When Friends Ask About Protein

Protein is extremely misunderstood. First, you should know that plants contain protein and all of the essential amino acids needed to build it. Second, animal foods are not necessary to get the protein your body needs – indeed, all the protein you need and more can be easily derived from plant foods alone.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends men, women and children get five percent of their calories from protein. The chart below reveals the protein levels of selected plants and as you can see it’s virtually impossible to fail to meet the WHO’s daily requirements.

Americans Are Getting Too Much Protein

Americans consume 6 to 10 times as much protein as they need. All that excess protein overworks the liver and kidneys causing both to become enlarged and injured. Excess protein consumption also causes the kidneys to pull large quantities of calcium from the body, causing bones to weaken and kidney stones to form.

Scientists have found that animal proteins are particularly damaging to the body because so many of their amino acids contain sulfa, which is far more toxic to the liver and kidneys than vegetable proteins. One of the most time-honored approaches to healing the kidneys and liver, in fact, is to eat a low-protein diet, especially a diet low in animal proteins. When the protein content of the diet drops, kidneys are strengthened and very often healed.