Category: Health

Related to health issues

The prostate cancer predicament

For many men diagnosed with prostate cancer, the treatment may be worse than the disease

To screen or not to screen? For prostate cancer—the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer—that is the bedeviling question.

The dilemma springs the wide variation in the potential of prostate cancers to spread to the rest of the body. The vast majority of these malignancies, especially those discovered with the extensively used prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, test, are slow-growing tumors that are unlikely to cause a man any harm during his lifetime. Yet in 10 to 15 percent of cases, the cancer is aggressive and advances beyond the prostate, sometimes turning lethal.

Murky diagnoses

The dilemma has become more urgent in recent years as widespread screening with PSA in the U.S. and around the world has led to a sharp increase in the number of detected prostate cancers. Currently, there is no way to accurately determine at the time of diagnosis which cancers are likely to threaten a man’s health and which are not. As a result, almost all men with PSA-detected cancer opt for treatment, which can leave long-lasting physical and emotional scars.

lorelei mucci

“One of the biggest challenges in oncology is to distinguish men who have a potentially lethal form of prostate cancer from those with a more slow-growing disease.”
—Lorelei Mucci, ScD ’03, associate professor of epidemiology

Put simply: with prostate cancer, the cure may be worse than the disease. The dilemma was underscored in May 2012, when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a strongly worded final recommendation against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer. According to the task force, “[M]any men are harmed as a result of prostate cancer screening and few, if any, benefit.” In a study of U.S. men who were randomly screened, the screening did not reduce prostate cancer death (though a similar study among European men did find a lower risk of cancer death). In any case, experts agree that prostate cancer has been vastly overdiagnosed as a result of screening.

So what should patients and doctors do? At Harvard School of Public Health, the prostate cancer epidemiology team—which includes more than 25 faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and student researchers—is developing the science to answer that question, identifying both the risk factors behind the deadliest variations of prostate cancer and the lifestyle changes that may lower the risk of aggressive disease.

“One of the biggest challenges in oncology is to distinguish men who have a potentially lethal form of prostate cancer from those with a more slow-growing disease,” says Lorelei Mucci, associate professor of epidemiology at HSPH. “Our research aims to directly address that question, as well as to find opportunities to reduce risk of dying from cancer after diagnosis.”

Aggressive or slow-growing?

When it became widely available in the late 1980s, the PSA screening test was hailed as a simple way to uncover possible malignancy. But PSA screening, which was adopted without evidence of its usefulness, turned out to be a poor indicator of cancer, in two ways. First, it creates false positives in men who may simply have elevated antigen levels from other conditions, such as benign enlargement of the prostate gland. These patients often endure subsequent invasive biopsies but never go on to develop prostate cancer. Second, even when the test correctly identifies prostate cancer, many of the diagnosed patients never develop the deadly form of the disease.

“PSA screening has been a disaster,” says Hans-Olov Adami, former chair and now adjunct professor of HSPH’s Department of Epidemiology, who has opposed the test for 20 years. “We overdiagnose many men who would die of other causes.” In fact, a multinational study of cancer registries published by Adami, Mucci, and other HSPH colleagues in July 2012 found that the most common causes of death among prostate cancer patients—65 percent of patients in Sweden and 84 percent in the U.S.—are heart disease, diabetes, stroke, or other cancers.

What may protect against advanced prostate cancer?
  • PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
  • AVOIDING SMOKING
  • AVOIDING OBESITY
  • CONSUMING TOMATO SAUCE
  • CONSUMING COFFEE
  • VITAMIN D

Yet these patients frequently underwent radical treatments for their prostate cancer—interventions such as radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy, which can produce severe side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction. “While we are uncertain about the number of deaths that screening prevents,” says Adami, “we are certain that the price for any reduction in deaths from prostate cancer is very high.”

A study published in August 2012 in the New England Journal of Medicine found no difference in survival between men who had surgery for prostate cancer and those under “watchful waiting,” in which the doctor withholds treatment while carefully monitoring the progress of the cancer. “This is a very perplexing observation,” Adami says, “because screening reduces mortality only if treatment makes a difference in outcomes. This indicates there are still big question marks in how doctors and patients should respond to this diagnosis.” As the USPSTF noted last May, “[R]esearch is urgently needed to identify new screening methods that can distinguish nonprogressive or slowly progressive disease from disease that is likely to affect quality or length of life.”

“ Men with at least three hours of vigorous physcial activity a week had at least a 60 percent lower risk of prostate cancer death.” —Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology

“ Men with at least three hours of vigorous physical activity a week had at least a 60 percent lower risk of prostate cancer death.”
—Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology

 

Clues in diet and lifestyle

To clarify the prognosis for a tumor, HSPH researchers are homing in on other factors that might affect susceptibility to prostate cancer, especially the aggressive form of the disease.Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology, recently looked at nine diet and lifestyle factors. He found that smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity raise the risk of developing a more virulent cancer. According to Giovannucci, “The question is whether there are two types of prostate cancer–an aggressive and nonaggressive form–or whether certain factors cause a nonaggressive form to become more aggressive.” Evidence provided by HSPH researchers suggests that an increase in insulin in the bloodstream, caused by obesity and physical inactivity, may encourage tumor growth.

Other investigations have linked dietary factors to the disease. A 2011 study by HSPH research associate Kathryn Wilson, together with Mucci and Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology Meir Stampfer, and other colleagues, found that men who drank coffee had a notably lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Those who consumed six cups or more a day were 20 percent less likely to develop any form of the disease, and 60 percent less likely to develop a lethal disease; those who consumed one to three cups a day showed no difference in developing any form of the disease, but had a 30 percent lower risk of developing a lethal form.

Jennifer Rider, instructor inepidemiology at HSPH, has studied parasitic infection and prostate cancer.

Jennifer Rider, instructor in epidemiology at HSPH, has studied parasitic infection and prostate cancer.

Another, more surprising, study revealed that consuming tomato sauce was associated with a markedly lower risk of prostate cancer. In fact, men who had two or more servings of tomato sauce a week were about 20 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer, and about 35 percent less likely to die from the disease. A separate report in 2009 by Mucci and Giovannucci found that the overgrowth of blood vessels might be one of the most reliable indicators of whether a tumor will spread. After sifting through genetic and lifestyle factors that might lead to the growth of these vessels, they found that the antioxidant lycopene was the item most strongly associated with lower blood vessel formation.

Another factor that might determine the difference between a harmless and a lethal form of prostate cancer is the sexually transmitted parasitic infection Trichomonas vaginalis. By itself, the infection rarely produces symptoms in men (who are often treated only after their female partners show signs of infection). In a 2009 study, led by HSPH instructor in epidemiology Jennifer Rider, infected men had a much higher incidence of prostate cancer spreading to the bone or death from prostate cancer. “The good news is that if the association between the infection and lethal prostate cancer is confirmed, there is an effective antibiotic treatment,” Rider says.

To treat or not to treat?

“Up until now, with a few notable exceptions, doctors have myopically focused on treating prostate cancer,” says Adami. “They are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars on chemotherapy that has minimal effects on cancer mortality, often with substantial side effects. But we ignore entirely the fact that large groups of prostate cancer patients die from other causes that actually are preventable.”

