Proteins and Preservatives
Stan M. Gardner, M.D.

Recently my sister in law sent us an email which read:

The Perfect Diet
Can’t eat beef: Mad Cow. 
Can’t eat chicken: Bird flu. 
Can’t eat eggs: Cholesterol. 
Can’t eat fish:  Heavy metals in the water have poisoned their flesh. 
Can’t eat pork: not kosher. 
Can’t eat fruits and vegetables:  Insecticides and herbicides.
  Hmm, guess that leaves chocolate!

Although the email was amusing, it reflects quite honestly the concerns we all have:  What should we eat?  If this and this and this are bad for us, what’s left?  And, my wife is often wondering, how can we prepare food which tastes good, is good for us, is simple to prepare, and is economical? 

Well, if this sounds familiar to you, you are not alone in your dilemma.

So far we have discussed the place of carbohydrates, fats and (surprisingly controversial) fluids in our lives.  This particular article addresses meats and proteins, and its intent is to help us come to understand some of the reasons why the Lord commands us to eat meats sparingly, as well as to learn some of the ways we can effectively get the proteins we need.

Proteins

Proteins are composed of 20 amino acids, ten of which are essential (meaning the body cannot make them; so they must be eaten).  These amino acids are the building blocks for different kinds of protein.  These proteins perform different functions, including:

1. build the structural framework in the body, like collagen in bone, blood vessels and cartilage.
2. regulate body functions like hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain.
3. contractile elements in muscles so muscles can function.
4. protect the body against diseases (antibodies are proteins).
5. transport vital substances in the body, like hemoglobin.
6. act as enzymes that regulate biochemical reactions (a fancy term for making the cells function) like amylase and sucrase. 

As we can see, our bodies cannot function without the proper ingestion of protein.

The recommended intake of protein is about 15% of total caloric intake.  Fifteen percent of a 2000 calorie diet is 300 calories.  Knowing there are four calories per gram of protein, we should be ingesting 75 grams or 2 ½ oz. of protein on a 2000 calorie diet (which isn’t very much!).  Below are some different foods and the number of grams of protein in the ounces listed: [1]

Beef                                                      4 oz.            30 grams

Chicken                                                10.5 oz.        80 grams

Salmon                                                 4 oz.            25 grams

Rice                                                      ¼ C.            4 grams

Pinto Beans                                          ¼ C.             7 grams

Kidney Beans                                        ½  C.           7 grams

Peas                                                     ½ C.            5 grams

Soybeans                                              ½ C.           10-15 grams

Almonds                                               1 ounce         6 grams

Pumpkin seeds, roasted and shelled       1 ounce         7 grams

The vegetable sources of protein have different elements, some of which must be combined to create a complete protein (a complete protein is one which has all the amino acids to sustain life).  The meat and fish sources provide complete proteins.            

Fish

Cold water fish are an excellent source of the omega 3 essential fatty oils, EPA and DHA, in addition to their protein content.  Salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout and eel fit into this category. [2] Unfortunately, many large long-lived predatory ocean fish, like swordfish, shark, and tuna have methyl mercury levels that are dangerously high.  Also, the top ten commercial fish species have levels that are moderately high in mercury. [3]   Because mercury affects brain development, fish should be avoided by young children.

Poultry

Since the 1970s, arsenic (Roxarsone) has been added to chicken and turkey feed “for stimulating growth and increasing feed efficiency.” [4] Chickens that are farmed (I call them concentration camp chickens) in tight, cramped quarters are fed considerably more “feed” than free range chickens.  In our medical laboratory we tested one “store-bought” chicken sample and found five times more arsenic compared to a the flesh of a free range chicken from the health food store.

Eggs

Eggs contain all the nutrients necessary for an animal to develop.  They are an excellent source of protein and fat.  In the former articles on fats and carbohydrates, we discussed that good fats are important to include in the diet, and eggs are a good source of “good” fat.  Unfortunately, there are dramatic differences in the quality of eggs.  Eggs from free-range chickens (those chickens that have access to fresh air, choose their food as they scratch for bugs, and exercise) are healthier eggs.  Factory farms keep the birds in small wire cages that hurt their feet, provide no exercise and fresh air, and the chickens eat feed without bugs.  Efficiency drives the egg industry.

Beef—Red Meat

Brigham Young commented on beef: “The beef fed upon our mountain grasses is as healthy food as we need at present.  Beef, so fattened, is as good as wild meat, and is quite different in its nature from stall-fed meat.” [5]   Free range cattle are not fed grains.  Grain feeding diminishes the good omega-3 fats in the beef. [6]   Neither are they given antibiotics, which are needed in animals raised in crowded conditions.  Natural hormones and synthetic hormones are used in traditionally raised cattle to “promote efficient growth.”  Measurable amounts of these hormones are transferred to humans.  Some commercial beef is irradiated with radioactive cobalt 60 to kill bacteria.  The long term effects of this process are unknown.  Also unknown is the effect that inhumane treatment (lack of fresh air, space and normal bovine behavior) has on the quality of beef.

