Where do you get your protein?

That is the first thing I am usually asked when I tell someone I don't eat meat. We have an absolute obsession with protein in America. We debate endlessly about what is the right amount of protein to take in. Protein, named from the Greek prōteios, meaning "of the first quality" has long believed to be the most important nutrient.

Recently, due to the advent of low carbohydrate diets, protein intake has been scrutinized. People somehow feel that they are not getting enough protein, and need to get more. We buy protein shakes, amino acid pills, and eat large quantities of meat to increase our protein intake.

While it is true that low protein intake can cause a form of malnutrition called kwashiorkor, taking in too much protein has some negative consequences as well. The high protein load is hard on the kidneys, and can lead to kidney failure. Also, the acid load (proteins are made up of things called amino acids) forces the body to buffer itself by freeing up calcium from bones, weakening them.

In America, recommendations vary widely on the amount of protein that should be in the diet. The World Health Organization is clear on the subject, however. Protein should be between 5-15% of daily calories. I think this is probably close to the right answer. A good way to try and identify the nutrient needs of a mammal is to look at its milk. The initial studies done on human protein requirements were done on rats. Rat milk is about 50% protein. Human milk is only 5% protein. If the food that we consume during infancy, when we are growing the most is only 5% protein, why should we need any more protein than that as adults? We don't.

Eat a diet with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts, and you will get all of the protein that you need.