By focusing on lifestyle changes, he adds, men can achieve three goals simultaneously: diminishing the risk of dying from common conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, improving quality of life overall, and perhaps also improving the prognosis for prostate cancer. In particular, stopping smoking and increasing physical activity after diagnosis can substantially cut the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. “Men with at least three hours of vigorous physical activity a week had at least a 60 percent lower risk of prostate cancer death,” says Giovannucci. “It’s a strong association.”

Among older patients especially, that activity can take the form of vigorous walking. Recently, Mucci has spearheaded an intervention with Adami and other colleagues in Sweden, Iceland, and Ireland in which men walk in groups with a nurse three times a week. In a pilot study, researchers found improvements in just 12 weeks in body weight, blood pressure, sleep, urinary function, and mental health.

Scientists at HSPH are also searching for genetic and lifestyle markers that help predict how aggressive a patient’s prostate cancer will be. For example, an ongoing project led by Mucci and Adami draws on detailed cancer registries in Nordic countries, including an analysis of 300,000 twins, to tease out the relative contribution of different genes to prostate cancer incidence and survival.

Until all these associations come to light, doctors and patients will be confronted with weighty decisions about treatment. Surgery, radiation, or chemo might still be the wisest course of action in instances where the cancer has clearly already advanced, or when a patient is young and otherwise in good health. In situations where men are older or face a higher risk for other diseases, improvements in diet and lifestyle may be more effective not only in subduing the cancer but also in boosting general well-being. As Mucci puts it, “Our hope is that clinicians will use the prostate cancer diagnosis as a teachable moment to reflect on the global health of the patient.”

Michael Blanding is a Boston-based journalist and author of The Coke Machine: The Dirty Truth Behind the World’s Favorite Soft Drink.

Protein Required

Nutrient Needs In the United States the nutritional needs of the public are estimated and expressed in the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). These were initially established during World War II to determine in a time of possible shortage, what levels of nutrients were required to insure that the nutrition of the people would be safeguarded. The RDA are established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, whose members come from the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. The first RDA were published in 1943 by a group known as the National Nutrition Program, a forerunner of the Food and Nutrition Board. Initially, the RDA were intended as a guide for planning and procuring food supplies for national defense. Now RDA are considered to be goals for the average daily amounts of nutrients that population groups should consume over a period of time. The RDA are the levels of intake of essential nutrients considered, in the judgement of the Food and Nutrition Board on the basis of available scientific knowledge, to meet the known nutrition needs of practically all healthy persons. The NAS-NRC recognizes that diets are more than combinations of nutrients and should satisfy social and psychological needs as well. As the needs for nutrients have been clearly defined, the RDA have been revise at roughly five year intervals. The Ninth Edition of the RDA was published in 1980. The Tenth Edition was due to be released in 1986, but controversy regarding some of its recommendations has delayed its publication. The requirements for a nutrient is the minimum intake that will maintain normal functions and health. In practice, estimates of nutrient requirements are determined by a number of techniques including:

  • Collection of data on nutrient intake from apparently normal, healthy people.
  • Determinations of the amount of nutrient required to prevent disease states (generally epidemiological data).
  • Biochemical assessments of tissue saturation or adequacy of molecular function.
  • Nutrient balance studies.
  • Studies of subjects on diets containing marginally low or deficient levels of nutrient followed by correction of the deficit with measured amounts of nutrient.
  • Animal studies.

Once the requirement. for a nutrient has been estimated, the following four steps in estimation of the recommended allowances may be utilized:

  • Estimation of the average requirement of a population for a nutrient and the variability of requirements within a population
  • Increasing the average requirement by an amount sufficient to meet the needs of nearly all members of the population.
  • Increasing the allowance to account for the inefficient utilization by the body of the nutrient consumed.
  • Using judgement in interpreting and extrapolating allowances when information on requirements is limited.

As an example of how RDA are determined, the following is a simplification of the calculations utilized to determine the 1980 RDA for protein for adult males. First it must be determined how much protein the average adult male loses each day so that the amount that has to be replaced by diet can be determined. These are based on a hypothetical individual known as the reference man. The reference man is considered to be 25 years old, to weigh 70 kg (154 lb), to be moderately active and to live where the mean temperature is 20°C (68°F). The reference female is considered to weigh 55 kg (110 lb). Numerous studies indicate that the following are the average losses of protein from the body of a healthy male: Nitrogen Loss from healthy males

Source of Loss

Loss (g)
Metabolic urine

 16 g
Fecal material

5 g
Loss of skin, hair, etc.

2 g
Mnior (saliva, tec.

1 g
Total loss

24 g

The average man loses 24 grams of protein per day and hence, should need to consume 24 g/day to replace this loss. The RDA, however, attempts to meet the needs of almost all healthy people so a recommendation that was valid only for the average person is not made. Rather it is noted that when studying the protein needs of groups of males that one standard deviation is about 15%. If the need for protein are normally distributed, the two standard deviations should ensure that 97.5% of the population is receiving an adequate diet. Two standard deviations would be 30% for protein so the requirement was increased by 30%. 24 + 7.2 = 31.2 g/day We will later see that not all proteins are equally utilized and thus while 31.2 g/day should meet the needs of 97.5% of the adult male population, this population might be consuming proteins that are not ideal. To correct for this, the RDA was increased by 30%: Some studies indicate that protein consumed in mixed diets may not be utilized as well as those in experimental diets that these figures were based on. To be sure that this is not a problem, it is assumed that the proteins will be only 75% utilized: This is equal to about 0.8 g/kg body weight so the requirement for the reference man is: 70 x 0.8 = 56 grams of protein per day Note that this is not a minimum requirement or an average one. Rather it has many safeguards built in and is intended to cover practically all healthy people.

Where Do You get Your Protein

Leave a comment
Vegetarians in Paradise

Protein Basics

PROTEIN BASICS:
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?

Click here for protein charts

“If you don’t eat meat, chicken, or fish, where do you get your protein?”
“You don’t eat dairy products or eggs either? How can you live without protein?”
“You can’t get enough protein on a vegan diet.”
“My doctor told me I could not stay healthy on a vegan diet”
“I tried a vegetarian diet, but I got sick.”
“I was on a vegetarian diet but I always felt tired. I needed more protein.”

Vegetarians and vegans have heard these statements over and over. Myths such as these simply will not go away without the solid facts to prove otherwise. We’ve attempted to reassure friends and family who shake their heads and click their tongues in utter amazement that we’ve survived many years on a vegan diet and still haven’t keeled over from lack of proper nutrition. Our only doctor visits consist of the annual check-up and accompanying lab tests that continue to affirm our excellent health. But simply telling people apparently isn’t enough.

The hard fact that constantly comes to the foreground is that the focus on protein borders on obsession in countries of the Western Hemisphere. One glance at restaurant menus and the plates that come to the table is proof that the centerpiece of the meal is the large serving of meat, chicken or fish frequently smothered in creamy sauces or melted cheese. The portions served at one meal alone come close to fulfilling a day’s worth of protein needs.

The meat and dairy industries spend billions of dollars to project their message right into your shopping cart through television commercials, magazine ads, and grocery store ads. These powerful industries even recognized it was important to teach young children “good nutrition” at a very early age. Since the end of World War II they spread their protein message to our nation’s youth by providing schools across the U.S. with colorful charts of the “important food groups” that emphasized meat, dairy products, and eggs. For the decades following World War II, one simply could not ignore the emphasis on protein.

