According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) the average American diet containing meat and dairy products is too high in protein which can lead to a number of serious health problems.

  1. Kidney Disease: When people eat too much protein, they take in more nitrogen than they need. This places strain on the kidneys, which must expel the extra nitrogen through urine. People with kidney disease are encouraged to eat low-protein diets. Such a diet reduces the excess levels of nitrogen and can also help prevent kidney disease.
  2. Cancer: Although fat is the dietary substance most often singled out for increasing cancer risk, protein also plays a role. Populations who eat meat regularly are at increased risk for colon cancer, and researchers believe that the fat, protein, natural carcinogens, and absence of fiber in beat all play roles. The 1997 report of the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer, noted that meaty, high protein diets were linked with some types of cancer.
  3. Osteoporosis and Kidney Stones: Diets that are rich in animal protein cause people to excrete more calcium than normal through their kidneys and increase the risk of osteoporosis. Countries with lower-protein diets have lower rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures.
    Increase calcium excretion increase risk for kidney stones. Researchers in England found that when people added about 5 ounces of fish (about 34 grams of protein) to a normal diet, the risk of forming urinary tract stones increased by as much as 250%.

For a long time it was thought that athletes needed much more protein than other people. The truth is that athletes, even those who strength-train, need only slightly more protein, which is easily obtained in the larger meal servings athletes require for their higher caloric intake.

To consume a diet that contains enough, but not too much protein, simply replace animal products with grains, vegetables, legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), and fruits. As long as one is eating a variety of plant foods in sufficient quantity to maintain one’s weight, the body gets plenty of protein. Dr. John McDougall, M.D., says that it is physically impossible to develop a diet based on vegetables and whole grains that is protein deficient.

One of the staff at the gym asked me the other day about using hypnosis for her cravings. She explained that she was craving carbs. My response of course was “really?” She went on to say that she ate too much potato, too much bread, too much pasta, too many Oreos. I asked what she was putting on the potato, “butter or sour cream” was her reply. She loads her bread with butter and her pasta with cheese. She wanted me to hypnotize her to eat protein (meat and cheese). I explained to her that what she was craving was not carbs, but fat and sugar. We talked for a moment about the myth of protein and the misinformation about carbs. I referred her to Dr. John McDougall’s website and to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). and set up her first hypnotherapy session to get her off the fat & sugar. She has never used hypnosis but is excited about learning self-hypnosis.