There are many issues when it comes to protein sources. Organic, grass fed, sustainable, wild, cage free and pasteurized are all terms that have come into question. Label reading and questioning your fish monger or butcher has never been more important. If you are not interested in supporting the inhumane, unhealthy processing plants where animals are treated as simply “product”, then you must know where your food comes from and how it was treated and fed.
The natural diet for a chicken is bugs, worms and some grains, seeds, and greens. When birds eat this food they produce eggs with golden-orange yolk and are naturally rich in omega-3 with viscous whites that aren’t runny. Chickens that are raised in factory farms, produce conventional eggs, are put into two foot square wire cages with two to four other chickens and given feed containing antibiotics made mostly of bioengineered corn. This type of caging has been banned in some places in Europe due to the fact that it’s so inhumane.
While we’re on the topic of chicken, let’s talk about eggs. There are so many different claims on the cartons – cage free, free range, good source of omega 3, organic, certified humane – that it’s difficult to figure out which are the best.
Here’s a few things you should know:
- Cage free simply means that the hens aren’t stuck in little cages; instead, they’re packed into barns where they’re crowded but unconfined.
- Free ranges means that the hens are allowed to roam outdoors on occasion.
- Certified organic eggs come from uncaged hens that are given outdoor access and fed and organic, all-vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and pesticides.
When it comes to fish, the best quality is wild, line-caught. This means that the fish lived a relatively normal life, ate a natural diet, and was caught in a sustainable ways. On the other hand we have farmed fish. These fish are kept in huge pools where disease spreads rapidly and antibiotics must be used. The PCB levels are higher because the fish live in their own waste in a limited area. Farmed salmon are fed pellets that have color added to get the red color in the flesh. Much of our farm-raised fish, especially Atlantic, are genetically modified which will be discussed later.
The natural diet of cows is grass. Their whole anatomy and physiology is set up to graze and digest grass. Cows that are allowed to be raised and finished on grass have more omega-3 fatty acids in their fat. If cattle are corn or soy meal fed, they are not as health, often requiring antibiotics.
When it comes to protein, it’s not “you are what you eat”, it’s “you are what they eat”. Ask questions about how the animal was raised and what it was fed. Was it given access to pasture, was it caught in the wild? Answers to these questions tell you more about what you are eating then reading any label.
When speaking of protein, we must also talk about iron. Iron is essential to a healthy pregnancy and is the most widespread type of vitamin or mineral deficiency in the world. It plays the central role in the transportation of oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues and muscles and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. The bottom line is too little iron in the body, too little oxygen. In addition, iron functions in several key enzymes in energy production and metabolism, including DNA synthesis.
There are 2 forms of iron, “home” iron and “non-heme” iron. Heme iron is found in animal sources of protein and is the most efficiently absorbed. Non-heme iron is found in plant sources of protein.
When it comes to getting enough protein the main thing to consider is the protein “package”. Proteins from animal products come along with saturated fats and don’t come with much, if any, fiber. Plant proteins, on the other hand, are lower in saturated fat and high in fiber as well as other nutrients. Research shows that women who had the highest intake of animal protein had thirty nine percent more chance of ovulatory infertility and the women with the lowest intake of animal protein were substantially less likely to have ovulatory infertility. Adding just one serving per day of beans, peas, tofu or soybeans or nuts shows a modest amount of protection against ovulatory infertility.
When we speak of protein we absolutely must address the issue of soy. There is so much controversy in the media about the fortunes, and misfortunes, of soy that a person can get be mislead. Headlines tell us that eating soy based foods lowers cholesterol, chills hot flashes, prevents breast and prostate cancer, aids in weight loss and ward off osteoporosis. Soy products have flooded the market; from tofu to soymilk, tempeh and soy ice cream. The problem is the claims for soy exceed the evidence and some studies warn that too much soy may increase the risk of breast cancer in some women or promote memory lose.
Soy is as excellent source of protein, calcium and other healthful nutrients and eating it in place of red meat once in a while is definitely a better choice. For me, I believe the jury is still out and wouldn’t consume soy more than once a week. Something to keep in mind where soy is concerned, most of our soy crop is genetically modified (discussed later), which may not be good for our health. Most manufacturers will go out of their way to label their products when they don’t use GMO soy. If you’re going to consume soy, please make sure it is not genetically modified.
Donna Mintz is the owner of Basil & Barbells, Inc., a NYC based personal chef and personal training service that specializes in helping busy people fit healthy meals and exercise into their hectic schedules by offering cooking classes, personal training and personal chef services
