An article on Dr. Joe Mercola's website today is QUITE the eye opener - and I feel very important, possibly life saving and a must to share. It almost makes me want to become completely vegetarian, and never eat cooked meat again. I am glad we have reduced our meat consumption, and I now realize the importance of COLD-PROCESSED protein powders as well as consuming the required daily minimum of fiber each day. We're told 25 mg., but for colon cancer prevention 30-50 is a greater preventative measure. A year or so ago I created a post specifically geared towards colon cancer prevention and need for much fiber in the diet, of which most Americans do not intake.
The main focus of the article below talks about what happens to proteins when exposed to heat. My particular interest was regarding protein isolates found in protein shakes - as the majority of brands found in the market are heat processed. Proteins that are already an acidic base become even more so when exposed to heat in processing.
Article:
The Innocent Cooking Mistake that Could Cause Cancer
Excerpted conclusions from the article are below (link is below the points for the entire article)
-Avoid eating roasted or fried proteins and melted cheese – yes, this includes grilled meat or fish, fried chicken, roast beef, barbeque, and pizza. To be on the safe side, avoid all kinds of carmelized sugar, toasted starch and roasted nuts.
-If you still choose to eat grilled, roasted or fried food, try cutting off the burned or browned outer layer part.
-Time under heat is a crucial factor. Short pasteurization is safer than long pasteurization – the longer a protein is heated the more degraded and toxic it gets.
-Make sure your protein product does not include thermolyzed casein – which has shown to be the most carcinogenic among all other thermolyzed food.
-You can still enjoy eating most of your protein foods warm if you cook them in a broth. This will limit the cooking temperature to a 100ยบ Celsius threshold, which has shown to be quite safe and presents minimum health risk. Cooking, stewing or poaching fish, meat or eggs in a broth can be your alternative to frying, grilling or roasting. But note that cheese must be eaten raw. Heating destroys fragile peptides and amino acids in cheese so to be on the safe side, avoid all kinds of pizzas and melted cheese treats.
-Avoid protein powders which are exposed to ultra heat or heat/acid treatment. These often include protein isolates such as casein and whey isolates as well as soy, hemp and rice protein isolates.
-Avoid whey proteins derived from ultra pasteurized milk. If the whey manufacturer fails to provide you with a certificate of conformity (CoC) which clearly declares that their whey is manufactured from raw milk, then most likely the product is ultra pasteurized.
-Increase your fiber consumption particularly in your protein meals. Note that protein supplements formulated with digestive resistant fiber are more digestible, and safer.
This entire article can be found
here. If colon cancer in particular is of concern in your family - it is very important to read. I feel strongly that we can only make better choices for our health when we read and educate ourselves, as this is not information the "meat industry", for example, is going to publicize.
I have to admit, for quite some time, having friends who are paleo eaters, I have wondered how much meat is comprised in the paleo diet versus vegetables and fruits. Is it 20% protein, 75% produce and 5% fats (random figures thrown out), or is the meat protein to vegetables and fruit ratio more like 50/50?
I wonder about this primarily out of concern, since it is becoming well known that cancer thrives in an acidic body, and cannot survive in a body that is properly pH balanced. Meat is low on the pH scale, meaning it is acidic. Whereas vegetables are alkaline based, with a pH higher than the neutral point of +/-7.
Processed meats, in particular, are unhealthy. Certainly a steak from a grass-fed beef animal or free-range chickens should be the meat of choice if one is concerned for cancer prevention or wish for aging in good health.
Dr. Russel Blaylock devoted two consecutive newsletters to the link between "iron toxicity" and cancer - which is becoming more evident. As Americans, in particular, he states we eat too much meat. As an example, we should consume no more than 8 OUNCES of red meat per week. The week I read that two days later we were out for dinner, and I was having a 12 oz organic rib-eye. Glad for it to be from grass-fed animal, but it was more than my entire week's allowance at one setting, per Blaylock. Of course, I split it and took home a box of food as I always split my meals when we eat out at the start of the meal, so I am not tempted to overeat. Ever since learning of iron toxicity it has caused me to be concerned about those important to me, that seem to really enjoy an abundance of meat consumption.
Vegetable protein is much easier to digest than animal meat, and therefore does not tax our body's proper functioning in the same manner. As I alluded to at the start of today's post - I am not a vegetarian, although my lifestyle food choices probably includes about 15% meat, 50% vegetables, 10% fruits, 15% gluten-free grains such as brown rice and quinoa, and the balance in good fats such as coconut oil and Extra Virgin Olive oil and nuts.
I'm not going to invest in a paleo cookbook - so for those of you who have and are - please do comment and clue me in on your diet and the meat to vegetable/fruit ratio. I have concern, but perhaps it is unfounded. My perception may be more of what I feel I am seeing at a gathering vs. what the true paleo enthusiast consumes on a daily basis.
To your health,
Rita S.