Could we fail to ignore the large billboards flaunting larger than life-size images of cheese, eggs, and milk? And who can forget the successful ad campaigns for “Where’s the beef?” and “Milk does a body good” ? The protein message comes at us from all directions, even on bus benches.

Don’t misunderstand, we fully recognize that protein is a necessity to a healthy body, and that it is important to replenish our store of protein every day. Because the body doesn’t store protein as it does other nutrients, we’re aware it must be replaced each day as a source of nourishment for building and repairing new cells, hormones, antibodies, enzymes and muscle tissue. But, just how much protein do we really need?

Calculating Protein Requirements
Recently, studies on nitrogen balance provided more accurate ways to measure the body’s protein requirements. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. in his book Eat to Livewrites that an easy way to calculate your own daily protein requirement according to the U.S. RDA is to multiply 0.36 (grams) by your body weight. That translates to about 44 grams for a 120-pound woman and 54 grams for a 150-pound male. In metric terminology the RDA is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Brenda Davis, R.D., and Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D., in their book Becoming Vegan consider 0.9 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to be more ideal for vegans eating whole plant foods such as legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Multiplying 0.45 grams by your body weight in pounds will give you the approximate protein need for your body. These figures are a little higher than actual RDA requirements but were considered necessary as a safety factor to account for reduced digestibility of whole plant foods versus more refined foods such as tofu, textured soy protein, and meat substitutes.

With this slightly higher figure a 120-pound person would need 54 grams of protein daily and a 150-pound person needs 67.5 grams. Another way to calculate your RDA for protein is to take your weight in pounds and divide by 2.2 (pounds per kilogram) to determine your weight in kilograms. Then figure 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight. Those who include tofu, textured soy protein, meat substitutes, and refined grains will find 0.8 grams per kilogram of protein daily quite adequate.

Protein Needs During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Reed Mangels, PhD, R.D. says, “The newest RDA has looked at all the places where additional protein is needed in pregnancy (fetus, placenta, amniotic fluid, uterus, breasts, blood, etc.) and has recommended that protein intake in pregnancy should be 1.1 grams per kilogram per day or 25 grams more of protein than the RDA for non-pregnant women.

“The same recommendation is made for lactation to account for the protein content of milk.”

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, protein needs can easily be met by adding a little extra of the foods higher in protein, such as enriched soymilk, beans, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and nut butters in addition to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

While the focus on protein is important, the leafy green vegetables such as collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and spinach are also necessary for their high content of folate known to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

Protein for Recuperating Patients
Patients recuperating from surgery or serious bodily injuries, such as burns, require extra protein to help rebuild tissue. Their protein intake should be at a level of about 20 % of their calorie intake.

Protein for Athletes
If you’re an athlete or one who works at serious bodybuilding, one or more of your trainers may have suggested using protein powders or amino acid powders on a regular basis. Sports nutrition has focused heavily on protein.

In relating the position of the newest RDA information, Dr. Reed Mangels says, “Professional athletes may need more protein than those who are not in serious training, but how nuch more and even whether or not their protein needs are higher is a matter of differing opinion. I think the research supports slightly higher protein needs for athletes, but not everyone goes along with this.”

Recent studies suggest that strength athletes (weight lifters) and body builders need to consume up to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight to maintain sufficient amino acid balance. Some trainers recommend higher levels of protein intake, even exceeding 3.0 grams per kilogram. Endurance athletes require 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight to provide for repair of muscle cell damage.

A diet that consists of 12 to 15% protein is considered ideal for both strength and endurance athletes who follow a vegan diet. For vegan athletes who want to keep their body weight low, 15 to 20% of calories should be protein. About 10 to 12% of calories as protein may be all that is required of those on very high calorie diets such as ironman athletes.

Dr. Ruth Heidrich, vegan ironman athlete, expresses the protein needs of athletes very simply. She says, ” With greater calorie burning, comes greater calorie consumption with its automatic increase in the absolute amount of protein.” For people who want to build more muscle, Dr. Heidrich discourages the use of protein supplements and stresses that “. . . if you want to develop a muscle, you have to overload it by putting more stress on it than it can handle. This is the ONLY way a muscle will get bigger and stronger.”

Protein Sources and Composition
Where do vegans get their protein? It’s simple. The plant-based diet includes a wide variety of whole foods consisting of beans, whole-grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, along with products made from these natural foods, such as tofu, tempeh, and meat analogs. Those who believe plant protein is inferior to animal protein may be surprised to learn that plant proteins contain the same 22 amino acids as animal proteins.

Protein, one of the three macronutrients, is composed of amino acids, often referred to as building blocks. A complete protein contains 22 amino acids. From the foods we consume, the body has the ability to manufacture most of the amino acids it requires. Nine of these amino acids are the exception: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, histidine, valine, and phenyalanine. This group of amino acids is considered essential to the body and must be obtained from the foods we eat.

Animal foods like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy products all contain complete protein–that is, all 22 amino acids. Complete protein in the vegan diet is found in the grain quinoa. Soybeans and products made from soybeans like tofu, tempeh, and miso, also contain complete protein. Soy sauce is not a complete protein.

Plant-based foods like legumes, most whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds all contain protein but do not contain complete protein by themselves. However, the body forms an amino acid pool from the foods eaten throughout the day. When a vegan consumes a variety of foods eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the body can use these amino acids to make up complete protein.

Nutritionists advise that if a person is eating a broad selection of plant-based foods and consuming adequate calories, it is unlikely he or she will be protein deficient. Physicians in the United States rarely encounter patients who are deficient in protein. Deficiency is uncommon and is seen mostly in countries where serious shortages of food exist and malnutrition is prevalent.

Problems Caused by Too Much Protein
More common are the problems resulting from eating too much protein. In contrast to the U.S. RDA calculations, the average person in America consumes foods containing 100 to 120 grams of protein daily, mostly from animal products. Americans are also noted for their sedentary lifestyles. Excess protein especially of animal nature puts a great deal of stress on the kidneys. Some people, unaware that their kidneys are not operating optimally, could suffer premature aging of this important organ. A diet too high in protein could cause deterioration of the nephrons, which are the kidney’s filtering system. That same diet places people at risk for developing kidney stones.

Other health conditions that may result from an overabundance of protein include excessive calcium leaching from the bones and causing osteoporosis, acid reflux, obesity, plaque build-up in the arteries, high blood pressure, pain from arthritis, high cholesterol, bad breath from sulfur-containing amino acids, and increased risk of cancer, especially colon cancer.

Protein in Plant Foods
The charts below, using figures from the USDA Nutrient Database, list the protein content of the plant-based foods that comprise the vegetarian and vegan diets. People are often surprised to learn that all plant foods contain protein. In fact, it is protein that gives all plants their structure. Whether plants grow upright or sprawl on a vine, protein is a basic component of their cell structure.