Mad cow disease has received a lot of publicity lately in relation to beef consumption.  Although I personally have never observed this disease, here is some information from a Mayo Clinic website [7] :  “An abnormal protein called a prion causes a progressive nervous system and lymphatic system dysfunction in cattle.  A variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare, fatal brain disorder in humans, has been associated with the consumption of beef from these infected cows.  There’s no evidence that milk or milk products pose a risk.  The first confirmed case of mad cow disease in the United States was in December of  2003.  Unfortunately, only a small sampling of all cows is being tested, and most cattle are butchered before adequate time for full expression of the disease would be manifest.  Grass fed cattle are not in danger of developing mad cow disease.  The disease is spread when the cattle, vegetarian by nature, are fed feed which contains animal protein.

Pork

Scrofa is a breeding sow (pig).  The modern-day term scrofula is a large glandular swelling (lymph node swelling), given that name anciently because hogs generally had diseased (usually tuberculous) glandular masses.  Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes), a Seventh Day Adventist, described in 1897 the filth of this animal, including the discharge outlet on the forelegs, storage of toxic waste in the lard, and degeneration of internal organs.  He also described the problems of tapeworm and trichinella. [8]   Fortunately, human tuberculosis is no longer a significant problem.  However, today’s hog are raised in farms which, although not filthy as in days past, confine the animals to close quarters with metal bars and concrete floors.   This crowding is a fertile breeding ground for porcine reproduction and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and epidemic transmissible gastroenteritis. [9]   Although pork is not mentioned specifically in today’s Word of Wisdom, it was mentioned to ancient Israel in the Law of Moses.  Perhaps this gives background to Brigham Young’s comment, “If the people were willing to receive true knowledge from heaven in regard to their diet they would cease eating swine’s flesh.” [10]   President George Albert Smith [11] and Heber C. Kimball [12] also gave their opinions, similar to that of Brigham Young, on the eating of pork. 

Mary Burmeister, a gifted proponent of healthy living, expressed her opinion that “Excessive meat eating is detrimental to health and has a certain effect on psychology—less sensitive, less considerate, less integrated as a person, less kindly, sympathetic and understanding.” 

Irradiated Foods

Irradiation of meats (and other food) consists of high speed gamma rays from Cobalt 60, Cesium-137 or other radioactive substances used to kill bacteria and insects.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests it also destroys specific enzymes and vitamins and creates poisonous byproducts like benzene and formaldehyde.  “Cold pasteurization” and “radiant energy” are descriptive terms that are used to make the irradiation of food sound harmless, but this untested mechanism for making food “safe” is suspicious to me.

Microwave

Microwaving foods has become very popular in our fast food society.  It is a process by which the water molecules reverse their positive and negative ends back and forth up to one hundred billion times a second, creating friction and thus heating up or cooking food.  Water molecules become structurally deformed in the process.  Dr. Lita Lee reports that microwaved milk or baby formula not only depletes the vitamin content but also converts certain amino acids (protein) to an inactive state or even a toxic state. [13]   Stanford University Medical Center discovered a 98% loss of antibodies and 96% loss of liposome activity in human breast milk when microwaved just enough to warm it. [14]

Preservative Nitrate

It hard to know how to address the subject of food additives.  These include preservatives, coloring, flavoring and sweeteners.  These substances are not basic foodstuffs and have no nutritional value.  Some are beneficial, some are harmless, and some are harmful.  One common additive to meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, sausage, smoked meats and cured fish is Nitrate or Nitrite.  They form nitrosamines when combined with protein, which are cancer-causing substances.  The Los Angeles County study demonstrated a six times’ increased risk for childhood leukemia in children eating more than 12 hot dogs per month compared to those children eating none per month. [15]

So, what’s to eat for meat?  Very little is probably the best answer.  Proteins have value as the body’s building blocks, but the quality of protein varies from animal to animal and depends upon the way the animal is fed, raised, and butchered.  Free range animals are the best choice, even at a higher price.  Grass fed is better than grain fed when it comes to beef.  It is wise to explore the age-old customs in different countries of combining various grains and legumes to create complete proteins.  Some cultures combine rice and beans--a great combination--or corn and beans.  We have found that our diet is healthier and more economical if we use the grains and legumes, added to small amounts of meat for flavor and texture variety.  In fact, just tonight we fed the missionaries Indian tacos—whole wheat flour scones for the base, topped with homemade chili (full of pinto beans, peppers, onions, tomatoes, spices, and a small amount of grass-fed ground beef), cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream.  They were a hit!

Healthful Hints:

1. Free range cattle and poultry are much better choices for meat than stall-fed or concentration camp meat.
2. Enjoy cold water fish, while avoiding larger ocean fish.
3. Limit pork intake.
4. Stove top heating of food preserves their nutrients better than micro waving foods.