Eat Meat And Stop Jogging: 'Common' Advice On How To Get Fit Is Keeping You Fat And Making You Sick (8 page)

BOOK: Eat Meat And Stop Jogging: 'Common' Advice On How To Get Fit Is Keeping You Fat And Making You Sick
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When absorption is minimized because of decreased gut health, one has to question whether adding insoluble fiber to ‘speed u
p’ transit time is beneficial.

This is likely why
David Southgate, one of the world’s leading authority’s on fiber, suggests that infants, children, and pregnant women that have greater mineral needs should disregard the recommendation to eat more fiber.

High Fiber = High Carb

Aside from inflammation and digestive distress, an increased intake of whole grains and cereal fibers adds to our daily carbohydrate (sugar) intake. These polysaccharides (‘many sugars’) generate a blood sugar response as high as table sugar, leaving you with excess body fat and elevated triglycerides.  As I’ve illustrated, triglycerides are a much better predictor of heart disease, and researchers point to insulin resistance and a sedentary lifestyle as key risk factors for colon cancer.

 

Regardless of the evidence, the general public continues to be misled by the government and various medical associations with statements like this (from 2011):

“Higher intakes of dietary
fiber and whole grain also protect against weight gain and type 2 diabetes, and it is possible that part of the potential effect of fiber intake is mediated through improved weight control and reduced insulin resistance, although these may not be the main mechanisms.”

 

 

 

“The more people that believe it’s true, the more likely they are to repeat it, and thus the more likely you are to hear it.  This is how inaccurate information can create a bandwagon effect, leading quickly to a broad, but mistaken, consensus.”

 


Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice

 

 

 

 

Mistake #8

Thinking Protein
Causes Health
Problems

The eating habits
we thrived on for millions of years that resulted in minimal (if any) incidences of degenerative disease, had nearly 4 times the protein the average North American consumes now.  Yet, in 2001 The American Heart Association made the following statement:

"Individuals who follow these [high-protein] diets are at risk for ... potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall.”

There is no convincing evidence to support such a claim, and drawing a conclusion like this is extremely misleading to the public.  Interestingly, the research on higher protein diets suggests the exact opposite.

High Protein Does NOT = Kidney Damage

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in a discussion where someone made the statement:

“H
igh protein diets cause kidney damage.”

It’s like we were all born with an instruction manual that reads:

  • Dietary Cholesterol = Heart Disease
  • Cut Calories to Lose Weight
  • Red Meat = Cancer
  • Eat Whole Grains to for Fiber
  • High-Protein Causes Kidney Damage

 

The research most are referring to was a Nurses’ Health Study that followed approximately 1600 female participants for 11 years, concluding that a high-protein diet causes kidney dysfunction. What the media failed to communicate was that the participants that experienced the damage had pre-existing kidney damage.

Congratulations Science!  Those
with bad kidneys can compromise the function of those kidneys by eating a high protein diet.

That
’s like saying someone with an injured shoulder can compromise shoulder function by lifting weights, or a guy with a broken foot can compromise his recovery by jumping up and down.

 

One of the kidneys main functions is to process the waste products from the food we eat.  Eating a high protein diet can increase the filtration work from the kidneys (hyperfiltration), but this is:

“A perfectly normal adaptive mechanism well within the functional limits of a healthy kidney.”

In the Nurse’s Health Study, those with healthy kidneys did not experience disrupted functionality and many did not even enter a state of hyperfiltration.  Furthermore, there’s significant evidence suggesting that an increase in protein consumption and a corresponding state of hyperfiltration produces a favorable adjustment from the kidneys. Over time there’s less protein found in the urine, which suggests greater protein absorption.  Muscle maintenance and growth is dependent on protein synthesis, so this adaptation from hyperfiltration should be considered a benefit.

