The Protein Fallacy and How Best to Utilize Protein in Your Diet

Is there a such thing as too much protein? If you ask most people the answers would range from "I don't know" to "no". The reason for this is because of how protein is presented to us in our everyday lives. There are many products and diet trends that emphasis protein pushed through various mediums relentlessly. So, for the sake of clarity let's take a closer look at protein.

Increased Acidity

Protein is comprised of 25 amino acids which are the building blocks of the body. Protein also serves as an important transporter of materials and is used in the production of antibodies, enzymes and hormones. Protein, in other words, is very important to the body but over-consumption can have detrimental effects on the body. All protein metabolizing increases blood acidity. Increased blood acidity from protein is generally not a problem when it is consumed moderately. When consumed in excess the uric acid produced is high enough to lead to inflammation. If you are already predisposed to pain the increased acidity will only exacerbate it. In addition to increased inflammation and pain, higher blood acidity must be balanced by the body (since the body requires blood to be slightly alkaline for proper functioning). The two ways this is accomplished is through sodium and calcium. Once sodium stores are consumed the body removes calcium from the bones in order to bring blood pH to proper levels. Considering the average mineral and vitamin deficient diets of today the stores of sodium and calcium are depleted quickly. Overtime, bone calcium that has been depleted and not replaced leads to the condition of osteoporosis.

Digestion

Protein, especially animal protein, is notoriously difficult to digest. The primary cause of this difficulty is based on our nutrient deficient diets. Without the proper amount of B Vitamins and Zinc the body is heavily taxed to breakdown proteins its amino acid components and utilize them into efficiently.

Building Muscle

If you have been to a gym or health food store lately you undoubtedly saw many protein products most of which is aimed at people who want to build muscle. You know the ones in huge containers just waiting for pre and post workout consumption. Athletes and body builders have chased protein dreams of greatness mostly unaware of basic biological facts. Consider this point as illustrated in "The New Optimum Nutrition Bible": The body requires less than 2 lbs. of protein per year to gain 9 lbs. of muscle (muscle is approximately 22% protein). That averages to about 2.5 g of protein per day. You can get that much protein from just a few almonds. The inability to build muscle is seldom due to a lack of protein. Most often the lack of essential vitamins and minerals such as B3, B6 and Zinc are to blame.

How Much Protein

The recommended amount of protein consumption is approximately 15% of total calories consumed during the day. That's about 35 g for most people. Another point to consider is the quality of the protein. Quality proteins are more easily digested and assimilated into the body. Typically, protein of higher quality can be found in vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Animal products are not an ideal source of protein due to how taxing uptake can be as mentioned earlier.

Final Thought

The American (and Western) diet is heavily meat oriented. Very often most people exceed the recommended amount of protein on the daily basis. It's no wonder acidosis is becoming more prevalent with each passing day. Have you seen the commercials for a new drug called Uloric? Uloric is a drug a person can take to assist in ridding the body of uric acid which can often result in gout, a painful type of arthritis, and other conditions. It's just one more pill to correct what a well thought out meal plan could help avoid.

Aspartame: The Devilish Details

The thing we most need to know about aspartame is seldom, if ever, reported. The sum total of how aspartame (and most artificial sweeteners) affects our biology can be devastating. The laundry list of documented side effects are astounding! Aspartame accounts for over 75% of all adverse food reactions reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some of these adverse reactions include seizure and death. With that said lets "detail" the side effects of each major component of aspartame.


Aspartic Acid

It has been pointed out in the media by various doctors, nutritionist and health experts that aspartic acid is a naturally occurring amino acid and is therefore harmless. While it is true that aspartic acid is a naturally occurring amino acid it is not true that it is totally harmless. Aspartic acid can be found in many foods such as certain fish, asparagus, and soybeans to name a few but it is never unbound or free. That is to say aspartic acid found in nature is always bound or combined with other amino acids to balance each other so that they may perform their jobs efficiently with no harm to the host organism (humans in particular). Aspartic acid is considered an excitatory amino acid that is important to our overall neurological health but if consumed in concentration without the proper combinations of other nutrients (like when aspartame is consumed) neurological disorders could occur. These disorders include Alzheimer's, dementia, memory loss, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is also an amino acid and again it is pointed out that it is naturally occurring which is true. However, just like aspartic acid if left unbound it has the potential to wreak havoc on the body, especially the brain where it is normally found. When consumed from whole foods phenylalanine is bound with other amino acids which causes a balancing effect where a person isn't exposed to excessive levels which could lead to reduced serotonin levels in the brain. Reduced serotonin levels lead to emotional disorders such as depression, rage (sometimes violent) and wide mood swings (ever had to stay away from someone who hadn't had their diet Coke or diet Pepsi?). By the way, serotonin is what gives us a sense a well being so decreasing your levels of serotonin is not advisable if you like feeling good about yourself and circumstances. For an interesting read please see an article titled "A Aspartame Nightmare" by John Cook.

Methanol aka Wood Alcohol aka POISON!

Ladies and gentlemen, there is not one aspect of aspartame that could be considered non-hazardous but methanol gives phenylalanine and aspartic acid a run for their money combined. Why, you ask? Well, what methanol does to the body has been known and documented for years. Back in the mid-seventies to early eighties unfortunate alcoholics desperate for a drink would consume methanol and go blind (these incidents weren't confined to this time but it seemed to hit epidemic proportions during this period). In aspartame free methanol is the main culprit because it is so readily absorbed by the body. Free methanol is produced when aspartame is heated to more than 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Soft drinks transported in hot trucks or aspartame used in cooking or baked items routinely produce free methanol. Once ingested methanol is broken down into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and formic acid (multiple industrial uses) with formaldehyde being a very deadly neurotoxin. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed." The EPA recommends a daily maximum consumption of 7.8 mg of methanol. One liter (34 ounces or about (1) 20 ounce Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi and half of another) contains about 56 mg or 7 times the EPA recommended maximum. Do you know anyone who drinks more than one 20 oz. diet beverage a day? Some of the signs and symptoms of methanol poisoning is dizziness, nausea, headaches, vertigo, chills and memory lapses to name only half.

One final point that is definitely worth making. Copious amounts of research on the effects of aspartame, and methanol in particular, in lab animals has been conducted. A fair amount of the research "demonstrates" (I put the quotes around demonstrates because some of the research is suspect) no harm or little harm to the animals. While some of the research may be questionable what is beyond question is that methanol is more easily processed and passed from the bodies of the test animals (usually rodents). That is because these animals have enzymes conducive to breaking down methanol while humans lack these enzymes which is why the EPA considers it a cumulative poison. I make this point because it is usually overlooked when aspartame defenders tout such research without considering some very important biological differences between man and beast. Just food for thought!


Addiction will be covered in the very near future. Until then keep an open mind and gird your loins for the thief is most definitely upon us.

Peace!