Protein in Raw Nuts and Seeds
(shelled)

 

Nut/Seed (1/4 cup) Protein
Grams
Almond 7
Brazil nut 5
Cashew 4
Chestnut 1
Coconut (shredded) 2
Filbert/Hazelnut 5
Flax seed 5
Macadamia 2
Peanut 8
Pecan 2
Pine nut 4
Pistachio 6
Pumpkin seed 7
Sesame seed 7
Soynut 10
Sunflower seed 8
Walnut 5

Protein in Beans
(cooked)
Bean 1 cup Protein
Grams
Adzuki (Aduki) 17
Anasazi 15
Black Beans 15
Black-eyed Peas 14
Cannellini (White Beans) 17
Cranberry Bean 17
Fava Beans 13
Garbanzos (Chick Peas) 15
Great Northern Beans 15
Green Peas, whole 9
Kidney Beans 15
Lentils 18
Lima Beans 15
Mung Beans 14
Navy Beans 16
Pink Beans 15
Pinto Beans 14
Soybeans 29
Split Peas 16
Protein in Grains
(cooked)
Grain 1 cup Protein
Grams
Amaranth 7
Barley, pearled 4 to 5
Barley, flakes 4
Buckwheat groats 5 to 6
Cornmeal (fine grind) 3
Cornmeal (polenta, coarse) 3
Millet, hulled 8.4
Oat Groats 6
Oat, bran 7
Quinoa 5
Rice, brown 3 to 5
Rice, white 4
Rice, wild 7
Rye, berries 7
Rye, flakes 6
Spelt, berries 5
Teff 6
Triticale 25
Wheat, whole berries 6 to 9
Couscous, whole wheat 6
Wheat, bulgur 5 to 6

Protein in Meat, Chicken, Fish
Substitutes*
Product Serving
Size		 Protein
Grams
Boca Burger Original Vegan 2.5 oz 13
GardenVegan Veggie Patties 2.5 oz 9
Health is Wealth Chicken-Free Patties 3 oz. 14
Health is Wealth Yummie Burger 2.5 oz. 12
Lightlife Gimme Lean 2oz. 8
Lightlife Smart Cutlets
Seasoned Chicken		 3 oz. 26
Lightlife Smart Deli Combos 2.7 oz. 17
Lightlife Smart Dogs 1.5 oz. 9
Mon Cuisine Breaded Chicken Patties 3 oz. 7
Morningstar Farms Original Grillers 2.3 oz 15
Nate’s Meatless Meatballs (3) 1.5 oz 10
Natural Touch Vegan Burger 2.7 oz 11
Natural Touch Veggie Medley 2.3 oz 11
SoyBoy Vegan Okara Burger 3 oz. 13
SoyBoy Vegetarian Franks 1.5 oz. 11
Starlite Cuisine Soy Taquitos 2 oz. 7
White Wave Seitan 3 oz. 31
Whole Foods 365
Meat Free Vegan Burger		 2.5 oz. 13
Yves Canadian Veggie Bacon (3 slices) 2 oz. 17
Yves Veggie Burger 3 oz. 16
Yves Veggie Chick’n Burgers 3 oz. 17
Yves Veggie Dogs 1.6 oz. 11

*All items vegan

Protein in Hot Cereals
(cooked)
Cereal Cup Protein
Grams
Arrowhead Mills Corn Grits 1/4 3
Arrowhead Mills 7 Grain 1/4 4
Bob’s 8 Grain 1/4 4
Bob’s 10 Grain 1/4 6
Bob’s Kamut 1/4 5
Bob’s Triticale 1/4 4
Bob’s Whole Grain Cracked Wheat 1/4 5
Cream of Rye 1/3 5
Kashi 1/2 6
Mother’s Multigrain 1/2 5
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats 1/2 5
Quinoa Flakes 1/3 3
Roman Meal Hot Cereal 1/3 5
Wheatena 1/3 5

Protein in Fresh Vegetables
(cooked)
Vegetable Serving Protein
Grams
Artichoke medium 4
Asparagus 5 spears 2
Beans, string 1 cup 2
Beets 1/2 cup 1
Broccoli 1/2 cup 2
Brussels Sprouts 1/2 cup 2
Cabbage 1/2 cup 1
Carrot 1/2 cup 1
Cauliflower 1/2 cup 1
Celeriac 1 cup 1
Celery 1 cup 1
Chard, Swiss 1 cup 3
Chayote 1 cup 1
Chives 1 tablespoon 0.10
Collards 1 cup 4
Corn, Sweet 1 large cob 5
Cucumber 1 cup 1
Eggplant 1 cup 1
Fennel 1 medium bulb 3
Jerusalem Artichoke 1 cup 3
Kale 1 cup 2.5
Kohlrabi 1 cup 3
Leeks 1 cup 1
Lettuce 1 cup 1
Okra 1/2 cup 1
Onion 1/2 cup 1
Parsnip 1/2 cup 1
Peas 1/2 cup 4
Peppers, bell 1/2 cup 1
Potato, baked with skin 2 1/3 x 4 3/4″ 5
Potato, boiled with skin 1/2 cup 1
Radish 1 cup 1
Rhubarb 1 cup 1
Rutabaga 1 cup 2
Spinach 1 cup 1
Squash, Summer 1 cup 2
Squash, Winter 1 cup 2
Sweet Potato 1 cup 3
Tomato 1 medium 1
Turnip 1 cup 1
Protein in Fruits
(raw)
Fruit Serving Protein
Grams
Apple 2 per lb. 0
Apricot med. 0
Avocado med. 4
Banana 1 1 to 2
Blackberry cup 2
Blueberry cup 1
Boysenberry cup 1
Cantaloupe cup 1
Casaba Melon cup 2
Cherimoya 1 7
Cherry cup 1
Cranberry cup 0
Currant cup 2
Date(pitted) 1/4 cup 1
Durian 1 cup 4
Feijoa med. 1
Fig 1 0
Gooseberry cup 1
Grape cup 1
Grapefruit 1/2 1
Guava med. 1
Honeydew cup 1
Jackfruit cup 2
Jujube, dried 1 oz. 1
Kiwi large 1
Kumquat med. 0
Lemon 1 1
Lime 1 0
Loganberry cup 1.4
Loquat 1 0
Mango 1 1
Mulberry cup 2
Nectarine 1 1
Orange 1 1
Papaya cup 1
Passionfruit 1 0
Peach 1 1
Pear 1 1
Persimmon 1 0
Pineapple cup 1
Plum 1 1
Pomegranate 1 1.5
Pomelo 1/2 2.3
Prickly Pear med. 1
Quince med. .4
Raspberry cup 1
Rhubarb cup 1
Sapote med. 5
Star Fruit cup 1
Strawberry cup 1
Tangerine med. 1
Watermelon cup 1
Protein in Nut Butters
Nut/Seed
(2 Tablespoons)		 Protein
Grams
Almond
5 to 8
Cashew
4 to 5
Peanut
7 to 9
Sesame Tahini
6
Soy Nut
6 to 7
Protein in Milk Substitutes
Beverage
1 cup		 Protein
Grams
Soy Regular
6 to 9
Soy Low/Nonfat
4
Rice
1
Rice and Soy
7
Almond
1 to 2
Oat
4
Multigrain
5
Protein in Soy Products
Product Serving
Size		 Protein
Grams
Tofu
Medium to Extra Firm		 3 oz. 7 to 12
Tofu
Soft or Silken		 3 oz. 4 to 6
Tempeh 4 oz. 12 to 20
Textured Vegetable Protein
TVP		 1/4 cup 10 to 12

References

Davis, Brenda and Vesanto Melina. Becoming Vegan. Summertown, Tennessee: Book Publishing Company, 2000.

