Protein is extremely important in the diet and is used in the body to build our cells and synthesize our enzymes, hormones and antibodies. The North American diet tends to be too high in protein intake due to the prevalence of huge portions and high incidence of processed foods.
There are many people who do have protein deficiencies due to an unplanned diet, inaccurate vegetarian diet or inactive stomach. Some people have very little variation in their diet which can cause a deficiency in protein especially if their diet is mostly junk food.
Symptoms of Excessive Protein
People with an excess of protein can experience obesity, cancer, arteriosclerosis, gout, osteoporosis, kidney or liver disease.
Symptoms of Protein Deficiency
Some signs of protein deficiency can include catching infections or colds easily, fatigue or anemia, nausea, dizziness or poor coordination, fluid retention in the extremities, dull hair, low hormone levels and weak nails. (Elson M. Haas)
Great Protein Crockpot Chili
Chili is an easy meal to prepare and wonderful for a cold winter day. Try this recipe topped with a little grated cheese or sour cream.
- Two tablespoons olive oil
- One small onion, chopped
- One tablespoon garlic, minced
- One small green pepper, chopped
- One cup quartered mushrooms
- One cup tempeh, crumbled
- One can diced tomatoes, low sodium with juice
- One can black beans, drained
- One can red kidney beans, drained
- One can navy beans, drained
- One can green lentils, drained
- Three tablespoons chili powder
- One tablespoon cumin
- Pepper to taste
- In small fry pan heat oil over medium heat.
- Sauté onion garlic and mushrooms until translucent.
- Transfer contents to crock pot.
- Add all beans, tomatoes and seasoning to crock pot.
- Cover and cook on high for four hours or cook on low for eight hours.
- When finished stir in one tablespoon of flour to thicken.
- Two cups red split lentils
- Four stalks of celery with the greens, chopped
- Four carrots, washed and cut into disks
- One large onion, chopped
- Two tablespoons soy butter
- Six cups low salt vegetable stock
- One handful of washed baby spinach leaves
- Thyme to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Rinse lentils and check for rocks.
- Melt butter and sauté celery, carrots and onion over medium heat until onion is translucent.
- Add stock and lentils and simmer until lentils are tender.
- You can process until smooth, add spinach and season or simply serve as is and season to taste.
This shake will give you enough energy to finish a grueling workout or simply get through a long day at work. Try it in the morning for a quick healthy breakfast.
- Two scoops of vanilla protein powder
- Four whole ripe bananas
- Four cups ice
- One half cup wheat germ
- One cup Yogurt - preferably organic yogurt
- One cup cooked unsweetened oatmeal
- Two thirds of a cup of slivered almonds
- Three tablespoons wildflower honey
- Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
- Add ice and blend until smooth, thick and frosty.
Elson M. Haas, MD. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2006.
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