Excess Protein is Hazardous to Your Health and Fitness

[Dr. Leslie Van Romer is the author of weight-loss, body-best book]

Wait a minute ! We know that fat and cholesterol are hazardous to our health. You mean to tell me that too much protein is also hazardous to our health ?

Yes, absolutely ! That is exactly what I am saying. I know that this may come as a complete surprise to you, but the truth is that many experts think that too much protein, particularly animal protein, is hazardous to your health !

If a person consumes over 15% protein in his diet (beef typically has 26% protein – the rest is fat – and chicken has 61% protein – the rest is fat), then the body must get rid of that protein.

In other words, the body stores very little protein. Certain organs are responsible for getting rid of the protein—namely the kidneys and liver. The more protein we eat, the harder the kidneys and liver have to work to excrete the protein. The result of overuse of these organs is obvious—premature wear and tear.

Most Americans eat an over-abundance of animal protein from their foods every day, and then they load themselves up even more with protein powders and drinks and bars. We are protein crazy in this country! And it is to our demise, not to our benefit.

So along with the wear and tear of the kidneys and the liver which is bad enough, why else is excess animal protein hazardous to your health ?

Excess protein makes the body more acidic, and these acids accumulate in the joints causing arthritis and gout.

Animal protein is hard to digest so it is hard on the digestive system causing digestive problems.

Animal protein is strongly associated with heart disease; no, not just the fat and cholesterol, but also the animal protein itself.

Animal protein is associated with many kinds of cancers, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

In a huge study conducted in China by T. Colin Campbell, PhD., it was found that the groups of people who ate the most animal protein had, by far, the most heart disease and certain cancers. And the amount of animal protein did not have to go up very high in order for the disease numbers to go up also.

And because the animal protein makes the body more acidic, the body has to neutralize the acid. It does so by pulling calcium out of the bones, and then we pee out the calcium.

Why is this significant ?

It is believed that animal protein just happens to be one of the major contributors to osteoporosis in this country. This excess protein leaches the calcium out of our bones.

So one of the best things you can do for yourself is to cut back, way back, on your consumption of meat protein and protein artificially loaded into other foods and pseudo-foods. In fact, your best bet for maximum health and fitness is to completely eliminate animal sources of protein.

Load up on plant foods and get away from animal products—it just makes sense !