Fuhrman, Joel. Eat to Live. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2003.

Heidrich, Ruth. E-mail interview. 14 April 2003.

Klaper, Michael, Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet. Paia, Hawaii: Gentle World, Inc., 1997.

Mangels, Reed, “Protein in the Vegan Diet.” The Vegetarian Resource Group, Nutrition. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Mangels, Reed, “The Vegan Diet During Pregnancy.” Satya June 1998.http://www.satyamag.com/jun98/pregnancy.html

Melina, Vesanto and Brenda Davis. The New Becoming Vegetarian.Summertown, Tennessee: Healthy Living Publications, 2003.

“Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition.” Report of a Joint WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation. United Nations University. WHO Technical Report Series 935. Geneva, Switzerland, 2002

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Top of Page

Vegetarians in Paradise

Interesting Questions

CAN I GET ENOUGH PROTEIN EATING A PLANT-BASED DIET?

Most people are getting an excess of protein. On any reasonably varied diet
centered around whole natural plants, you will you get all the protein you need,without consuming too much.
Renowned doctors including Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish, Joel Fuhrman, and
John McDougall all suggest that getting an adequate amount of protein should be the least of your worries. Look around you and try to recall the last time you heard of someone being hospitalized for a protein deficiency. Or look to nature, where the largest and strongest animals, such as elephants, gorillas, horses, cattle, hippos, and bison, all get plenty of protein, exclusively from plants.

DO PLANT FOODS GIVE ME “COMPLETE” PROTEINS?

Plant proteins are as complete as can be. Across the board, plant foods vary in their amino acid mix (higher in some, lower in others), but in eating a healthy variety of fresh, colorful plants, you will obtain adequate amounts of all of the essential amino acids.
Despite what you may have heard, there is absolutely no need to combine certain plant proteins at each meal, or even in any given day or week, in an effort to achieve optimal amino acid balance. Author Frances Moore Lappé popularized this theory of “protein complementing” in her 1971 book Diet for a Small Planet, cautioning vegetarians to combine their foods carefully to obtain “complete” proteins. Twenty years later, she recanted, acknowledging that she had unintentionally promulgated a myth.
Unfortunately, the protein-combination fallacy continues to be perpetuated by many respected organizations. But the American Dietetic Association gets it right. Its position statement reads, “Plant sources of protein alone can provide adequate amounts of the essential and non-essential amino acids, assuming that dietary protein sources from plants are reasonably varied and that caloric intake is sufficient to meet energy needs. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, and nuts all contain essential and non-essential amino acids.”

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “WHOLE FOOD”?

A whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on intact or minimally processed fruit,vegetables, whole grains, roots, tubers, and legumes. It excludes or minimizes foods (where any portion of the original plant has been removed by a machine), like bleached flour, table sugar, and extracted oil.
When you eat flour-based foods like pasta and bread, be sure to choose the least processed ones made from whole grains. (Visit the Whole Grains Council website for helpful information on how to identify whole grains.

DO CARBOHYDRATES REALLY MAKE US FAT?

Most trendy diets claim that all carbohydrates are bad guys, yet of the three
macronutrients that provide calories in our diet (carbs, protein, and fat),
carbohydrates are the body’s primary (and preferred) fuel source. They’re
responsible for managing your heart rate, digestion, breathing, exercising, walking,thinking, and everything else you do. In fact, your body must convert any protein or fat you eat into sugar (glucose) before using it for fuel … so avoiding carbs really doesn’t make sense.
The real issue is that most of the carbohydrate-rich foods that Americans consume are processed and refined, leaving them devoid of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, yet filled with empty calories. For health, you should eliminate or minimize highly refined and processed carb–rich foods, like table sugar, white bread, white pasta, white rice,sugary cereals, candy, and soda.
The majority of your daily calories should come from unrefined, unprocessed
carbohydrate-rich whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, roots, tubers, and legumes. These foods are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and vital phytonutrients (plant nutrients)
The fiber in whole foods provides bulk that fills you up sooner, alleviates hunger pangs, and keeps you feeling satisfied longer. Only if you don’t get sufficient exercise, or if you eat more than you need, do you risk ending up with extra carbohydrates that can be converted to fat. So go eat your carb-rich foods—as long as they’re whole and unprocessed.

CAN I GET ENOUGH CALCIUM EATING A PLANT-BASED DIET?

A whole-food, plant-based diet contains adequate calcium, and there is no evidence that we require any more than what occurs naturally in whole plant foods. Indeed,bone disease is less prevalent in countries where people consume more plant-based food and have lower calcium intake.
The main reasons people in western countries suffer from higher rates of osteoporosis(brittle bones) are because of sedentary lifestyles and the consumption of excessively acid-producing diets, high in animal protein and processed food. In a highly acidic diet, calcium (an alkaline mineral) is drawn from the bones to neutralize the acidity, in effect weakening the bones.

CAN I GET ENOUGH FAT EATING A PLANT-BASED DIET?

Fat is present in all fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods. By calories, strawberries contain 8% fat; bell peppers, 9%; broccoli, 10%; spinach, 15%; and soybeans, 41%. The fattiest plant foods, including nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and mature coconut meat, weigh in at 70 to 90% fat. By eating a delicious, plant-strong oil-free diet that goes light on the fattiest foods listed above, you will consume roughly 10 to 15 percent of your total calories from fat, which is ideal.Getting your fat from plant-based foods means you will be consuming healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats, as opposed to dangerous saturated fats. Be sure to steer clear of ALL oils … your essential omega-3 and -6 fats can be easily obtained from whole plants.
Eating minimal amounts of whole plant fats (with no oil) will leave you feeling fabulous and able to eat more food than you ever dreamed of … without gaining weight!

HOW CAN I COOK WITHOUT OIL?

To sauté or stir-fry without oil, be sure to preheat your pan to medium and test the heat by splashing a few drops of water in the pan before adding the vegetables or liquid. The water drops will dance on the surface of the pan when it’s hot enough.
Keep the vegetables in continuous motion by stirring them or moving the pan. If they begin to brown, add a small amount of liquid, such as water, no-sodium-added vegetable broth, wine, vegetable juice, citrus juice, coconut water, low-sodium tomato juice, or vinegar.
Instead of baking with oil, use applesauce, bananas, or blended fruit for moisture. Finding a salad dressing you love can be a challenge at first, but so many possibilities exist that you will soon never miss the oily ones. Sliced fresh fruit or fruit blended with or without a small amount of raw nuts or seeds makes a glorious salad dressing that solves another common challenge for those new to healthy eating: you’ll find you
won’t miss the oil OR the salt when topping your salads this way.

Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Leave a comment

Body_mass_index_chart.svg

What is BMI?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI is a fairly reliable indicator of body fatness for most people. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat, such as underwater weighing and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).1, 2 BMI can be considered an alternative for direct measures of body fat. Additionally, BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

 

How is BMI used?

BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. For example, a person may have a high BMI. However, to determine if excess weight is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.

Basic Nutrition

Dr John McDougall

Nutrients are substances which are essential for the maintenance, repair, growth, and reproduction of all our body tissues. Our foods contain the following basic nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water.

