The Protein Myth

Why do we all believe that we must eat meat to get enough protein?

Let’s go back many years ago to the year 1914 . . . .

In 1914, two men by the names of Osborn and Mendel experimented with rats. They discovered that rats grew faster when they ate protein from animal foods than when they ate protein from plant foods.

Based on this information, these two men classified meat protein as class “A” protein and plant protein as class “B” protein. Those classifications automatically categorized animal protein as superior to plant protein. To this day, many Americans still believe that animal protein is superior to plant protein.

From these experiments on rats, these two men made the assumption that rats and human beings required the same amino acids or proteins for growth. In fact, it was later discovered that rats and human beings have different requirements for protein.

In other words, just because rats grew faster with animal protein, didn’t mean that people would also.

Fast forward to the 1940s. More experiments were conducted on rats. The conclusion was made once again that rats grew faster eating animal protein, specifically from eggs, than from eating plant protein.

The egg industry got wind of these experiments and made the assumption that if eggs and all animal products were the best sources of protein for rats, then they must be the best sources of protein for human beings. Now mind you, the researchers still regarded these experiments as only theory, not fact. But the egg industry didn’t care if the information was fact or fiction.

As the saying goes, the rest is history.

Even though there was not one shred of evidence that human beings required outside sources of protein from animal products, the egg, dairy, and meat industries banned together. They lobbied the United States Department of Agriculture, and, in 1956, convinced the government to officially endorse the birth of the one and only: Four Food Groups. Protein found in meat was officially declared by the government to be superior to the protein found in plants.

And as we all know, the “Four Food Groups” consists of meat, dairy products, refined grains, and fruits and vegetables; the fruits and vegetables are thrown together into one category—relegated to a minor role or a side dish in our meals.

Have you ever wondered where you get protein if you don't eat meat?

Answer #1: What is protein for? Simply stated, protein is for growth. When do we grow the most?
From birth to one year old.When do we need the most protein? From birth to one year old.
What is the best food for growing babies? Breast milk. How much protein is in breast milk? 4.5% protein. That's all! Not coincidentally, the World Health Organization recommends 4.5% protein in our diets. That's all!

Oranges have 8% protein, broccoli 45%, romaine lettuce 36%, brown rice 8 %, kidney beans 26% protein.

Plant foods give us plenty of protein, without the fat and cholesterol that come with animal protein.

Two more protein points:

1. Plant protein is not inferior to animal protein like we were all taught to believe.

2. Plant proteins don't have to be mixed and matched to make a "complete" protein. Eat a variety of plant foods, and Mother Nature has taken care of the perfect mixing and matching.

Don't believe me? That's understandable - given what we've been taught since we were babies.

Just read for yourself. The China Study by Dr. Campbell, The McDougall Program - 12 Days to Dynamic Health, by Dr. McDougall, Eat to Live, Dr. Fuhrman, Reversing Heart Disease, Dr. Esselstyn, The Food Revolution, John Robbins, to just name a few references.

Answer #2: Look to nature for commonsense answers. Where do cows, horses, giraffes, and large elephants get their protein to grow and maintain big, strong muscles?

They don't eat cows, pigs, lambs, chickens, fish, eggs, protein bars, or protein drinks. They eat unrefined plant foods, and not a huge variety at that.

If they can get plenty of protein from plants, so can we.

Of course, you can choose to eat animal protein. But it's exactly that - a choice, not a necessity.
I know it's hard to swallow (little pun there), but just take one small bite at a time and chew and chew and chew. After a while, the truth makes more sense and is a bit easier to swallow.

Note from MISS-INFORMED: While protein deficiency is virtually unheard of, too much protein, as many Americans get, is directly related to osteoporosis . . . which many Americans do get. Yet you don't hear people stressing about this fact when they sit down to a huge plate of chicken or steak.......

All of the above excellent information is from articles by Dr. Leslie Van Romer. More information about and excellent articles by Dr. Leslie Van Romer can be found here and here.

Female Bonding

Earlier, before I went out (or even knew that I was going out), I got to have some downtime with Lindsey and Lotta, both of whom I've mentioned. Lindsey's on her third visit, Lotta her fourth. Lotta especially didn't know anything about muay thai her first visit, and now they've each one championship belts. I watch them train as much as possible! Lotta is 29, I believe, and from Sweden. She's studying to be a veterinary technician! How wonderful! And Lindsey, as anyone who's been reading this blog knows, is a personal trainer from Canada that is here to fight.

