new to raw, need some help with proteins

[Mariya]

 Within the past few weeks  I was told by my chiropractor and by another holistic practitioner that I am low on protein. When I asked how much protein I need per day, my chiropractor, who is concerned about me going vegetarian/vegan  told me that "there is no adequate substitute for animal protein".  She also mentioned that " legume family robs your body of zinc". I know I've read in some raw books (Victoria Boutenko's book?) where it mentions and explains which leafy greens have the necessary amino acids (?) that can completely replace animal proteins. I would love to find more information on this topic and perhaps even share that with my chiropractor. Can someone please help me with references to books, articles, any other info that addresses this issue? Which greens have the necessary amino acids/protein etc? How do I figure out how much protein do I need? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Wendy Geesey]

Hi Mariya,

Protein requirements vary depending on age, activity level, health status, pregnancy, recovery from illness/surgery, etc. But the absolute minimum is 35 grams/day. Hogwash! there are great substitutes!

Complete plant sourced proteins:

Hemp seed

Flax seed

Chia seed

Chlorella- contains no fat! woohoo!!

You can also take an essential amino acid supplement too if you like.

Kale is a powerhouse of protein and nutrients, but not a complete protein, but almost- eaten together with sesame seeds, brazil nuts or chestnuts will complete it, however.

Are you opposed to raw milk kefir? yeah, I know it's animal... I'm debating on whether or not I will return to it when done with my juicefeast...

[Susan : )]

This video is by a well respected friend and super athlete, Tim Van Orden. It's a MUST watch:
 

In our Media Center, we have a new video by T. Colin Campbell, the author of, The China Study. You can also find more detailed information on his book in our Library. 

Additionally we have another video from John McDougall, that covers the concerns with dairy products as a viable protein source. Click here to check that out

Also, Greens Can Save Your Life with Victoria Boutenko

[Wendy Geesey]

Great video Susan! thank you so much for posting :)

I just want to say though, that I went for a while "not caring" about how much protein I ate and felt tired, weak and fatigued... the only thing I could figure I was lacking in my diet was protein. I add more in and felt much better, but it can definitely be plant based. I guess every BODY is different...

[Mariya]

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I am still learning and trying to figure out what works for me. There's so much conflicting information out-there, I sometimes get overwhelmed. Over the past few months I stopped eating poultry, I still occasionally eat fish. I don't drink milk, but I'm not opposed to kefir, the only problem is that I don't have access to raw milk or kefir. I can probably find organic kefir, but it will most likely be pasteurized. 

Fortunately, I have flax and sesame seeds and I recently found hemp seed and chia seed, although I'm still not sure what to do with them. :) I read that some people add them to smoothies. I also read in V. Boutenko's book that it's better not to add seeds, nuts, oils  or even avocado to green smoothies, due to something related to absorption. At this point, I'm confused and not sure what to do.  Any suggestions on how to reconcile conflicting literature in my head? :) meanwhile, I'll keep trying things and see how my body feels. I am also trying to become better friends with kale :) I've added it to smoothies before. Probably need more of it. 

Thanks again for your response. 

Mariya

Wendy Geesey said:

Hi Mariya,

Protein requirements vary depending on age, activity level, health status, pregnancy, recovery from illness/surgery, etc. But the absolute minimum is 35 grams/day. Hogwash! there are great substitutes!

Complete plant sourced proteins:

Hemp seed

Flax seed

Chia seed

Chlorella- contains no fat! woohoo!!

You can also take an essential amino acid supplement too if you like.

Kale is a powerhouse of protein and nutrients, but not a complete protein, but almost- eaten together with sesame seeds, brazil nuts or chestnuts will complete it, however.

Are you opposed to raw milk kefir? yeah, I know it's animal... I'm debating on whether or not I will return to it when done with my juicefeast...

[Mariya]

Thank you, Susan! I've watched the video and I will definitely look up the books you've suggested.  

Susan : ) said:

This video is by a well respected friend and super athlete, Tim Van Orden. It's a MUST watch:
 

In our Media Center, we have a new video by T. Colin Campbell, the author of, The China Study. You can also find more detailed information on his book in our Library. 

