Hey all, I sort of entered into a debate inadvertently online...about- you guessed it! Nutrition.
So the guy I'm talking to was calling me names earlier, but in his latest comment he actually sounded like a rational man! Maybe it's because he's had classical education in nutrition (I don't know to what degree) but he was kind of looking down at me earlier.
Anyway, I said in one of the comments that some proteins are broken down into glucose. That is true, right? What is the difference between how flesh is digested and how plant foods are digested? And what of amino acids? The way he says it is like every gram of protein (regardless of source) that the body consumes is broken down into repairing tissues and etc.
Should I point out to him the composition of human breast milk? The WHO guidelines? He seems like a fairly informed individual so what other resources may I suggest to him?
Replies
The protein in animal foods are whole proteins, so our bodies have to break those down into amino acids, and then use the amino acids to build our own proteins. Fruits and vegetables contain amino acids, so we can just absorb them and start using them to build our proteins. So, by eating just plants you basically skip the "breaking down the existing proteins into amino acids" step.
If he is saying that animal proteins and plant proteins have the same effect on the human body I would suggest that he read "The China Study" or watch "Forks over Knives". Both discuss how by changing the percent of calories from animal protein can literally turn cancer on and off. Plant proteins have never been shown to turn cancer on. hope this helps!
Its not that you are wrong, protein is broken down into glucose but that is its secondary use. Its primary use is to repair and build proteins in the body. The thing is that 5% is enough protein to keep intact the body and 10% protein is enough to build, and any more than that is next to useless as it will be broken down into glucose innefficiently.