You might have seen the little single box comic strip with an overweight family next to a normal sized family. The overweight family are saying ‘Where do you get your protein?’
After a little searching I was surprised to find that this has become a bit of a joke amongst vegetarians – not the comic but the question itself. It’s become a cliche; the single most-often asked question of veggies by meat-eaters. A bit like asking a newsreader ‘Where do you get your ideas?’
The fact that it is so commonly asked made me wonder. Ok, most people are aware that meat is a big source of protein. But if you asked people to name a good source of iron they’re likely to be much more vague. Is it because of popular diets like the Atkins where you boost your protein intake and cut out carbs? The general public certainly recognize potatoes and rice as carbohydrates and therefore a no-no for a high protein diet.
But maybe there’s more to it than that. At the risk of sounding like Oliver Stone, maybe there has been a bit of conspiracy going on here by agricultural big business. Eat meat, the healthy option. It’s good for you. Because the facts are not really stacking up behind this. Cholesterol, osteoporosis, cancer. The list goes on. We’re not talking about eating moderate amounts of protein here, we’re talking about eating excessive amounts. Yes, meat is a good source of protein. But what are you, a power-lifter? How much protein do you think you need?
And while I’m on the subject, you see those guys on the cover of Men’s Health with the impossible abs? ‘How to get abs like this’ says the cover. I’ll tell you how – overeat to an obscene degree.
It’s true. Ok, you have to be fit too but you won’t get those rippling muscles on your torso unless you eat steak, steak and steak. You need steak with your steak – that’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the little snack times in between. Not hungry? That won’t cut it. You want those abs, you better throw another fillet in the frying pan. Or better still, eat it raw. And how about a whey protein shake with that?
This is not a natural look. Nobody just trains really hard and ends up that way. Excessive consumption of protein is the not so big secret. I guess I’m not comfortable with the idea of eating excess amounts of anything. And hey, there’s my excuse for not having chiselled abs.
But it’s people who are less active who are likely to get health problems caused by excess protein in meat and dairy produce and this brings me back to the little comic strip. The fact is – even vegetarians consume more protein than they need. What we need as a society is to get a better understanding of our nutritional requirements so we can all live a more healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. ‘Where do you get your protein?’ is a red herring. Or a red beetroot if you’re vegan.