Both are super inspiring to me, as they have achieved goals that I have set for myself, and so I have immense respect for both women, and show it. And both are very encouraging, supportive and genuine with me. I never take spending time with them for granted. We had tea outside the room, on the front porch, and by a stroke of luck, alllll the guys happened to be out and about. It was really a fortunate coincidence, not that I don't adore my male neighbors. Women just need their time together, too, and I'm just so appreciative it was with two inspiring, intelligent and classy women that I can learn from!

Earlier, I spent some time with Laragh from Ireland and Lindsey as well. The female bonding was nice because Laragh moved out of my room and to a different location the day I arrived, so while I "knew" her through my neighbors and could easily see why everybody likes her, I had never sat down with her, really. What a doll she is, and I can see why she is highly adored by all of my neighbors (her former neighbors), as well as most anyone that meets her aquaintance. She is seriously just precious!

"The Kick"

"Man", his English name, is fighting at Lumpinee stadium in Bangkok soon, which is the most famous and largest muay thai gym in Thailand. Because NOBODY will fight him down here. This dude's kicks are hypnotic to watch. He's one of the gym pros, and is just absolutely amazing to watch. The SOUND of his kicks alone is intimidating, and ring throughout the whole gym. If he hits somebody's shin or hip bones the wrong way, he'd easily break his leg (as has happened in some fights, but it is rare). One thing I learned from the fight I watched at Bangla stadium is that kicking is soooo much of the fight. There's a front kick, which you use to just (rudely) shove someone away from you. I love practicing them on the bags because I can feel how much 200 of them in a row strengthens you (and tires you out!) But I the right and left kicks are where it's at . . . . and aren't easy to do! Most of us haven't seen a lot of Muay Thai, and so I thought I'd film "Man" demonstrating his wicked awesome kicks. Basically, I feel VERY sorry for whomever has to get in the ring against this dude.

They were super kind about letting me film him, but I still think he kicks harder when it's not after he just completed his workout of something like one billion kicks per leg (or what it seems like, lol!) As intimidating as he comes across, all the guys like him are just super sweet, polite and friendly. I love watching the young children watch him, as if he's Superman or something. "Bung-oh" (I'm surely messing this up) always trains the REAL fighters because he's a large dude and can handle the blows, although he still uses pads, of course. You'd have to be quite the masochist not to, for real! He's a doll, too, and always offers me a ride on his scooter when he sees me out walking to the cash station, etc.

Seriously, though, his form is impeccable! This is how it's supposed to be done, folks, and it it's ridiculously hard. He can do 100 kicks each leg, without stopping. These kicks work every muscle in your body. I wish I could go to the fight, but it's not in the budget. Still, Tuk alone bet like 30,000 baht on him winning. The kid is killer. Muay Thai at it's finest. GOD this sport is NOT for the faint at heart. It hurts, you're sore always, you can count on blisters and injuries, and all of that is just in practice. Soon, I'll post a video of myself training....but by "soon" I mean maybe in like six weeks, lol! As it is, my 5 three-minute rounds with the trainers absolutely kills me, especially when it's like 15 kicks in a row, each side, with them yelling "More power!", lol! I'm improving daily, though. You can see how going from pretty out-of-shape to learning such kicks can just kick your butt, though, surely. Argh! By the way, as if it needs to be said, my kicks do NOT look like this, lol!

Me Training!

Okay, only briefly. At about 28 seconds, for a flash, going in for a jab and a knee, and then again at about 57 seconds, for a flash again. My kickass friend Chia-Chi posted this and I just found out about it. That's me in the lime green top, red shin pads and gloves, black shorts, absolutely punishing Petsila, my trainer that day. Not, lol! Oh, and Jazz is at about 1:11, doing bag work . . . and sweating more than he ever has in his life, like the rest of us!

Patong

Last night I went to a club in Phuket City for some great live music with Jazz, Caspar, Coolio, Tuk (the 2005 world champion who owns the gym) and another trainer. Afterwards, we met up with the others in Patong, which makes Vegas look tame. Patong hasn't really appealed to me, of course, but I thought I might check it out. I actually had a blast! We went to a MONSTROUS dance club called "Tiger" that is just HUGE and crazy. We danced all night! There's a shot of Tuk, myself and "Big Matt". The other one is of Jazz, who I just LOVE and who is my roommate and myself. And there's another guy in this picture, too. Welcome to Patong, my friends!