Additionally we have another video from John McDougall, that covers the concerns with dairy products as a viable protein source. Click here to check that out

Also, Greens Can Save Your Life with Victoria Boutenko

[Wendy Geesey]

Do you have a juicer Mariya? Kale and I are best of friends! :) Kale in green juice is amazing. Also- to make a kale salad: chiffonade cut or tear into small pieces, drizzle with olive or hemp oil and add Himalayan salt- MASSAGE the heck out of it- squeeze it and kneed it until it looks wilted and cooked. You can add an avocado and massage that in as well. I love it with tomatoes and creamy garlic dressing.... but I'm on a 92 day juicefeast right now... ugh! love kale salad!

Flax crackers, ground flax in smoothies

add hemp seeds to humus, grawnola, dressings, salads...

chia seeds soaked into a gel, add juice and drink or grind and add to smoothies also, I use chia gel to bind my grawnola :)

If you don't have access to raw milk- never mind then, but you could have made your own milk kefir if you did ;)

Mariya said:

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I am still learning and trying to figure out what works for me. There's so much conflicting information out-there, I sometimes get overwhelmed. Over the past few months I stopped eating poultry, I still occasionally eat fish. I don't drink milk, but I'm not opposed to kefir, the only problem is that I don't have access to raw milk or kefir. I can probably find organic kefir, but it will most likely be pasteurized. 

Fortunately, I have flax and sesame seeds and I recently found hemp seed and chia seed, although I'm still not sure what to do with them. :) I read that some people add them to smoothies. I also read in V. Boutenko's book that it's better not to add seeds, nuts, oils  or even avocado to green smoothies, due to something related to absorption. At this point, I'm confused and not sure what to do.  Any suggestions on how to reconcile conflicting literature in my head? :) meanwhile, I'll keep trying things and see how my body feels. I am also trying to become better friends with kale :) I've added it to smoothies before. Probably need more of it. 

Thanks again for your response. 

Mariya

Wendy Geesey said:

Hi Mariya,

Protein requirements vary depending on age, activity level, health status, pregnancy, recovery from illness/surgery, etc. But the absolute minimum is 35 grams/day. Hogwash! there are great substitutes!

Complete plant sourced proteins:

Hemp seed

Flax seed

Chia seed

Chlorella- contains no fat! woohoo!!

You can also take an essential amino acid supplement too if you like.

Kale is a powerhouse of protein and nutrients, but not a complete protein, but almost- eaten together with sesame seeds, brazil nuts or chestnuts will complete it, however.

Are you opposed to raw milk kefir? yeah, I know it's animal... I'm debating on whether or not I will return to it when done with my juicefeast...

[Mariya]

Thanks Wendy!!! yes, I asked my family to help me buy a juicer as my holiday present :) It's the newest addition to my kitchen, so I haven't played around with it much. I tried a few things, but I don't have a book with juice recipes yet. I am thinking of trying out a 3 day juice fest sometimes in the next few weeks. Your kale salad sounds really good. i'll definitely try it. 

Wow, 92 day juice feast, sounds amazing :) maybe one day, i'll get there too.

thank you so much!!

Wendy Geesey said:

Do you have a juicer Mariya? Kale and I are best of friends! :) Kale in green juice is amazing. Also- to make a kale salad: chiffonade cut or tear into small pieces, drizzle with olive or hemp oil and add Himalayan salt- MASSAGE the heck out of it- squeeze it and kneed it until it looks wilted and cooked. You can add an avocado and massage that in as well. I love it with tomatoes and creamy garlic dressing.... but I'm on a 92 day juicefeast right now... ugh! love kale salad!

Flax crackers, ground flax in smoothies

add hemp seeds to humus, grawnola, dressings, salads...

chia seeds soaked into a gel, add juice and drink or grind and add to smoothies also, I use chia gel to bind my grawnola :)

If you don't have access to raw milk- never mind then, but you could have made your own milk kefir if you did ;)

Mariya said:

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I am still learning and trying to figure out what works for me. There's so much conflicting information out-there, I sometimes get overwhelmed. Over the past few months I stopped eating poultry, I still occasionally eat fish. I don't drink milk, but I'm not opposed to kefir, the only problem is that I don't have access to raw milk or kefir. I can probably find organic kefir, but it will most likely be pasteurized. 

Fortunately, I have flax and sesame seeds and I recently found hemp seed and chia seed, although I'm still not sure what to do with them. :) I read that some people add them to smoothies. I also read in V. Boutenko's book that it's better not to add seeds, nuts, oils  or even avocado to green smoothies, due to something related to absorption. At this point, I'm confused and not sure what to do.  Any suggestions on how to reconcile conflicting literature in my head? :) meanwhile, I'll keep trying things and see how my body feels. I am also trying to become better friends with kale :) I've added it to smoothies before. Probably need more of it. 

