This is a huge topic of question, concern and confusion for nearly every one I speak to about nutrition. We could spend a lot of time on this one little topic and most likely will as the feedback rolls in from this.

I will say before you read on, there is NO one way of eating! We are different people, in different bodies with different stories and have different requirements. I don’t believe in a one-size fits all approach. What I do believe in and simply LISTENING to your body, if you eat something and feel bloated, gassy, tired and gross from it – stop eating that! If you are in bathroom right after a meal and your gas smells like what you  just ate, that’s undigested protein and inflammation your shooting out your arse…beautiful! STOP eating it!

If you notice your moods area all over the place and your cravings are bonkers, having a steak or gluten-free products won’t cure you, determining what is really going on with your blood sugar, adrenals and your gut will.

So here we go…protein the sage continues LOL

If you’re getting enough calories in general and eating a wide variety of whole, natural foods, there’s no reason you should worry about protein intake! In fact, your body actively recycles protein. People who reduce their protein intake often need to eat a lot less protein because they recycle their protein much more efficiently.  On a regular basis, we excrete protein from our dying cells in the gut, and we reabsorb those proteins throughout our body. We also have some protein/amino acids secreted in the bile and we reabsorb that, too, plus we have enzymes, secreted by our pancreas, and all those digestive enzymes  are also made of protein, and we reabsorb them as well. So we are very good at recycling our protein and therefore we don’t need that much; especially if our intake is fairly low.

We have just been so over-conditioned in the past 10 or years that we need to consume loads of protein and virtually no carbohydrates if we want to have the body we desire. But all I have seen and heard from people is how bloated they are, how bad their digestion and bowel function have become, their joints are sore, muscles take forever to recover from their workouts and inflamed and toxic they feel.

NEVER, EVER do I hear those that I know that follow a vegetarian, vegan or even just a cleaner more alkalized balanced way of eating with a few organic animal sources; mainly wild fish, organic eggs and farm raised grass-fed beef, EVER say how inflamed, bloated, gross and toxic they feel.

It just doesn’t happen. The more animal protein you consume the more acid your body becomes. The more acidic your body becomes the more difficult it is for full-on vitality to shine through!

All plant materials include amino acids, with no exceptions, and therefore there should never be a lack of amino acid in our diets. However, certain greens like cucumber, celery and iceberg lettuce, have much less protein (2 – 3% of total calories) than cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, or broccoli), which have about 10% of their calories coming from protein (which is exactly what the food and drug administration recommends). Green leafy vegetables even have a higher percentage of calories coming from protein. So if we are eating protein, it needs to be in the form of amino acids which are easy to digest. We don’t want protein, we want amino acids.

Some of the main reasons many choose not to consume our protein from animal sources is because of the negative effects (including cortisol, putrefaction, toxicity, ammonia, acids, loss of minerals, etc.), as well as increased toxin creation within the animal meat, such as many nitrates, nitrosamines, and nitrites, created during the cooking and preparation of  meat. Nonessential amino acids are far more important than the essential ones. However, we do need to get some amounts of essential ones, and it is easy to get them from green leafy vegetables, legumes, some grains, broccoli, cauliflower and nuts and seeds. They have adequate amounts of amino acids in them for everyone’s needs if you eat a sufficient amount of them.

Begin by making gradual changes to the way you eat over time. Add whole foods, more organic choices, juices, and smoothies, at a rate that works for you. Be nice to yourself as you make the changes. Listen to your body and what it needs. You don’t need to run out for a blood test to see how your body is doing, your own symptomatology will speak to you first. You simply need to begin to listen to your body, and when you choose simple foods in simple forms your body can breakdown them with ease. Trust you’re on the right track.

No one is saying that a plant-based diet has to be right for you, or all that you do BUT before you decide it is or it isn’t, give plants a chance and see how you feel. Ultimately at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you are fuelling your body in a way it can handle and that your energy is great and you feel incredible!

Jenn xo

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