Animal Protein V Vegetable Protein

Last month I had two separate very interesting consultations with clients. Both had contacted me regarding the confusion that abounds regarding animal versus vegetable protein.
These lads are pounding their bodies at the gym 5 times a week and eating animal protein 3 times a day. Yikes!!! Apart from being ‘bulked up’ they don’t look healthy and both of them had skin and digestive problems along with a host of other health issues.
Reading their consultation forms about why they are eating so much ANIMAL PROTEIN inspired me to share with you all what nonsense the media continue to write about strength and muscle mass only coming from eating animals.

So, this is a message to all those out there who think that you need animal products to be fit and strong. The world’s largest and strongest animals eat plants.  Many of my friends who are athletes  were vegetarian for a long time but almost two years after becoming vegan they say they are stronger than ever before and are still improving day by day.
Don’t listen to those self proclaimed nutrition gurus and the food and supplement industry trying to tell you that you need meat, eggs, fish and dairy to get enough protein, it’s complete nonsense.
There are plenty of plant-based protein sources to choose from.  I have created literally thousands of delicious dishes all high in protein and have taught hundreds of families to shift from an animal based diet, usually because of ill health, but nonetheless they have never looked back.   Your body is going to thank you for switching from an animal based diet loaded with dead-food to a whole food plant based lifestyle loaded with micronutrient density. Go vegan and feel the power!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZT06I7BGcLw?rel=0 Visit Patrik Baboumian site, the vegan strongman who holds the world log lift record. There are also a host of other amazing vegan athletes around the world and I am delighted to be featured alongside them on many interviews.

As a graduate in Plant Based Nutrition from T. Colin Campbell Centre for Nutrition Studies I incorporate my certification from this fantastic course into my Macrobiotic Counselling sessions to empower and share even more information with my clients that the primary difference between animal and plant proteins is their amino acid profiles and it is those profiles that direct the rates at which the absorbed amino acids are put to use within the body.
Animal based proteins, of course, are much more similar to our proteins, thus are used more readily and rapidly than plant proteins. That is, ‘substrate’ amino acids derived from animal based proteins are more readily available for our own protein synthesizing reactions which allows them to operate at full tilt. Plant proteins are somewhat compromised by their limitation of one or more amino acids. When we restore the relatively deficient amino acid in a plant protein, we get a response rate equivalent to animal proteins.
Animal proteins also have a higher concentration of sulphur containing amino acids that get metabolized to acid-generating metabolites. As a result, a slightly lower physiological pH must be corrected and buffers like calcium are used to attenuate these adverse acid effects–to the disadvantage of the host.  When I explained this to my clients they both had an Ah…ha… moment and were in agreement that their ‘arthritic’ problems were being caused by their high protein diet.

This recipe below for my mini shepherd’s pies is so easy and tastes delicious, plus it is packed full of protein, so as you can see from above there is no need to use animal protein.  Cook up larger batches and freeze.  The cooking classes I had with the boys worked well and as both are single and cooking for one they loved my approach to cooking and freezing. They now have breakfast, lunch and dinner handled and all with WHOLEFOOD PLANT BASED ingredients.
On my website and social media sites you will find a host of delicious alternative recipes to meat, dairy and eggs.  These lentil burgers here pictured above are made quickly by using the Clearspring Bio Kitchen range which is their premium range of organic and biodynamic staple foods in clear glass jars which are naturally sweet and full of flavour.
Marlene’s Macro Mini Shepherds Pie
4-5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups organic sweetcorn
2 cups finely chopped asparagus
4 cups boiling water
2 sachets miso bouillon paste
2 cups red lentils
1 tsp. each of thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil
1 tsp black pepper (optional)
Tamari
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. dried parsley
Preheat oven to 175/350°.  Boil sweet potatoes, until soft, drain and transfer to a large bowl, mash with a fork.  Stir the paprika and parsley into the mashed potatoes and set aside.
In a heavy based pot, sauté the onion, garlic and carrots along with the corn and asparagus in a little water until tender. Set aside. Using a measuring jug, dissolve the miso bouillon sachets into the boiling water. Add the bouillon stock and the lentils to a heavy based pan. Bring to a boil then simmer covered until soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the corn, asparagus, carrots, onions, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, and black pepper. Add some tamari (to taste) and mix well.  If the mixture is too wet, add in some of the sweet potato mash to thicken.
Fill the bottom of a large casserole dish or small individual pie dishes with the lentil and vegetable mixture and top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Place on a baking tray to catch any overspill. Cook  for 25-30 minutes.
In good health