Carbohydrates, our body’s most efficient source of energy and an essential component in the production of many structural and functional materials, are produced by plants in the process of photosynthesis. They are made of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen called sugars or saccharides. Molecules of these simple sugars attach together to make long branching chains that are called complex carbohydrates. These large carbohydrate molecules are also commonly referred to as starch.

Once you eat them, digestion by intestinal enzymes disassembles these chains back into the simple sugars, which then pass easily through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, where they journey to the body’s tissues. Metabolic processes change these simple sugars into energy, which provides fuel for the body’s activity.

Dietary fibers are even longer chains of complex carbohydrates. Unlike starch molecules, these fibers resist digestion because of their chemical configurations. Therefore, most fibers eventually end up in the colon and form the bulk of your stool. Most people think that fibers are only the husks of grains and the long stringy components in fruits and vegetables, but actually, dietary fibers are present in all plant tissues. For example, after a potato is peeled, the white matter we eat has plenty of relatively indigestible fibers in it.

Fats too are complex molecules made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Although they are not as easily digested as sugars are, fats are sources of energy and they provide important structural materials for building different components of the human body. Fats are divided into two categories: saturated fats (solid at room temperature), found mostly in animal tissues, and unsaturated fats (liquid), found mostly in plant tissues. Most fats can be synthesized by our own bodies from carbohydrates as they are needed. The fats that we can synthesize are said to be nonessential because they are not necessary ingredients in our diet. The only fats we cannot synthesize for ourselves are a few unsaturated fats. They must be provided to us, ready-made, in our foods and therefore are called essential fats.

Proteins provide the raw materials for a large part of the functional and structural components of our bodies. Only as a last resort are they used as a source of energy. The building blocks that make up all proteins are called amino acids. Various combinations of the same twenty two- amino acids, put together as are the letters of the alphabet that can form a whole dictionary of words with different meanings, make all of the proteins in nature. Proteins are found in all foods derived from animals and plants, unless they have been removed or altered by refining processes. Only eight of the twenty-two amino acids are essential to us, because they cannot be made in human metabolism. These eight essential amino acids must be present in sufficient quantities in our food for us to enjoy good health.

Water makes up a large part of our foods. Although it yields no energy, for many reasons water is an essential element for life. It is not just a passive solvent in which salts, compounds and gasses interact; water participates actively in forming building blocks of cells and is the environment in which cells live. Approximately 60 percent of body weight is water.

Because the four nutrients discussed above – carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water make up the largest portion of any foodstuff by weight, they are often referred to as macronutrients. Our foods also contain two micronutrients–vitamins and minerals–which make up only a tiny percentage of our food by weight.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are synthesized for the most part only by plants and bacteria. Humans and most large animals can synthesize vitamin D (with the help of sunlight), and some animal species can make vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Thus, our supply of vitamins must come from plant foods and our own bowel bacteria. Vita means life, and, as the name indicates, vitamins are essential for our existence. Without adequate amounts, disease can develop.

Minerals are also micronutrients, but they come from inorganic matter, primarily the earth. Their presence in adequate amounts in our foods is also essential for our good health. They participate in thousands of metabolic reactions that must take place throughout the body. For instance, iron in the enzyme hemoglobin transports oxygen in our red blood cells. Some minerals are important elements in our structural material. Calcium, for example, is a large part of bones and teeth.

Our foods also contain various non-nutrients, substances that are not necessary for life or good health. Many of these substances, such as cholesterol, pesticides, herbicides, and additives, present real threats to our health. Even though these non-nutrients make up a small amount by weight of our foods, their health significance can be great, causing problems such as heart disease, cancer and allergies.

Carbohydrates are made by plants and stored in their leaves, stems, roots, and fruits. Plant foods contain both simple and complex carbohydrates in various amounts. Fruits are often more than 90 percent carbohydrate, but most of their carbohydrates are the sweet-tasting simple forms of carbohydrate, such as glucose and fructose. Green and yellow vegetables store most of their calories as complex carbohydrates, but since they contain very few total calories the amount of complex carbohydrate they provide in the diet is small. Whole grains (rice, corn) and the whole grain flours (wheat, rye) and whole grain pastas (wheat, soba) made from them, tubers (potatoes, yams), legumes (beans, peas), and winter squashes (acorn, hubbard) contain large quantities of complex carbohydrates and thus are known as starches. Rice, corn, and other grains, and potatoes typically store about 80 percent of their calories in the form of complex carbohydrates. Beans, peas, and lentils are approximately 70 percent complex carbohydrates.

Starches contain sufficient calories to easily meet the energy requirements of the active person, and they are abundant in proteins (with all their essential amino acids), essential fats, fibers, and minerals required to meet our daily dietary needs, Many starches, such as the maligned potato, have a full complement of vitamins as well. (Grains and legumes need the help of fruits or green and yellow vegetables in order to provide adequate vitamin A and C.)

You have probably heard that marathon runners and other endurance athletes “load up” on carbohydrates before an event, devouring large meals of spaghetti, rice, and potatoes in order to store energy-providing carbohydrates for the long race. Carbohydrate-loading several times a day will give you too the energy to race through your busy life.

The only food from animals in which a carbohydrate is found in significant amounts is milk, which contains a simple sugar called lactose. However, lactose cannot be digested by most adults,* and consequently, when they drink milk, they suffer assorted evidences of indigestion, such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, and hurtful amounts of gas. In the sense of total amount of carbohydrates in their diet, Americans eat far too few calories from this source–only about 40% of their diet is carbohydrate. To make things worse the kinds of carbohydrates eaten are mostly “empty calories” in the form of white sugar, corn syrup, and fructose. A healthy diet, like the McDougall diet, is more 80% carbohydrate from nutritious foods–starches, vegetables and fruits.

Percent of calories found as carbohydrates in various foods

Almonds 13 Beans (kidney) 72 Beef 0
Bread (whole wheat) 75 Brussels Sprouts 74 Cabbage 85
Carrots 92 Cheddar Cheese 2 Chicken 0
Corn 94 Eggs 2 Grapefruit 93
Lobster 1 Milk (whole) 30 Oatmeal 71
Oranges 88 Peanuts 16 Peanut Butter 15
Pork 0 Potatoes 90 Rice (brown) 89
Spaghetti (whole wheat) 81 Sugar* 100 Sweet Potatoes 92
Tofu 23 Tomatoes 85 Turkey 0

*When we hear or read the word sugar most of us think of granular white table sugar. Unlike the simple sugars found in ripe fruit, this kind of sugar should be eaten only in limited quantities. After the refining process, it contains no fibers, proteins, essential fats, vitamins, or minerals. It is purely concentrated sugar. Nothing could better deserve the descriptive term “empty calories,” because calories is all it provides. Although refined sugar can provide energy, too much refined sugar in the diet can lead to tooth decay, contribute to obesity, and raise triglycerides. A nutritional imbalance, weakening the body’s defense and repair system making us susceptible to disease processes from infection to cancer, may result when “empty calories” make up a substantial part of the diet.

Fibers are made only by plants and FOUND ONLY IN VEGETABLE FOODS. There is no fiber in beef, pork, chicken, lobster, cheese, egg, or other animal-derived foods.

