 percent of total body weight, concentrated mostly in our muscles, hair, skin, nails, eyes, and internal organs, such as the heart, and is essential in all growth and repair. In fact, keeping a balance of all 23 essential amino acids is of utmost importance, and perhaps a challenge to peo- ple who choose a vegetarian diet. Yet, while undernourishment of protein poses a major concern, so does its toxicity. In spite of the recommendations of the FDA, the World Health Organization (WHO), doctors and most nutritionists, who generally recom- mend consumption of no more than approx- imately 55 grams of protein, the average American gets close to double that. What’s worse, we are caught up in a “protein revo- lution” of sorts that prey on the hearts of the hopeless and desperate, promising rapid weight loss and greater health with daily consumption of massive amounts of protein. Consider the ideal diet: Seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, eight glasses of water, no refined sugar and very little animal products (excluding some Shabbat lahmagin), it seems a bit over- whelming. So instead of replacing our high- ly undernourished over-commercialized diets with a cleaner healthier total diet and lifestyle change, we are led to believe that carbohydrates are our adversaries and the cause of all our woes. What can be further from the truth? Protein actually cannot be utilized by the body without carbohy- drates. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, which represent almost all raw nutrition on the planet, are almost entirely carbo- hydrate. The confusion stems from our lack of understanding of car- bohydrates. Vegetables, fruits and grains are highly fibrous, com- plex carbohydrates, which are essentially very slow releasing sugars that will not cause the same insulin dependency as refined sugars like sucrose. It’s dead carbohy- drates (non- fibrous, devita- minized) that we are concerned with; those that cause hyperthyroidism, crav- ings and eventually get stored as fat if metabolism isn’t enhanced. 40 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc B Y : D A V I D M A S S R Y Protein Power or Power Failure ?