After spending years and years in the health food industry and training with many health professionals including naturopathic doctors I was still confused as to why so many of these respected individuals continued to say we 'need' protein. Especially because for the most part they mean meat, primarily chicken and fish with minimal red meat and pork. It was confusing because I knew so many vegetarians and vegans who were healthy and vibrant even until old age with no suffering whatsoever physically. Of course not every single vegan I came across fit this bill. It quickly became obvious that the protein supplement industry who were pushing these vegans and vegetarians on their product were doing the public a huge disservice. Suffice it to say though that most of the unhealthy people I came across were consuming meat, or dead animal flesh as some of us call it. (Heck, call it what it is right!?)
So I set out to learn the truth once and for all. This was after first going Paleo! I did over a year on the Paleo diet, mainly due to the desire to be free from physical pain but also I figured a great body, like those that do crossfit (Paleo often goes hand in hand with crossfit) could be a potential side effect as well, so I gave it a whirl! It did prove to help me to a certain extent with my overall health and this I now attribute to the exclusion of grains from the diet. This proved quite desirable in my case as I was coming from a severe overgrowth of Candida. Fungus, Yeast or 'bad bacteria' (Candida Albicans) is only a natural response by the body to 'digest' complex starches. These bacterium are involved in the fermentation process of complex carbohydrates. They are there because of the condition of the 'terrain' or GI Tract. Later I learned that the best way to rid the body from Candida (contrary to what the main stream health field educates) is to put yourself on a 100% fruit diet for 10 days or even a couple weeks at a time, combined with herbs in the form of tinctures and/or tea. This was amazing to learn as we are taught in the industry that fruit 'feeds' Candida. What a joke that is! (Read my post, the Sugar Myth.) The other benefit of going Paleo was the addition of vegetables (fresh and cooked) and fruit. These foods made up the majority of the diet and therefore I began feeling a lot better but was still not healing at the rate I desired. The meat was consumed twice a day and only in small portions like the size of the palm of your hand. Therefore I wasn't consuming large amounts. From my experience on the Paleo diet, I saw benefits in terms of physique and the healing of some issues like the fungus problem. Overall however, the pains in body did not go away. My jaw joint continued to be inflamed and misaligned (caused by stress and overall acidosis since childhood) and the pain from Whiplash which I was desperate to be free from, still lingered heavily. To the point where I had to carry an ice pack around with me for an entire 8 months!!! I can now chalk it up to the fact that I was consuming a high fat, high protein diet! Even though I already clued in from my 5 years working in the body building/sport supplement industry, it became very obvious through this experience that no matter how great our bodies look from the outside, there may still be many things going wrong inside that can potentially lead to dis-ease.
The scary thing is that the very thing that is contributing to the suffering of humanity in terms of physical, mental and emotional health, is the very thing 'they' are pushing you to consume: protein!
The truth about protein is that the body doesn't use it!
The homosapein uses amino acids, not protein! Proteins are foods that have a complex structure of amino acids. The 'foods' with the highest protein content as most know are flesh, i.e. muscle, tissues, organs and glands etc. Think of a cow and how it eats grass (superior amino acids) and builds muscle. Then we go and ingest the cow's muscle thinking the result will be a building of protein structures (muscle). But you could see how off our thinking is: it's actually the opposite of the truth! Just like the cow we require amino acids to build protein structures! Consuming the complex structure; protein, which is the desired end product, expecting to build strength or muscles (protein structures) is incorrect knowledge.
When our bodies go to digest protein, we must break down its complex structure into what we can use as building blocks, amino acids. So why then go through all this trouble, utilizing 80% of our energy and creating unnecessary HCL (stomach acid), when every fruit and vegetable is made up of amino acids!? Of course, right!? That's what gives them their structure! These amino acid sources are simple and easy to use by the body. Amino acids, not protein, are what the body uses to build tissue. They also act as carriers and buffers. They are easily utilized as they are grouped together in a specific sequence recognizable to the body. Unlike proteins where the amino acids must be reorganized and grouped into a specific sequence in order to become useable. Proteins are also rich in nitrogen and tend to be acid-forming. This explains why we call flesh protein, inferior or second hand amino acids. Fruits or greens on the other hand are considered superior, first hand amino acids and are alkaline-forming! Most states of dis-ease today fall under the "acid sky". (Dr Morse.) There are only two sides to chemistry, acid and alkaline. Ultimately one destroys, 'burns' or inflames and the other heals, 'cools', cleanses and repairs! Which side of the fence would you rather be on!?
It's important to consider that just like you would not burn the cabin walls in your fireplace for fuel, you do not 'burn' amino acids for 'fuel' like most believe. The body uses carbon (carbohydrates) and oxygen for energy. These foods are predominantly fruits and vegetables. Make these foods the main stay of your diet and free yourself from aches, pains, poor digestion and elimination problems! Say goodbye to skin issues as well as the body odor and bad breath that are caused by consuming dead animal flesh due to their putrefactive and constipating effects! Enjoy the diet nature intended for us, or our 'species specific' diet and these foods will clean and strengthen! Get your kidneys filtering and stop harming them from all that protein! They are your precious elminiative organs of the lymphatic (immune) system!
The muscle built with fruits and veggies are stronger than those built on second hand proteins like flesh, beans and of course, protein powders!!! Great plant based 'builders' are alfalfa, avocados and coconuts! Bananas and dates eaten together contain a variety of amino acids and are also great 'builders'! Dark leafy greens are incredible along with fruits like melon and mangos to put on the strongest of muscle mass. The type that the body won't rid itself of during a fast or detox such as that of the weaker muscles built on inferior proteins.
Enjoy the process of changing your diet, take small, even baby steps! Write down your goals and work toward them at a comfortable and balanced pace. I just know you will experience the difference! But whatever you do along your way, don't blame the fruit! Its cleansing abilities, especially the juicy fruits, pull on the lymph system and begin the process of purging! Assist your body in its ability to cleanse and strengthen and experience a new you!!!
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