 

Other than the misleading conclusions drawn from the Nurse’s Study, all research on high protein diets and kidney damage have found no correlation in healthy subjects. Even when protein intake was as high as 2.8g per kg of bodyweight, the kidney remained unharmed.  For the record, that’s 252g of protein per day for a 200lb man, or the equivalent of four 12oz steaks or eight chicken breasts.  Clearly we should be ignoring the biased recommendations from uninformed organizations and start listening to conclusions from legitimate research:

"It is clear that protein restriction does not prevent decline in renal function with age, and, in fact, is the major cause of that decline. A better way to prevent the decline would be to increase protein i
ntake. There is no reason to restrict protein intake in healthy individuals in order to protect the kidney.”

Even for those with renal (kidney) disease, t
here is no benefit from lowering protein intake.  Research recommends an intake of at least 1.4g/kg of bodyweight in these individuals to maintain proper nitrogen balance, which is the equivalent of 127g/day for a 200lb man.  Sadly, most come nowhere close to that minimum threshold because they’re too busy filling up on high fiber whole grains.  Realistically, high carbohydrate (high sugar) diets should be blamed for kidney issues, not a diet high in animal protein.

High Protein Does NOT = Bone Loss

The theory that eating a diet high in protein causes bone loss stems from results showing a considerable (60mg) excretion of calcium in urine for every 50g increase in protein intake.  With the majority of calcium stored in bone, it would be easy for one to make this conclusion.  However, this is not the case, and in fact the opposite is true.

 

Before I get into the research, lets stop and think about this for a second.  Protein helps individuals gain and maintain muscle.  Muscle surrounds bone, protecting it from damage and providing strength and stability to the musculoskeletal framework.  Muscle loss (atrophy) from a lack of dietary protein is highly correlated with bone loss, and a lack of muscle strength with an increased risk of fracture (usually from falling). It’s hard to prevent a fall without the muscles to provide stability and hard to prevent a bone fracture without the protection that muscle provides.  The increased risk of fracture is as high as 3 times greater when muscle loss is present.  Generally, a lack of dietary protein is what causes this loss. Therefore, without looking at the potential for leaching calcium from bone, we know that eating a diet high in protein promotes muscle maintenance, providing strength, stability, and bone protection as we age.  Not surprisingly, the science supports this thinking.  A high protein diet does not negatively affect overall bone density, but rather increases it!  We’re more at risk from a lack of protein.

 

The Framingham Osteoporosis Study from the year 2000 looked at 615 men and women over 75 years old, and analyzed daily protein intakes ranging from 14g to 175g. Not only did a higher intake show no correlation with bone loss, but:

T
hose who ate less protein had more bone loss.

Other research has shown similar results, like a 1999 study from the American Journal of Clinical N
utrition, which concluded that:

A
n increase in dietary protein reduces the risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women.

None of this should come as a surprise, as animal
foods are our best source of vitamin D other than the sun.  And our blood levels of vitamin D are directly correlated with our absorption of calcium. Several researchers have even suggested that dietary protein is as critical as calcium and vitamin D in the prevention of osteoporosis. As the Framingham Study put it:

“Even after controlling for known cofounders including weight loss, women and men with relatively lower protein intake had i
ncreased bone loss, suggesting that protein intake is important in maintaining bone loss in elderly persons.”

Going back to our discussion at the start, it’s unrealistic to think that our ancestral diet that contained nearly 4 times the protein we consume now all of a sudden negatively a
ffects our bone health.