Thanks again for your response. 

Mariya

Wendy Geesey said:

Hi Mariya,

Protein requirements vary depending on age, activity level, health status, pregnancy, recovery from illness/surgery, etc. But the absolute minimum is 35 grams/day. Hogwash! there are great substitutes!

Complete plant sourced proteins:

Hemp seed

Flax seed

Chia seed

Chlorella- contains no fat! woohoo!!

You can also take an essential amino acid supplement too if you like.

Kale is a powerhouse of protein and nutrients, but not a complete protein, but almost- eaten together with sesame seeds, brazil nuts or chestnuts will complete it, however.

Are you opposed to raw milk kefir? yeah, I know it's animal... I'm debating on whether or not I will return to it when done with my juicefeast...

[Marianne]

Mariya, If you go to the Liquid Lounge here in the Hab, you will find more recipes for juice than you can imagine!!

 

[Bette Bliss Shaw]

I always need to make sure I get a lot of building blocks for protein...hemp, chlorella, chia seeds, bee pollen, greens greens greens! I require alot!!!

[bitt]

You will find that many NDs, so-called holistic doctors and chiropractors are anti-vegan. It is surprising! You have to do your research. The PCRM site is good (google it) for vegan protein ideas. The raw protein powders are a good source of protien for now, they are easy to add to things. If you are concerned about your protein, enter your food into a food diary online and then add up the protein amounts and they will probably be higher than you imagine if you have seeds in your diet and plenty of greens. The whole myth of "combining proteins" in a vegan diet was debunked a long time ago.

[bitt]

There is no need for keifer in the diet, it's not a requirement for eating raw. You can find other things to ferment like cabbage or rejuvelac which have more widely available ingredients.

Mariya said:

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I am still learning and trying to figure out what works for me. There's so much conflicting information out-there, I sometimes get overwhelmed. Over the past few months I stopped eating poultry, I still occasionally eat fish. I don't drink milk, but I'm not opposed to kefir, the only problem is that I don't have access to raw milk or kefir. I can probably find organic kefir, but it will most likely be pasteurized. 

Fortunately, I have flax and sesame seeds and I recently found hemp seed and chia seed, although I'm still not sure what to do with them. :) I read that some people add them to smoothies. I also read in V. Boutenko's book that it's better not to add seeds, nuts, oils  or even avocado to green smoothies, due to something related to absorption. At this point, I'm confused and not sure what to do.  Any suggestions on how to reconcile conflicting literature in my head? :) meanwhile, I'll keep trying things and see how my body feels. I am also trying to become better friends with kale :) I've added it to smoothies before. Probably need more of it. 

Thanks again for your response. 

Mariya

Wendy Geesey said:

Hi Mariya,

Protein requirements vary depending on age, activity level, health status, pregnancy, recovery from illness/surgery, etc. But the absolute minimum is 35 grams/day. Hogwash! there are great substitutes!

Complete plant sourced proteins:

Hemp seed

Flax seed

Chia seed

Chlorella- contains no fat! woohoo!!

You can also take an essential amino acid supplement too if you like.

Kale is a powerhouse of protein and nutrients, but not a complete protein, but almost- eaten together with sesame seeds, brazil nuts or chestnuts will complete it, however.

Are you opposed to raw milk kefir? yeah, I know it's animal... I'm debating on whether or not I will return to it when done with my juicefeast...

[Rachel Wachs]

Just saw this come through and I wanted to offer my journey. We were vegan/high raw vegan for nearly 4 years. I loved it! I felt clean and nourished and then in the past few weeks we noticed that there was something going on physically in our family. We ate a lot of spirulina, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, dark leafy greens, an array of fruits and veggies, etc. and we still had some things come up. So we've added in cultured foods, and some local raw pastured organic kefir- I literally cried the first time I had a sip because I felt like I was betraying who I was. On the other side of it- we are still high raw, mostly vegan, and we eat raw organic pastured animal products occasionally. This is the right balance for us, for right now. We also live in a really frigid area (Northern Michigan) and haven't lived here for more than 8 months, so I think that we are still adjusting to the climate as well. You'll know what is best for you. :) Everyone has different protein needs, ours a quite a bit higher than some right now, and we're all adjusting to it just fine. All the best to you in your journey!