Grams of fiber present in portions of food that yield 100 calories

Beans (kidney) 1.5 Bread (whole wheat) 0.7 Brussels Sprouts 4.4
Cabbage 4.3 Carrots 2.3 Cauliflower 3.7
Corn 0.7 Green Beans 4.0 Grapefruit 0.8
Kale 3.4 Oatmeal 0.3 Oranges 0.9
Peas 2.4 Peanuts (with skin) 0.8 Peanuts (without skin) 0.3
Potatoes 0.6 Radishes 4.1 Rice (brown) 0.2
Scallions 2.0 Soybeans 1.4 Spaghetti (whole wheat) 0.6
Sweet Potatoes 0.6 Tomatoes 2.3 Tofu 0.1
Yams 0.9

From Meds to Marathons

Rob Dube 570 From Meds to Marathons: How Eating Whole Plants Reversed My Asthma and Eczema

 

Imagine an active eight-year-old boy playing baseball, basketball, and tennis …  going nonstop. Now, imagine that same boy hindered with difficulty breathing ― something most of us take for granted.

 

That was me, diagnosed with asthma and immediately put on all types of medication. The meds made me feel jittery and not “right.” I tried my best to not let the asthma or drugs slow me down, but it was difficult. In college, I was placed on “better” medications and given a “rescue” inhaler, which I used consistently. In addition, a severe case of eczema developed on many parts of my body. Many trips to the doctor and expensive lotions didn’t help.

Still active, I took up running but could go for only a few miles at a time. Inspired by a coworker, I decided to train for a marathon and in 2008 completed it with a time of 3:51:17. I got the “running bug” and began to train more seriously.

In addition, I started studying nutrition and paying close attention to what was working best for my performance and recovery. After reading an article about eliminating red meat from my diet, I tried it, and gradually moved to a vegetarian diet. In 2011, I saw a trailer for the Forks Over Knives documentary and knew I had to see it. One day, in the middle of the workday, I checked the movie listings and saw that it was playing in my area. At that moment I felt compelled to see the movie and dropped everything that afternoon to do so.

After seeing Forks Over Knives, I decided to try the plant-based diet approach. Within a short period of time, I noticed my asthma and eczema symptoms were not as prevalent as they had been. Working with my allergist and nutritionist, I reduced the medication and eventually stopped taking medications altogether. For 33 years I had taken medication every day ― this was a life transforming event for me!

And, while this was all going on, I continued to train and run marathons. After moving to a plant-based diet, I noticed my performance and recovery times improved significantly, and I was able to reach one of my goals: qualifying for the Boston Marathon. To date, I’ve run 14 marathons and qualified for four Boston Marathons, running in two of them (including 2013, where I finished ahead of the bombing).

The NBC affiliate in Detroit has a health segment and featured my story earlier this year. I’ve never been more active or felt better. Each day I’m amazed that I no longer take medication and that my eczema is completely gone!

The Mighty Lentil

By Mary_RD on Nov 05, 2010 10:00 AM in Recipes

Edited By +Rachel Berman

Considering that lentils are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet that have sustained man since prehistoric times and are unbelievably inexpensive, then why don’t Americans eat more lentils?  The lentil seems to be a forgotten or misunderstood food, and that is truly our loss.

Meet the Lentil

There are hundreds of varieties of lentils, separated by their size and color.  In the West, the most common variety is the round, brownish lentil that is shaped like a biconvex optic lens. (The word lentil comes from the Latin for lens.) Lentils can be green, black, yellow, orange or red, but the green and brown lentils hold their shape best when cooked.

Lentils were one of the first foods ever cultivated.  They are mentioned in the book of Genesis.  In India, lentil is a dietary staple served as the traditional spiced dish known as dal.  Lentils are in the legume family along with beans and peas. They grow on a small bushy annual plant in short pods each containing one or two lentil seeds.

The Perfect Food

Lentils are loaded with so many nutrients, particularly fiber (both soluble and insoluble), folic acid, magnesium, molybdenum, iron, protein, phosphorous, potassium, copper, zinc, thiamin, vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid.  If your diet was made up of only ten foods, lentil would have to be one.

Lentil’s nutritional profile is heart healthy in so many ways. Their fiber lowers cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar, their folic acid, magnesium and vitamin B6 protect the artery walls, and the potassium and magnesium regulate blood pressure.  No one pill can do all that.

Preparing Lentils

Lentils do not have to be soaked but they must be washed and checked for small stones and debris.  To cook, add lentils to boiling water, turn to simmer, and cover the pot after the water reboils.  Brown lentils cook in about 40 minutes, green lentils take 30 minutes, and red and orange lentils cook in only 20 minutes at most.  Do not overcook lentils because they will turn mushy.

Serving Ideas

Lentils are served as full-meal soups and stews, main-course dishes, salads, croquettes, patties, and added to baked goods.  They are often eaten with rice because their amino acids are complementary and so, when eaten together (at least within the same day), their protein quality ranks as high as the complete protein in meat.

Read more: The Mighty Lentil http://caloriecount.about.com/mighty-lentil-b470035#ixzz2ot35Cp00

Soy and Your Health

Soy products have recently enjoyed increasing popularity. Soy products include soybeans (also called edamame) and any other items made from soybeans, including soymilk, tofu, tempeh, miso, and vegetarian meat and dairy substitutes like soy meats and soy cheeses. Like most other plant foods, the most healthful choices are those that are minimally processed so they retain all of their original nutrients. But because soy products are so widely consumed, some people have raised the question as to whether they are safe. Let’s take a look at what medical studies show:

Cancer Prevention and Survival

Epidemiological studies have found that soy protein may reduce the risk for cancers including breast, colon, and prostate.1

Studies show that women who include soy products in their routine are less likely to develop breast cancer, compared with other women. In January 2008, researchers at the University of Southern California found that women averaging one cup of soymilk or about one-half cup of tofu daily have about 30 percent less risk of developing breast cancer, compared with women who have little or no soy products in their diets.2However, to be effective, the soy consumption may have to occur early in life, as breast tissue is forming during adolescence.3,4

What about women who have been previously diagnosed with breast cancer? The Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study showed that women previously diagnosed with breast cancer gain a major advantage by incorporating soy products into their diets. Those who consumed the most soy products cut their risk of cancer recurrence or mortality in half. Similarly, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Associationreported results based on 5,042 women previously diagnosed with breast cancer who were participating in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study over a four-year period. The study showed that women who regularly consumed soy products, such as soymilk, tofu, or edamame, had a 32 percent lower risk of recurrence and a 29 percent decreased risk of death, compared with women who consumed little or no soy.5 Meanwhile, a study at Kaiser Permanente suggested much the same thing. Women who avoid soy products get no advantage at all. Those who include soy products in their diets appear to cut their risk of cancer recurrence.6

A 2012 analysis that combined the results of prior studies, including a total of 9,514 women from the United States and China, showed that those who consumed the most soy products were 25 percent less likely to have their cancer return, compared with those who tended to avoid soy products.7 Other studies, including the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study, have found that there was no effect or a favorable effect on breast tissue density in breast cancer survivors consuming soy, regardless of hormone receptor status.8,9

Why should soy products reduce cancer risk? Most research has zeroed in on phytoestrogens found in soybeans (phyto means “plant”). Some researchers have suggested that these compounds somehow block the effects of estrogens. However, that does not appear to be the entire explanation, as diet effects may also benefit people with estrogen-receptor-negative cancers.

