Natural Protein Sources

Protein as a Nutrient

As a nutrient, protein performs many important functions. Protein is a part of every body cell and is needed to repair body cells as they wear out. Protein is also critical to the process of making new body tissue during times of growth - infancy, childhood, adolescence and pregnancy. Protein also helps regulate body processes. As enzymes and hormones, proteins are important to make various chemical reactions happen in the body. As antibodies, proteins protect you from disease-carrying bacteria and viruses.

Protein is often referred to as a single nutrient. Yet, proteins in foods and in your body cells are made up of 20 amino acids. Nine of these amino acids are considered essential, which means your food choices must supply them.

All proteins are not alike. The protein found in eggs is considered a "complete protein", or of a composition which can supply all the body requirements (all the essential amino acids).

A single egg supplies about 10% of the protein you need in the day, along with vitamins A/D, and B12.

Getting more protein from plant foods.

MENTION PROTEIN AND MOST PEOPLE think meat, but getting more protein from plant foods is a wise idea. While animal protein is burdened with saturated fat and cholesterol, plant protein is accompanied by fiber and beneficial phytochemicals.

When you're looking for plant protein, start with the legume family, especially soyfoods, which contain all the essential amino acids and may lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Three ounces of tempeh have 16 g of protein, and 1/2 cup of tofu has 10 g. Green soybeans (edamame) have 11 g per 1/2 cup. Other good legume choices include lentils, with 9 g per 1/2 cup; kidney beans, with almost 8 g per 1/2 cup; peanuts, with almost 7 g per ounce; and peas, with 4 g per 1/2 cup. Certain grains are rich in protein. Quinoa and amaranth each have more than 4 g per 1/2 cup. While fruit isn't a significant protein source, some vegetables will help you reach your daily goal; broccoli, corn, and spinach all have about 2 g of protein per serving.

Women should aim to eat at least 50 g of protein per day; men should eat 63 g. Try quinoa instead of rice, use tempeh in stir-fries, snack on edamame and peanuts, and add kidney beans to green, leafy salads.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient.

Vitamin A is an anti-infective vitamin useful for many conditions including vision problems, poor thyroid function, a weakened immune system, and fighting off infections, especially those that involve mucous membranes as vitamin A is used to form the cells lining the digestive, respiratory, reproductive and urinary tracts and all tissue linings of the body. It is also required for the digestion of protein, lactation, reproduction, healthy skin and eyes, and the formation of steroid hormones. Vitamin A deficiency can result in a number of problems including night blindness, dry eyes, eye infections and skin problems.

There are no plant sources of vitamin A (carrots and other yellow/orange vegetables and dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach and lettuce contain beta-carotene, not vitamin A); it is only present in animal products.

If you are consuming a healthy diet, there is no need to supplement with vitamin A. Some excellent sources of natural and beneficial vitamin A include:

Cod liver oil (this will also give you beneficial omega-3 fats and vitamin D)

Egg yolks

Butter

Raw, whole milk

Liver (beef, chicken)

Including these foods in your diet should give you adequate vitamin A with no need for supplementation and little to no risk of overdosing. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that it needs to be eaten with fat in order to be optimally absorbed. One of the great things about natural foods is that they almost always account for these types of conditions. Youll notice that all of the foods above also contain fats, so the environment is automatically right for the vitamin A to be utilized by your body.

There is no need to worry about vitamin A toxicity if you take it in cod liver oil, and there are several reasons for this. First of all the main toxicity that can result from vitamin A is due to SYNTHETIC vitamin A, NOT the natural form found in cod liver oil.

Secondly, cod liver oil has vitamin D in it, and it is virtually impossible to become toxic on vitamin A if you take it along with vitamin D.

What addition to the diet, outside of increasing the intake of water and fresh green vegetables, is most recommended to fight and prevent disease and live longer? The answer is easy: fish oil, fish oil, fish oil! More specifically, as you should read below, fish oil for those whose vitamin D levels are adequate, and cod liver oil for those who will benefit from its high vitamin D levels.

Americans consume a dangerously insufficient amount of Omega-3, a fat essential to good health but only found in fish oil and a few other foods. Meanwhile, our intake of Omega-6, another fat found in corn, soy, sunflower and other oils, is far too high. The ideal ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 should be 1:1, but the typical American's ratio ranges from 20:1 to 50:1!

Benefits of the Omega-3 Found in Fish Oil and Cod Liver Oil

· Helps fight and prevent heart disease, cancer, depression, Alzheimer's, arthritis, diabetes, ulcers, hyperactivity and many other diseases

Increases your energy level and ability to concentrate

Provides greater resistance to common illnesses such as flu and cold

Helps pregnant women avoid premature births, low birth weight and other complications

While a helpful form of Omega-3 can be found in flaxseed, walnuts and a few other foods, the most beneficial form of Omega-3 -- containing two fatty acids, DHA and EPA, that are essential to fighting and preventing both physical and mental disease -- can only be found in fish.

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