Part IV Protein & Animal foods- can you be truly well without them?

This article delves into the world of protein - the building blocks of nature without which we would have no structure, strength, motion or Emotional resilience. Protein is essential not only for tissue and muscle integrity  but also immune, mental & emotional health, detoxification, energy production and so much more. Having some knowledge of the many functions of protein in your body can help us to better understand the signs and symptoms of deficiency when they occur.

Welcome back to our series on Traditional Foods- where we journey together to learn from the food production and preparation methods of robustly healthy pre-industrial groups. (1)  In this series so far we have discussed

1. Good reasons to bring quality fats back into your diet,
2. The abundant nutritional merits of organic vegetables and heirloom plant foods,
3. Ways to prepare grains, nuts and legumes to unlock the good bits  whilst at the same time avoiding the not-so-good bits.

The pre-industrial diet- what do we know? Dr. Weston A Price’s life work was to study the diets of vibrantly healthy groups in all corners of the globe during the 1930s. He observed nutrient-dense diets being consumed by native New Zealanders, South Sea Islanders, Polynesian, Melanesians as well as indigenous Australians.  Native Americans, Swiss villagers, and Gaelic communities of the outer Hebrides similarly consumed diets which were largely unprocessed, unrefined, unpackaged and remarkably rich in fat-soluble vitamins in particular. Dr Price noted a ten-fold greater intake on average compared to the standard diet of Americans  at that time. (2)
This article delves into the world of protein - the building blocks of nature without which we would have no structure, strength, motion or Emotional resilience. Protein is essential not only for tissue and muscle integrity  but also immune, mental & emotional health, detoxification, energy production and so much more. Having some knowledge of the many functions of protein in your body can help us to better understand the signs and symptoms of deficiency when they occur. 
Protein can be broken down to single units known as amino acids- 9 of which you cannot make yourself and therefore must be supplied via the diet; another 6 are conditionally essential- meaning that under situations of stress or high demand they will need to be supplied through diet. Several amino acids can be converted into others and 5 more are considered non-essential since these can be made in the body. 
Structurally speaking an average man contains around 12 kg of protein, half of which is muscle and the rest blood, skin and structural tissues. Animal protein is closer in amino acid profile to man whilst vegetable protein from various sources can provide all of the required amino acids. Amino acids do little in isolation however as they require the cooperation of minerals, fatty acids and vitamins to fulfil their potential destinies. It is here that animal and vegetable protein differ in the packaging which nature provides. More on this later. 
It is the very similarities of protein to our own bodies structures however which can work against us. If for e.g you have inflammation in your digestive tract resulting in ‘leakiness’ of the cell wall barrier, the subsequent escape of food-protein particles into the blood stream can set you up for autoimmune disease.  The immune system identifies intrusive protein chains identical to those of our own  body and sets upon itself, the perceived enemy.  (7) Protein foods can also trigger life-threatening allergic reactions- peanuts, soy, eggs, shellfish and milk most notably. Promising new research however tells us that the  bugs which reside both in and on us can dampen this immune response. I will go into bug-rich or fermented foods later. (8)
As I mentioned previously, amino Acids participate in many and varied roles- most importantly perhaps is the production of neurotransmitters, the messengers of emotional wellbeing, mental and digestive continuity and seamless physical functioning. You may be familiar with serotonin as the target molecule of common antidepressants. This ‘feel-good’, ‘digest-well’ chemical produced in the healthy gut and brain is synthesised from the amino acid tryptophan and requires cofactors- sodium, B vitamins, folate, iron, vitamin C, zinc and magnesium. Clearly nutritious whole foods including protein are key to mental health. 
What then are the signs of low protein intake or poor digestion of protein? Have you been feeling more fatigued, weak, more moody or depressed? Have you struggled to fight off colds and flu or has your digestion become progressively weaker? A lack of protein is certainly implicated if this is the case and a visit to your nutrition-savvy health care professional is recommended. 
What may not be so certain for most of us however is the questions of

1. our ‘choice of animal or vegetable protein’.
2. ‘how much protein we need at any one time’, and
3. ’the ideal ‘preparation to get the most out of your proteins’

Choosing animal or vegetable protein- what works best for you?
I mentioned earlier the very rich supply of fat-soluble vitamins observed in the diets of pre-industrial groups. What do fat-soluble vitamins and high-fat foods have to do with protein intake? Simply this- when you choose high quality animal-based proteins they invariably come packaged together with health-giving fats and fat-soluble vitamins which facilitate interaction with minerals, the absorption of plant-based antioxidants and the  use of protein itself.  Not to mention making food more flavoursome and satisfying. Certainly you can get protein from plant foods however animal protein appears to be the perfect package nutritionally. If you are looking to a solely vegetable-based diet to meet your nutritional requirements for protein you may find yourself gnawing your way through large quantities of relatively high-carbohydrate, high bulk foods and still falling short of key nutrients such as zinc, iron, B12, B6 and fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2, hence the symptoms mention above. (5) Cholesterol too will be entirely absent- and we now know that brain and nervous system balance as well as detoxification are cholesterol hungry processes in the body. (5) 
During the early years of my nutritional medicine studies- prior to discovering the work of Dr Price I was intrigued to find that the recommended nutritional texts had a strong bent toward a vegetable-based diet often omitting animal proteins from nutrient-density food lists. The problem for me as a student arose when we were required to construct a typical days diet based upon the recommended low-fat, low-cholesterol, plant-based food lists to meet the needs of a standard adult - and even more so a pregnant or lactating female. It simply couldn’t be done. The deficits were exacerbated when you factored in reduced absorption of certain plant-based nutrients such as non-heme (plant-based) iron, and so it became clear that something was amiss. Enter the sacred foods of Dr Prices ‘primitive’ folk- whole pastured eggs, shellfish, fermented cream and cheeses, pastured offal (liver, heart, kidney etc), fish eggs and livers. Et voila - instantly there was an abundance of essential nutrients as Price himself had observed. Here is a link to an excellent nutrient database - where if you search for real foods highest in Protein, Vitamin A and B12 for e.g. As you will see liver tops the list very convincingly. I would stipulate that liver  has to be certified organic and from grass-fed animals. Do also read up on why liver is not an accumulator of toxins but rather an efficient detoxifier and nutrient storage vessel. (3) It’s no coincidence then that most cultures have traditional recipes for fresh pastured liver and organ meats- for e.g. buttery, French goose liver pate or spicy middle eastern Mufarraka or Russian sautéed liver with sour cream. (9)  Dr Price found that clean pasture-reared offal was particularly prized as a sacred food for times of increased demand such as preconception and pregnancy health. (4) 
In case you’re not convinced  have a look at the latest research into vegetarian diets, nutrient deficiencies and associated disease risks. Most notable is the commonly deficient vitamin B12 which together with B6 and folate reduces levels of an artery damaging compound called homocysteine. This marker if elevated in the blood has become far more relevant than cholesterol as a risk factor for vascular disease and unfortunately  vitamins added to foods don’t appear to be addressing this issue. (10) (11) (12) 
For more insights into animal Vs vegetable protein I recommend reading an excellent book written by past-vegan now turned  omnivore Leirre Keith ‘Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice & Sustainability’ (3). I believe that the book covers all angles when it comes to the most common reasons why people choose vegetarianism- political, environmental, nutritional and moral. It may well be that in an ideal world- where soils are rich, air and water is pure, digestive function is robust and stress is unknown that vegetable protein can be sustaining for a period of time- however the reality is quite different and my personal and clinical experience bears this out. Judging from Dr Price’s observations the most resilient health existed in those groups who supplemented their diets with seafoods and animal proteins.