Fertility

Other concerns include whether soy has a negative effect on reproductive health. However, studies in both men and women have shown that soy did not hinder reproduction.10,11

Also, adults who had been fed soy infant formula as infants were found to have no difference in their reproductive health when compared with adults who had been fed cow’s milk formula.12

Male Hormones

Soy products have no adverse effects on men and may help prevent cancer in men. A meta-analysis published in Fertility and Sterility, based on more than 50 treatment groups, showed that neither soy products nor isoflavone supplements from soy affect testosterone levels in men.13 An analysis of 14 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that increased intake of soy resulted in a 26 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk.14 Researchers found a 30 percent risk reduction with nonfermented soy products such as soymilk and tofu.

Fibroids

Soy products may reduce the risk of fibroids, knots of muscle tissue that form within the thin muscle layer that lies beneath the uterine lining. A study of Japanese women found that the more soy women ate, the less likely they were to need a hysterectomy, suggesting that fibroids were less frequent.15 In a study of women in Washington State, soy did not seem to help or hurt, perhaps because American women eat very little soy, compared with their Japanese counterparts.16 What did have a big effect in this study were lignans, a type of phytoestrogens found in flaxseed and whole grains. The women consuming the highest amounts of these foods had less than half the risk of fibroids, compared with the women who generally skipped these foods. So, again, phytoestrogens seem beneficial, countering the effects of a woman’s natural estrogens, although in this case the benefit comes from foods other than soy.

Thyroid Health

Clinical studies show that soy products do not cause hypothyroidism.17 However, soy isoflavones may take up some of the iodine that the body would normally use to make thyroid hormone.18 The same is true of fiber supplements and some medications. In theory, then, people who consume soy might need slightly more iodine in their diets. (Iodine is found in many plant foods, and especially in seaweed and iodized salt.) Soy products can also reduce the absorption of medicines used to treat hypothyroidism.17People who use these medicines should check with their health care providers to see if their doses need to be adjusted.

Other Health Effects

A study looking at the diets and measures of inflammation in 1,005 middle-aged Chinese women who were part of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study showed that the more soy products the women consumed, the less inflammation they experienced. Inflammation is linked to cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.19 Soy products appear to reduce low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol.20They may also reduce the risk of osteoporosis-related hip fractures. In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, women who consumed at least one-fourth cup of tofu per day averaged a 30 percent reduction in fracture risk.21 A study in the journal Menopause found that women taking soy isoflavone supplements for six weeks to 12 months reduced the frequency of hot flashes by 21 percent, compared with women taking a placebo.22

Overnutrition

Soy products are typically high in protein. Some manufacturers have exploited this fact, packing isolated soy protein into shakes and turning it into meat substitutes. However, it may be prudent to avoid highly concentrated proteins from any source, including soy. It has long been known that cow’s milk increases the amount of insulin-like growth factor in the bloodstream,23 and this compound is linked to higher cancer risk. Some evidence suggests that highly concentrated soy proteins (indicated as “soy protein isolate” on food labels) can do the same.24 Simple soy products, such as tempeh, edamame, or miso, are probably the best choices.

Summary

Evidence to date indicates that soy products may reduce the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence. They do not appear to have adverse effects on the thyroid gland, but may reduce the absorption of thyroid medications. The benefits of soy products appear to relate to traditional soy products, not to concentrated soy proteins

References
1. Badger TM, Ronis MJ, Simmen RC, Simmen FA. Soy protein isolate and protection against cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005;24:146S-149S.
2. Wu AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, Pike MC. Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk. Br J Cancer. 2008;98:9-14.
3. Korde LA, Wu AH, Fears T, et al. Childhood soy intake and breast cancer risk in Asian American women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18:1050-1059.
4. Shu XO, Jin F, Dai Q, et al. Soyfood intake during adolescence and subsequent risk of breast cancer among Chinese women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10:483-488.
5. Shu XO, Zheng Y, Cai H, et al. Soy food intake and breast cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302:2437-2443.
6. Guha N, Kwan ML, Quesenberry CP Jr, Weltzien EK, Castillo AL, Caan BJ. Soy isoflavones and risk of cancer recurrence in a cohort of breast cancer survivors: the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009;118:395-405
7. Nechuta SJ, Caan BJ, Chen WY, et al. Soy food intake after diagnosis of breast cancer and survival: an in-depth analysis of combined evidence from cohort studies of US and Chinese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96:123-132.
8. Messina MJ, Loprinzi CL. Soy for breast cancer survivors: a critical review of the literature. J Nutr. 2001;131(11 Suppl):3095S-3108S.
9. Caan BJ, Natarajan L, Parker BA, et al. Soy food consumption and breast cancer prognosis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011;20;854–858.
10. Mitchell JH, Cawood E, Kinniburgh D, Provan A, Collins AR, Irvine DS. Effect of a phytoestrogen food supplement on reproductive health in normal males. Clin Sci (Lond). 2001;100:613-618.
11. Kurzer MS. Hormonal effects of soy in premenopausal women and men. J Nutr. 2002;132:570S-573S.
12. Strom BL, Schinnar R, Ziegler EE, et al. Exposure to soy-based formula in infancy and endocrinological and reproductive outcomes in young adulthood. JAMA. 2001;286:807-814.
13. Hamilton-Reeves JM, Vazquez G, Duval SJ, Phipps WR, Kurzer MS, Messina MJ. Clinical studies show no effects of soy protein or isoflavones on reproductive hormones in men: results of a meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2010;94:997-1007.
14. Yan L, Spitznagel EL. Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1155-1163.
15. Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Kawakami N, Shimizu H. Soy product intake and premenopausal hysterectomy in a follow-up study of Japanese women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2001;55:773-777.
16. Atkinson C, Lampe JW, Scholes D, Chen C, Wahala K, Schwartz SM. Lignan and isoflavone excretion in relation to uterine fibroids: a case-control study of young to middle-aged women in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:587-593.
17. Messina M, Redmond G. Effects of soy protein and soybean isoflavones on thyroid function in healthy adults and hypothyroid patients: a review of the relevant literature. Thyroid. 2006;16:249-258.
18. Divi RL, Chang HC, Doerge DR. Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean: isolation, characterization, and mechanisms of action. Biochem Pharmacol. 1997;54:1087-1096.
19. Wu SH, Shu XO, Chow WH, et al. Soy food intake and circulating levels of inflammatory markers in Chinese Women.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112:996-1004.
20. Pipe EA, Gobert CP, Capes SE, Darlington GA, Lampe JW, Duncan AM. Soy protein reduces serum LDL cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol:HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B:apolipoprotein A-I ratios in adults with type 2 diabetes. J Nutr. 2009;139:1700-1706.
21. Koh WP, Wu AH, Wang R, et al. Gender-specific associations between soy and risk of hip fracture in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2009;170:901-909.
22. Taku K, Melby MK, Kronenberg F, Kurzer MS, Messina M. Extracted or synthesized soybean isoflavones reduce menopausal hot flash frequency and severity: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Menopause. 2012;19:776-790.
23. Heaney RP, McCarron DA, Dawson-Hughes B, et al. Dietary changes favorably affect bone remodeling in older adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99:1228-1233.
24. Dewell A, Weidner G, Sumner MD, et al. Relationship of dietary protein and soy isoflavones to serum IGF-1 and IGF binding proteins in the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial. Nutr Cancer. 2007;58:35-42.