Best proteins for health

One of the things that many people worry about is whether they are obtaining enough protein from their diet, especially if vegetarian or vegan.

Plants have sufficient protein to grow giraffes, elephants, and cows, so obviously they have enough to grow relatively small people - please CLICK to Tweet.

All twenty amino acids, including the 10 essential ones, needed for good health are abundant in plants.

In real life there is no such thing as protein deficiency, provided you eat enough food in general, yet the meat and dairy industries generate huge profit with these universally accepted myths.

UK government dietary guidelines suggest that males between 19-50 years require 55.5 g protein per day and women of the same age range require 45 g protein per day.

It is very easy to achieve these targets, for example:

• A large egg contains 6 g protein
• 2 slices of bread contain 6 g protein
• 6 fl oz (170ml) milk contains 6 g protein
• 100g (4oz) chickpeas contains 16 g protein
• A tin of tuna contains 20 g protein
• 100g (40z) tofu contains 20 g protein
• 170g (6oz) beef contains 40 g protein

All living organisms contain protein, so even if you are only eating whole plants, you will still obtain adequate quantities - please CLICK to tweet.

The last National Diet and Nutrition Survey in the UK showed that average protein consumption is at least 1.5 times higher, and often 2-4 times higher, than the recommended amounts.

There is evidence that protein significantly in excess of our bodily needs may be damaging to our health, though further research is needed on this.

Animal protein and vegetable protein per se probably have similar effects on health. It's the protein package that's likely to make a difference.

A 6-ounce steak is a great source of protein—38 grams worth. But it also delivers 44 grams of fat, 16 of them saturated. That's almost three-quarters of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat.

The same amount of salmon gives you 34 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, 4 of them saturated.

A cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, but under 1 gram of fat.

So when choosing protein-rich foods, pay attention to what comes along with the protein.

Vegetable sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, and whole grains, are excellent choices, and they offer healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals.

If you like the idea of a plant-based diet but cannot fully give up eating meat and other other animal products, you can try to reduce your intake gradually, whilst increasing the number of vegetables dishes you eat.

You can also pay attention to the type of animal products you consume and the balance between them.

The best animal protein choice is oily fish. Next best is poultry. If you are partial to red meat, stick with the leanest cuts, choose moderate portion sizes, and make it only an occasional part of your diet.

Tips for choosing the best protein packages:

1. Mix it up. Most reasonable diets provide enough protein for healthy people. Eating a variety of foods will ensure that you get all of the amino acids you need.
2. Go low on saturated fat. Beans and oily fish provide plenty of protein, without much saturated fat. Steer clear of fatty meats and use whole-milk dairy products sparingly or preferably not at all.
3. Limit red meat—and avoid processed meat. Research suggests that people who eat more than 18 ounces a week of red meat have a higher risk of colon cancer. So make red meat—beef, pork, lamb—only an occasional part of your diet, if you eat it at all. Skip the processed stuff—bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats—since that's also been linked to higher cancer risk.
4. Eat soy in moderation. Tofu and other soy foods are an excellent red meat alternative, but don't go overboard; 2 to 4 servings a week is a good target. Stay away from supplements that contain concentrated soy protein or extracts, such as isoflavones, as we just don't know the long term effects
5. Balance carbohydrates and protein. Cutting back on highly processed carbohydrates and consuming unprocessed carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and vegetables helps to maintain a healthy balance between protein and carbohydrate in your diet. Eating such foods helps to regulate blood sugar, lower 'bad' cholesterol and and levels of blood triglycerides, thus reducing your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other form of cardiovascular disease. It will also make you feel full longer, and help to stave off hunger pangs.

For an excellent discussion of some of the myths about protein in the diet please see John McDougall MD's newsletter.

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Practical suggestions for ways to include more healthy fats in your diet

We need fat in our diet for a wide range of reasons; it is the type of fat we consume that is important.

Fat is needed for manufacturing hormones, for building cell membranes, for immunity, and for the receptors in our brain which are involved in mood regulation, memory, movement and a host of other vital bodily functions.

Fat is also important as a source of energy.

The last National Diet and Nutrition Survey in the UK showed that, on average, people are consuming 13 per cent of their energy as saturated fat, when the guideline maximum is 10 per cent.

Societies in the world which are noted for their healthy longevity typically consume less than 10 per cent of their energy as saturated fat. Instead, they eat more of the healthy unsaturated fats, mostly found in plant oils and in fish.

