The whole truth about the effect of animal protein on the body
If you think that the passion for vegetarianism has long subsided, and the question itself is no longer relevant, then you are mistaken: there are even more inquiries about whether meat is harmful or useful in our time than 10 years ago. Science does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether it is necessary to give up meat altogether: to figure out what happens to our body if we completely exclude animal protein from our diet, we turned to a specialist at Real Clinic - a nutritionist at the Institute of Cosmetology, Plastic Surgery, and hormonal aging Alena Vladimirovna Sekinaeva.
“Vegetarianism is a diet based on the complete or partial rejection of meat. The popularity of vegetarianism has been consistently high for several years in a row: in almost all restaurants, in addition to the main menu, there is a whole list of vegetarian and raw food dishes. Moral and fashion aside, consider giving up meat scientifically.
There is no unequivocal evidence that vegetarianism is beneficial or harmful.
However, when talking about the advantages of vegetarianism, they always note the following:
- Plant food has little energy value. On the one hand, it is good to lose weight on vegetables, but the difficulty of this method is that saturation passes very quickly.
- If meat is completely replaced with vegetables and fruits, then you can not only reduce subcutaneous fat but also remove toxins and toxins from the body. There is nothing better to normalize metabolic processes in the body. However, a 5-day course of refusing meat is sometimes enough for the detox to be successfully launched. Unlike animal food, vegetable food does not cause autointoxication, does not poison the human body with decay products during digestion.
- As many studies show, adherents of vegetarianism suffer less from hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
- Plant products do not contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, since they do not have atherogenic properties.
Avoiding meat guarantees a reduced risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
But the medal also has a downside. The generally recognized deficiencies of a vegetarian diet are the deficiency of amino acids, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamins D and B12, polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids, and dietary fiber. In addition, vegetable protein has a small amino acid composition and is less well absorbed by the body. Severe protein deficiency can affect the immune and reproductive system over time.
In products of animal origin, there is a so-called. heme iron, which is better absorbed than plant-based iron (15-35% versus 2-20%). In this case, the absorption depends on concomitant factors: for example, the tannin contained in tea and coffee impairs the absorption of iron, and phytic acid, contained in legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains, also worsens it. In addition, soy protein can form an insoluble compound with iron.
Be aware that milk and eggs are not sufficient sources of iron, which is why Lacto vegetarians areas susceptible to iron deficiency as vegetarians and vegans.
How to solve the problem: monitor sufficient intake of ascorbic acid, which prevents the formation of insoluble iron compounds and improves absorption by 3-4 times.
Foods rich in ascorbic acid should be taken at the same time as foods containing iron.
Plant foods are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids, but poor in Omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids, which include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or their pro forma alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), are essential for the cardiovascular system, eyes, and brain development. If a person eats fish, eggs, or a large number of algae, then the problem of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency does not arise.
How to solve the problem: If the diet does not include seafood and eggs, then care should be taken to ensure that the diet contains sufficient sources of alpha-linolenic acid in the diet, such as flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans. It is possible to use fortified soy milk or breakfast cereals.
What Proteins Should Be In a Vegetarian's Diet?
The main difference between plant and animal proteins is the amino acid content.
Animal foods contain all of the essential amino acids, and plant foods may be deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids. In this case, you need to add dairy products, soy to food, use food artificially enriched with the required amino acid composition.
Zinc is found in both animal products (oysters, shellfish, liver, poultry, and dairy products) and plant products (legumes, nuts, soy products). However, phytic acid found in legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains reduces the bioavailability of zinc. Special food preparation methods - soaking, using sprouted grains, beans and seeds, and bread leavening agents - reduce phytic acid and increase the bioavailability of zinc.
The problem of calcium deficiency in vegetarians is caused by the use of foods rich in substances that reduce calcium absorption (oxalates and phytic acid), and plant proteins that contribute to increased excretion of calcium in the urine.
It is important to understand that it does not follow from what has been said that vegetarians necessarily suffer from calcium deficiency, but if this problem is identified, attention should be paid to these nutritional characteristics.
Foods rich in calcium and low in oxalates and phytic acid: cabbage, mustard leaves, turnips, broccoli, dried figs. But even with these products, it is difficult to replenish the body's need for calcium: for this, you need to eat them in a huge amount. I recommend getting your calcium supplements in special supplements.
Given that there are not enough vitamin B12 in dairy products and eggs alone, it is natural that all vegetarians suffer from its deficiency. Accordingly, it is necessary to receive daily vitamin B12 from other sources: dosage forms, products artificially enriched with cobalamin.
Vegetarians consume more fiber in plant foods than people who eat meat. A person on a regular diet consumes an average of 23 grams of dietary fiber, a vegetarian - 37 grams, a vegan - 47 grams. However, the recommended dose of dietary fiber is not known. Based on all of the above, it can be concluded that both a vegetarian diet and a diet containing meat have several advantages and disadvantages. If your goal is to lose weight, remove toxins, feel light, then a vegetarian diet will be the very right decision for you. However, in this case, you need to adhere to the above recommendations for a balanced diet or practice a partial rejection of meat courses, for example, for periods of 5 days.
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