[263] in Vegetarian_Support_Group
protein
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Laura C Dilley)
Thu Nov 17 23:35:42 1994
To: vsg@MIT.EDU
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 23:34:47 EST
From: Laura C Dilley <elsiedee@MIT.EDU>
------- Forwarded Message
To: elsiedee@MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: Diet for a New America, anyone?
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 14 Nov 1994 23:31:56 EST."
<9411150431.AA27967@alfredo.MIT.EDU>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 18:06:17 EST
From: Ed Piekos <espiekos@MIT.EDU>
Hi Laura,
I must shamefully admit that I haven't yet read _Diet for a New America_,
so I am not sure what it says about protein. You should tell your Mom, though,
that the chances of her having a protein deficiency are extremely slim and
getting too much protein is tough on your body. It is especially tough on
women because an excess of protein causes you to excrete calcium in your
urine, leading to a higher risk of osteoporosis. The US RDA's for calcium
are higher than your body really needs to attempt to make up for this loss,
in fact. I'll put it this way; why do Americans have the highest rates of
dairy consumption *and* the highest rates of oseteoporosis? Excess protein
consumption, perhaps??
I looked through my archives to try and back what I've said up with papers, etc
but I couldn't find anything. The best I could do was this excerpt from
the American Dietetic Association's position paper on vegetarianism.
from: POSITION OF THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: VEGETARIAN DIETS
Although most vegetarian diets meet or exceed the Recommended Dietary
Allowances (13) for protein, they often provide less protein than
nonvegetarian diets. This lower protein intake may be associated with
better calcium retention in vegetarians and improved kidney function in
individuals with prior kidney damage. Further, lower protein intakes may
result in a lower fat intake with its inherent advantages, because foods
high in protein are frequently high in fat also.
I hope this helps.
<<ESP>>
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