Where does my protein come from?

[quajo]

Hey y'all!

I'm doing great on my 30 day challenge! Next week will be a whole 30 days raw! YAY Me!! :D :D My family is noticing the positive changes that raw is bringing to my life, but they keep saying I'm not getting enough protein. I read the section in Alissa's book that talks about protein, but I don't think I'm exactly sure myself. They are never convinced by my answers to their "concerns".

Are the greens and nuts I eat my only source of protein, and if so...am I getting enough? :confused: :confused: Should I add some hemp protein powder to my smoothies?

[Revvell]

What do these folk who are questioning you eat? For most people who eat cooked/packaged foods I would ask them where their nutrients are coming from since they basically kill them all with their cooking and especially micro-waving.

I would be asking them questions. They see the results and...? How can they even THINK you are not getting enough of ANYthing!!! And why Protein? Why not vitamin A, B, C or D?

To answer your question ALL raw food as nature makes it contains SOME protein. ALL of it. Fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts and greens. How do other vegan animals get their nutrients? Mostly from greens.

Personally, I don't even respond to the question other than to say, the same place other vegan animals get it. "I appreciate your concern yet..do you really SEE me? Do you SEE I'm getting results?"

.. and for you! Have you looked in the mirror? What do YOU see? How do YOU feel? Trust that!

Revvellicious

[belleadonna]

I will answer your question with a question.
Where do cows and horses get their protein from?? :)
They look pretty strong to me!! :D

[Dj 247]

Dark green leafy vegetables give you the most protien. I am no expert, but I took it as this... people do not need as much protien as they think... protien does not make protien it is the amino acids...protien from greens are easily used by the body while protiens from meat are hard to break down and your body does not get the full benefits from the animal protiens that is why body builders need to eat so much meat and protien shakes, ect. Go to Revvell's pod cast and listen to some of the "experts" she interviews. She asks almost all of these people the question about protien. [url]http://rawfood.revvell.com/ celebrating your potential

[CaliRaw]

It amazes me that other people are so concerned, and ask questions about a raw foodist's nutritional 'deficiencies' as they see it, probably while they sit there and eat their supersized value meals. I think the horse analogy is perfect. Let's not forget rhinos and there are many others.

Rhinos

Standing six feet tall at the shoulder and weighing almost 8,000 pounds, a fully grown white rhino is larger than any other land animal on earth—except for the elephant.

How they hunt.

For all their power and strength, rhinos are vegetarians. They never touch meat. This probably helps other plains animals rest easier: with their seemingly armor-plated skin, Javan rhinos, in particular, look like living tanks. Big rhinos may reach speeds of 35 miles per hour—as fast as most horses can run, although a horse can keep running at this speed much longer than a rhino can. They are famous for their bad tempers.

What they eat.

All rhinos are strictly vegetarian. Black rhinos prefer to eat bushes and trees instead of grass. To do this, a black rhino has a prehensile lip that works like a large finger. The lip grabs twigs and shoves them into the mouth so the teeth can bite them off. A white rhino prefers grass, and will also use its horn to plow up the ground for mineral salts to eat.

[quajo]

Thanks guys! You've given me a lot to say! Wonderful!

[Veganforlife]

This is what I usually say to folks:

What Do Gorillas Eat?

Mountain gorillas mainly feed on green plant parts, whereas lowland gorillas eat a lot of fruit.

Also - what Revvell said. I say to them - look at me. Do I look deprived?

[cherries]

One thing to realize about protein, is that the RDAs were set higher than the body's actual need for protein, they did this for "safety". I believe that the RDA is twice as much as the body's actual need.

Also, remember that heat easily destroys and damages protein, so a raw diet is the best way to get your protein!

[mikeshafer]

Let's not forget that Americans tend to over-eat protein rather than find deficiencies. Overconsumption of protein has been linked to all sorts of diseases including cancer. Let's also remember this:

-- the human body recycles 70% of its proteinaceous waste.
-- cooking protein (steak, etc.) kills about half of its usable protein anyway
-- the human body loses only about 23 grams of protein each day -- in order to maintain your protein levels you need to eat 1.5 pounds of protein in a MONTH
-- excess protein drains the body of energy to digest it and also is stored as toxic waste, i.e. fat.
-- protein is not what you should be seeking, since we don't use the protein directly -- rather you should be seeking out foods high in amino acids from which proteins can be made -- what's high in amino acids? Fruits & veggies.
-- the protein supplement and meat-packing industries are multi-billion dollar machines.

[Indie]

Black rhinos prefer to eat bushes and trees instead of grass. To do this, a black rhino has a prehensile lip that works like a large finger. The lip grabs twigs and shoves them into the mouth so the teeth can bite them off.

I can't stop picturing myself with a lip like that now! :D

Seriously though, people don't think. But I suppose they could be asking because they are curious and might want to try the diet themselves, so I think it's important to not get offended by these questions either. Saying that, I haven't had anyone ask me yet, so I don't know what it's like being bombarded with questions like these day in and day out. There's a lot to be said for working from home! ;)

[EZ rider]

There was some information on this forum about raw protien in a recent thread titled "Orange Julius", here's the link:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=30129&highlight=orange+julius

[bunnybunny]

Cool info about rhinos!

[Blazin'Jane]

And another thing. Human babies who drink natural infant food, their mother's milk, only get 2% protein from that, which seems to suit them just fine. How much more than that could grownups possibly need when babies are growing so quickly.
Years ago, I spent many years breastfeeding babies, and it still just wacks me out that they are compared to bottle fed babies. Who's doing the natural thing here? The breast fed babies, or the bottle fed ones? The people eating food as it was given to us by the creator or the tv chefs, take-out restaurants, food packagers who are all trying to make a profit by telling us that the way they've cut and pasted ingredients together is somehow natural ??! I tell you, it gets my blood going just thinking about who invented the language, and how we fall into fuzzy thinking because of what we may be usd to. That's all it is, we're used to all that prepared, cooked stuff. But it's not natural, ad certainly not optimum nutrition! :D

[RAWk Angel]

my step mother was asking me this same question, so I emailed her the link to this forum and also links to other sources that talk about this:D There is so much for her to read, I don't think she will question me again about this lifestyle, in fear of being sent so much to read again :cool:

[Pennypower]

If you need any more convincing, read "The China Study". You will never ever ever ever ever have doubts again. I promise. You will avoid aniimal protein like the plague for the rest of your life in full confidence. And when people ask you the question, you won't even need to answer them. Just the look on your face of pure disgust at the mention of protein will be all they need. :D :D :D Seriously. Read "The China Study".

[belleadonna]

Alot of the worries stem from the influence of Dr. Atkins too. :( People are still in the mindset that protein is good :D , carbs are bad:( . Hopefully people will soon get out from under the myth that humans need tons of animal protein to stay alive. :)

[mangotango]

I second The China Study. I knew that adults don't need all that much protein, but before reading the book I didn't realize how very little is needed. If you're willing to play a friendly game with your questioners, you can ask how much protein they think a healthy 150-lb. adult needs. Then give them the equivalent in ounces of animal food ("That's a maximum per day of 150 calories or about 3.5 oz. of skinless chicken breast. That's the same size as a deck of cards."). You can then tell them that most fruits and vegetables have exactly the right proportion of protein, carbs and fats for humans, so that by eating them, you don't have to worry about percentages or portion sizes, plus you're getting unadulterated vitamins, minerals, etc.

Good luck! And thanks for being a good raw ambassador.