Me vs. The Motorbike

I rented my first motorbike, just for the day. As most who know me are familiar with, I'm a bit mechanically-challenged. But I know they are not hard, and while I'm not interested in renting one full-time, week in and week out, it's how most get around in Thailand and can come in handy when you want to cruise to the beach, etc.

I've ridden on the back of many, with others, but this was my first time driving one. Jazz, my roommate, taught me. He was new to it, too. I did alright, but not after one main screw up, which was quite scary. I continued to ride it after that because I didn't want to be afraid of it forever.

The bikes accelerate with your right handlebar grip, and the brakes are like regular bike breaks. I find myself accelerating and breaking often, rarely just cruising. Then again, I was getting used to it. Still, the streets here are the opposite of the U.S. in terms of lanes, and while there isn't "tons" of traffic, there are really no stoplights or stop signs, and people drive really messed up a lot of the time. There's not much regulation, period, is what I'm geting at.

When I screwed up, I put my feet down, reactively, like you would a bike. This is absolutely stupid. Due to my flops, that resulted in a nasty scrape on the side, not bottom (thank God) of my foot. Infection is super easy overseas, so I panicked a bit about that and hit the pharmacy, big time, for the gauze, neosporin, antiseptic, etc. I tape it up so much for training that it's mummified. I mean, that gym is DISGUSTING, there's no question about that! However, I will have to miss beach training tomorrow, for sure, because I don't trust sand to not get into it. Fortunately, it's not deep and just a solid scrape. Not a pretty one, but considering I finally stopped about 1 foot from a 2 foot steep ditch, I consider myself very lucky.

All driving on it since then went well, but I made the decision that to save money, to ensure more safety, and to get more cardio, I'll be renting a push bike (as they call it here), or a regular old bicycle. It's smarter, safer and more economical. I can bike 2 km to the beach, etc. easy. And it will only help me achieve my goals. I would rent a motorbike again some day, but I don't feel as comfortable as I do when I'm just riding on the back of someone else's, which is easy because everybody is always offering.

Anyways, I wear a helmet when I'm not posing for pictures -- although it may have been a step up from my wet hair from showering post-training this afternoon. Here's a shot of how well I wrap my toe up. Hilarious! But nothing gets into it, and even kicking doesn't uproot it. I don't want to mess around, that's for sure, with injury!

In other news, training today kicked my butt. I slept like 12 hours last night, something I probably haven't done since I was an infant. I shadowboxed, did 5 rounds on the bags, with sit-ups and push-ups in-between, and then did 5 three-minute rounds with Petsila in the ring. I had him yesterday, too. I was so sweaty and exhausted I was literally dizzy! Then Tuk, the gym owner and former world champion, called myself and 2 other newer girls and Lindsey over to work with him on blocking. We each had to go a few rounds with him, blocking and hitting as hard as we could. It was excellent. Oh, did I mention that for this we had to only box, no kicks, knees or elbows (note: you never use elbows in sparring, only "real" fights). We had to put on 18 oz. boxing gloves for it, too. My arms were absolute toast by the end. Afterwards, 200 front kicks and it was a day.

Front kicks are my favorite, as are elbows. Blocking sucks; I started to get actually "hit" and even though it's just practice and not hard, it doesn't feel so hot! Tuk is a phenomenal trainer because he always encourages you and points out what you did great and gives you a lot of positive encouragement. He'll also throw you on the ground and punish you during your session. I have not done my 5 rounds with him yet in my group lessons in the ring---simply because I've always got other people, but I've heard horror stories. His form is impeccable and he notices every last detail, so I am kind of looking forward to it. If he's working with another student, he makes sure you are paying attention to him still, "or else". But he always has a smile and a kind word for you, too. I dig him. I'm so happy for his success and I look forward to working with him more. You learn so fast here!

Fruitarianism is going well. Day three is over and I feel great! Tonight I found a place I can walk to, where I can get a huge salad and salsa for the dressing, to make it spicy. How's that for all raw and no-fat? Between that and the fruit and coconut situation, I'm alllllll good. I don't miss anything! I aim to buy some nori and some rice wraps to make some mean all veggie sushi rolls and some all veggie spring rolls. I can make a sauce with either mango or dragon fruit, with cayenne, garlic or curry, cilantro, etc., all blended. Okay, maybe not all those things, but I can easily make a fat-free, fruitarian dressing for salads and rolls! Maybe even durian; I finally found some at the market, it was just raining so hard I had to leave before I could buy one. I'll try at tomorrow's . . . .

