Tip 92. Meat is not needed for good health.
Meat seems to have assumed an exaggerated importance nutritionally.
It is generally mistakenly believed that nutritional deficie
n
c
ies, especi
a
lly of proteins
a
nd
vitamin B12
and poor health may result if animal
foods are eliminated. Studies however, have indicated to
health problems or deficiency
diseases for those
on a vegetarian diet.
Of the 22 amino acids
-
the essenti
a
l components of proteins - needed by the body for its normal functioning, only
nine need
b
e supplied
b
y the diet as the body synthesis
e
s
t
h
e
remaining 13. The body can use 100 per cent of
t
his protein
if
all ten ami
n
o acids are
in ideal proportions.
If, however,
one or more of the ess
e
ntial amino
acids are p
r
esent in l
e
ss than the ideal amount, the value of the entire
protein is r
e
duced in the same proportions. On a quality rating scale
of 1 to 100,
egg protein is 95, milk is
82, meat and poultry are 67, fish 80,
grains
are between 50 to 70 a
n
d legumes, nuts and s
e
eds are be
t
ween 40 and 60.
The so-call
e
d protein de
f
iciency in a
vegetarian diet is in
fact
more imagi
n
ary than real as the contribution
of the protein value of the green vegetables has
been ignor
e
d and the t
r
ue protein requirement is less than
that assumed. Green v
e
getable pro
t
ein is as hi
g
h in quality
as milk protein and
t
hus makes
a very
valuable contribu
t
ion to the vegetarian's p
r
otein nutriti
o
n. The high quality
of protein b
a
lances the
lower quality of other vegetarian pro
t
eins such as nuts and beans. The
recommen
d
ed daily all
o
wance of 70 value proteins is 44 gr
a
ms per day
f
or women and 56 for men. Researchers have now discovered that the
actual protein requirement is much less, being
15 grams per day of 100 value protein or 21.5 grams of 70 value protein
or 30 grams of 50 value protein. A wholesome vegetar
i
an diet can,
therefore, easily meet the body's protein nee
d
s.
Tip 93. The
k
e
y
to opt
i
mal nutrition is combining the right foods.
Optimal nutrition is
a
c
hi
ev
ed through wise combinations of fo
o
ds.
The observance of rules
of food combining is
n
ei
t
her faddish
nor eccentric. It is a
simple, scienti
f
ically -based sys
t
em of selec
t
ing foods, f
r
om among
d
ifferent types, which are compatible.
This facilita
t
es easy and efficient
d
i
g
estion and
e
nsures afte
r
-meal comf
o
rt.
Digestion is
not merely chemical or physical p
r
ocess, but also a physiol
o
gical one.
W
hen food enters the
b
ody, it undergoes several changes
b
efore it is b
r
oken down into its co
n
s
tituent
parts and assimilated. But no food can be assi
m
ilated by the system and used by various organs unl
e
ss it h
a
s first
been diges
t
ed and then
absorbed in
the digesti
v
e system known as alimentary canal, while
t
he residue,
unfit for
absorption is
e
liminated from the system.
The chemical part of di
g
estion is accomplished by a series of
juices
a
nd
t
heir enzym
e
s
. The juices
a
lter
n
ate between alkalis and
acids, and
t
heir charac
t
er is determined by the
requirement of the enzymes they contain. These enzymes remain active in suitable
m
edia of well defined
acid-alk
a
line ranges and
are destroyed in unsuit
a
ble media.
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