By: Dr.Leslie Van Romer

Have you ever wondered . . . ?

1. Where you get protein if you don’t eat meat?

2. Where you get calcium if you don’t eat dairy?

3. Do carbs make you fat?

4. What’s a good fat and what’s a bad fat?

Let’s answer these questions one at a time.

Today, the protein question – that’s the most common.

"If you don’t eat meat, where do you get protein?"

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.

Part 2: The calcium question.

By the way, my book, Getting into Your Pants, answers these four questions in four short, easy-to-read chapters.