Life is Cruel

Music is my lifeline, it is what has helped me get through so much in life. Even when I was four, I remember waking up to my Dad blaring "Call Me" by Blondie, or "(I Wanna Fly Like) Superman" by The Kinks. Jim Croce, Black Sabbath, Carol King and so much more . . . it all started me on the path of rock and roll, and every other kind of music, honestly. From gospel to soul to blues to motown to heavy metal, rock and roll, easy listening, folk . . . I love it all!

In my late teens and early twenties, going to concerts was the biggest rush for me. I pretty much went to them always. Although it's hard to pick favorites, Living Colour and Clutch are my two favorite "pet" bands, especially Clutch. But in my opinion, although most would choose Led Zepellin, the hardest rocking, most incredible rock and roll band in the world is the immortal AC/DC.

I made a pact with myself that no matter what financial place I was in, if AC/DC toured again I would be there. Rain or shine, in financial of physical sickness or in health, you get the idea, ha ha ha. Even though I knew front row, or close to it, would be hundreds and hundreds of dollars, oh well. This show would be worth it. While I knew they would likely be touring at some point, that rumor has been circulating for a long time.....

NOW I find out that they are touring from October to mid-December. Basically, I return December 16th to Oregon. The ONLY show I can possibly see is December 18th in Charlotte, NC. Needless to say, I'm sitting here in Phuket, Thailand, a tropical paradise, "living the dream", and am fairly depressed over this. You should see me over here, researching flights and available seats, trying to figure out if I can somehow make this happen, although I don't have any great hopes. Sniff.

What's phenomenal is that my twin brother, who's a great, great dad, is taking my fourth grade nephew to see them the day after Halloween. We started my neph young on music, because it's so very important. And it worked. My neph, I'm so proud to say, "gets it". He's a good kid, does well in school, is honest, athletic, kind, isn't hyper or bratty, and is a music lover. I'm thrilled to know that HE GETS TO SEE THE GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND ON EARTH, even though I truly wanted to be there for it, if he ever got to go.

I mean, one of my favorite "hobbies" is shopping for children's AC/DC paraphernalia, and I take it very seriously. You know, stocking up his wardrobe with killer AC/DC shirts, or sending him great posters and/or cds for his collection. Don't get me wrong; I use discretion if it's not for children (and some isn't), but let's face it, most rock and roll is universal and for everybody. My first day here at Rawai Gym, "Thunderstruck" came on the overhead stereo and I KNEW I was in the right place! (Unfortunately it wasn't the live version, but it's all good!)

I suppose my only concern is that if AC/DC is the first show you get to see, then every other show after that can only be "so" good, but it's a sacrifice any true rock-n-roller wouldn't hesitate to make if they have half a brain cell. Plus, he's old enough to remember the show. He KNOWS his AC/DC, especially "TNT", so I know he's pumped! For Christmas I sent him the 2-disc set of "Live At Donington" (plus some other cds) in an AC/DC cd wallet that I made just for him, plus a set of headphones so that he could listen without waking up his new baby sister.

I'm here in Thailand doing this as an investment in my health and to push myself out of my comfort zones. As wonderful as it sounds, it really isn't easy. I just don't want to be another American who never leaves the couch, let alone the country, and I'm tired of feeling like shit too often. I want to experience the world, and appreciate other cultures. I truly hope to be able to help give that gift to my nephew one day as well.

A big reason I'm also here is so that my nephew can hopefully be as proud of his aunt as I am of him, which is pretty damned proud. I don't always have a lot to offer when I'm too fatigued to do much because I haven't been taking the best care of myself. Now I can teach him how to fight, kayak or at least have the energy to do other fun things with him when I get to see him, as my health improves. I can likely even treat him to a trip here with me next time I come for a few weeks (if he wants to), so he can "live the dream" (as we call it here at Rawai gym), too. The kids that do come absolutely love it, and Thailand is a very safe place for children.

All of that is far more important to me than seeing any band in the world, so I'm going to choose to just be grateful that my brother and nephew get to see the show and put out the intent that due to the amazing success of this current tour, AC/DC decides to tour at least once more.

UPDATE
I knew they would play AC/DC during training this afternoon, and of course they did. Sigh. They play a ton of Rage Against The Machine and other great music, too. Nice to hear! Of course, "Staying Alive" by the BeeGees or "Funkytown" by Lipps, Inc. will come on, too, which are great songs.....but to kickbox to? Hilarious! The worst is the reggae. It's great music, but everything about is CHILL. It's all good, though. I'm happy with the system and selections, for sure.