Protein is Acidic But NOT Harmful

A lack of protein is clearly more of a concern than too much, although some believe that protein is harmful because it’s acidic.  The acid-ash hypothesis suggests that every time we eat and metabolize food, an acid or alkaline ash is left behind that contributes to our overall pH.  When that pH is low or acidic our body must fight to maintain homeostasis, which means adding a base to neutralize the environment. Generally, it’s hypothesized that this neutralizer is calcium, which would suggest a loss of calcium and bone from an acidic diet.  Here’s the pH scale with some common foods:

 

 

Grains
are also acidic (below pH of 7), so swapping meat in favor of high fiber whole grains (as is recommended) would not improve the acidity.  This goes back to my earlier point, that there’s an unfortunate assumption that eating protein means cheeseburgers and pizza.  It has become common practice to blame animal protein for producing an acidic state, yet bread and cheese are equally acidic.  Looking back at our meat-eating hunter-gatherer ancestors, if meat was the culprit in producing a low pH one would expect the group eating more than 35% of their calories from animal protein to have a net acidic diet.  However, it’s been proven that the pre-agricultural diet is alkaline.  This could lead one to assume that perhaps it’s the overconsumption of ‘other acidic foods’ skewing the balance.  The reality is, North Americans are eating an acidic diet whether they include meat or not.  Especially when they are hitting the government recommended 6-11 servings of grains per day.

 

The acid-ash hypothesis holds true in the sense that there is remnants (acid/ash) left behind after the metabolism of food.  However, many fail to acknowledge the important role that the kidneys play in regulating pH.  Bicarbonate ions, found in the blood, are perfectly capable of buffering the acid left behind from protein metabolism.  This removes the need for calcium excretion to buffer the acidic environment and maintain homeostasis.  These bicarbonate ions act as a neutralizer when acidic foods are ingested and are replaced every time ‘new’ ones from the kidney are excreted.   Although additional acid in the diet appears to produce more calcium in the urine, research has determined that calcium metabolism is not negatively affected by higher acid levels in the diet. Meaning, there’s calcium, but it’s not from bone. In fact, science has suggested that a higher protein intake produces positive results in bone health and calcium absorption, and a decreased risk of osteoporosis and fracture. Although protein is an acid-forming food, it increases the body’s ability to excrete acid while improving absorption.  Therefore, any excess should be of no concern.

High Protein Does NOT = Cancer

I hate to pick on vegetarians again, but this is a classic response to justify their decision to avoid meat.  I can visualize it now:

“Well you know Cancer grows in an acidic environment and meat is vveeerrrryyy acidic.”

Takes bite of bagel with cream cheese, and sip of skinny vanilla latte.

“There’s tons of research showing that an alkaline diet prevents Cancer growth, and
can even remove Cancer Cells.”

First of all, cancer cells can grow in any environment, and most experiments show its growth at normal pH (7.4).
Additionally, the body is more tolerant to low pH (acidosis) than high pH (alkalosis), with the lowest survival level at 6.8 (-0.6) compared to the highest survival level at 7.8 (+0.4).  Thirdly, most of the theories suggesting an association with cancer and an acidic diet depend on blood and other fluids changing their level based on the type of food we choose to eat, which is not possible. The pH level of the foods you’re eating can effectively alter the acid or alkaline measure of your urine, but cannot adjust the pH of extracellular fluid and blood.  Lastly, the ones that do hypothesize that there’s a link between dietary acid-forming foods admit that they’re only speculating.  Any ‘expert’ understands that once a tumor grows it creates it’s own pH.

It’s not the acidic blood that produces the cancer, it’s the cancer that produces the acidic blood.

Most hate generalizations about any topic, and nutrition is no different.  Yet whenever it’s suggested that someone increase their animal protein intake, it’s met with extreme opposition and unfair generalizations. If anyone knew how uncommon acidosis was in healthy individuals, perhaps they would stop assuming that eating 1 extra piece of meat per day would send them into full blown acid overload and strip their bones of precious calcium.  Reaching acidosis from eating an acid-forming diet is nearly impossible.

At the end of the day, i
t’s more than acids and bases.  It’s food quality and choice, and whole grains are a much bigger concern than meat.  Furthermore, if acidity is your biggest worry, perhaps you should know that the acid-load from exercise is a much bigger risk than any potential impact from food.

 

BOOK: Eat Meat And Stop Jogging: 'Common' Advice On How To Get Fit Is Keeping You Fat And Making You Sick
3.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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