Here are some practical ideas for incorporating more of the healthy unsaturated fats into your diet:

1. Use virgin olive oil, canola (rapeseed) oil or avocado oil for cooking as they are more stable than other oils and also contain beneficial antioxidants. 
2. Mix flax seeds in a jar with hemp, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds in equal portions. Take out 2 heaped tbsp daily and grind in a coffee grinder or food processor. Add to smoothies, soups, porridge.
3. Add 1 tbsp cold-pressed polyunsaturated oils to your salads daily, e.g., flax, walnut, pumpkin, sesame. Keep oils in dark bottles in the fridge and use within 8 weeks of opening.
4. Eat three portions of oily fish a week. The best choices are mackerel, sardines, salmon, anchovies, pilchards, pink trout, tuna. Canned fish is fine, except for tuna which, during canning, is rendered low in healthy fats. There is concern about pollutants in fish but current research suggests that the benefits of eating oily fish outweigh the potential disadvantages.
5. Spread choices to use instead of butter: hummus, tahini, pumpkin, almond, sunflower nut butters, guacamole, vegetable pâtés.
6. Limit fat from meat and dairy sources by trimming visible fat, choosing lean or low-fat versions and limiting yourself to one portion a day. Choose leaner meat options such as skinless fish, chicken, turkey or game. Preferably avoid meat and dairy produce altogether.
7. Avoid hydrogenated fats in margarines and processed foods - check the food label to see whether it says "contains no hydrogenated fats". If it doesn't, avoid it.
8. Also avoid cooking with sunflower, corn or oils other than olive, canola, or avocado oil, unless they are the high oleic acid varieties.
9. Deep-fry food only occasionally. High temperatures change the nature of fats and create carcinogenic (cancer-generating) compounds.
10. The quantity of fat is nearly as important as quality. The recommended intake of fats is 30-35% of calories. For a woman eating 2000 calories per day, this equates to about 70g fat. Of this, no more than 22g should be saturated fats. Check food labels to find out how much of the different types of fat your food contains. 

Supplements 

It is always best to obtain nutrients from food. It can, however, be helpful to use supplements therapeutically for a while.

GLA (gamma linolenic acid) is found in oil of evening primrose and borage oil and is helpful for hormonal conditions such as PMS and hot flushes.

EPA/DHA in fish oil capsules are useful for conditions such as inflammation, heart disease, breast cancer, arthritis and mental health problems. We should aim for at least 1g per day of EPA. Check the label of the bottle for the concentration of EPA.

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Cooking and storage of fats

Polyunsaturated oils are easily damaged by heat, not only increasing the risk of trans fat production but also producing damaging substances called free radicals.

Free radicals are disruptive in the body and if in excess can damage not only our cell membranes but also the DNA (genes) in the cells. Free radicals contribute to the ageing process and an excess is strongly linked to all major degenerative disorders.

Free radicals are naturally produced in the body:

• during exercise (excessive exercise can produce harmful quantities of free radicals)
• during food “burning”
• on exposure to radiation, e.g., ultraviolet from sunlight
• when we get infections, to destroy invaders.

Early on in our evolution, we developed sophisticated methods to disarm free radicals before they could do much harm to the body.

Antioxidant nutrients like vitamin A, C, E, zinc and selenium help counteract the damage caused by free radicals in the body. Powerful plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in darkly coloured fruit and vegetables also act as antioxidants in the body.

Eventually the production of free radicals outweighs the ability of our antioxidant systems to defend us, so we will age. However, a nutrient-rich diet combined with reducing intake of free radicals helps to protect against ageing and degenerative disease.

Free radicals are produced during all combustion processes (baking, frying, roasting, barbecuing and grilling). Cigarette smoke, burnt toast, petrol fumes and ionising radiation are other potent sources of free radicals.

To minimise the risks of damaging fats, polyunsaturated oils should not be heated above 200 degrees C. Most forms of cooking with oil involve temperatures higher than that, therefore it is better to cook with monounsaturated oils, such as olive or canola oil. Polyunsaturated oils should be used cold (for example in salad dressings or home-made mayonnaise). Oils and fats should not be re-used as this increases the risk of free radical production and rancidity.

For storage, oils should always be kept in cool, dark places with as little contact with the air as possible. Dark, narrow bottles are best and if you only use small quantities, it is better to only have small bottles.

Similarly, high fat-content foods, such as nuts and seeds, should be kept in the cool and dark, preferably in air-tight containers.

Learn more about the different types of fat and their effects on our health at Cooking for Health courses held throughout the year in Somerset, UK.

How does what we eat affect how healthily we age? Which foods can help us enjoy decades of active, satisfying life and which foods do the opposite? The answers to these questions will be explored at a Cooking for Health class focused on the Fundamentals of Healthy Eating - Eating for Healthy Longevity.

In this class, we learn about our bodies’ nutritional needs, the evolution of the modern diet and its influence on human health. We look at societies in the world with exceptionally high numbers of healthy elders and learn how to apply their dietary secrets to our own lives.

The class involves 100% hands-on practical cooking in a small, supervised group, combined with teaching of up-to-date information and research findings on the effects of diet on health. Clear, easy-to-follow presentations and handouts are provided with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.