The Myth of Protein

There is evidence that excessive protein consumption adversely affects human health. In recent studies, diets high in protein have been shown to cause kidney problems, loss of calcium resulting in osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, and diabetes.

The right amount of protein

The average American consumes 3.5 ounces or 100 grams of protein a day and many consume 9 ounces or 255 grams per day. A healthy intake is .8 grams per kilo of body weight or .014 ounces per pound of body weight. So, for an adult weighing 73 kilos or 160 pounds the optimal protein intake is 64 grams or 2.2 ounces per day. 

Not all protein is created equal

Protein intake is not the only thing to consider when choosing food for consumption. Some sources of protein are laden with saturated fat and cholesterol. The biggest offenders are beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, processed meats such as: bacon, lunch meat, sausage and hot dogs, whole and 2% milk, butter, cheese and lard. Consuming these items for your protein will also bring with it high levels of fat. The accumulation of saturated fat in the diet is the number one cause for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and colon cancer.

The best options for protein are sources that are low in saturated fat and contain fiber. Take for example is excerpt from a Harvard University article:

"A 6-ounce broiled porterhouse steak is a great source of complete protein—38 grams worth. But it also delivers 44 grams of fat, 16 of them saturated. That's almost three-fourths of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat. The same amount of salmon gives you 34 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, 4 of them saturated. A cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, but under 1 gram of fat."

One cup of lentils also offers 15.6 grams of fiber, which is essential to stave off colon cancer. Click here for a comprehensive list of protein content in common food sources.

Too much protein is hazardous to your health
Kidney function and osteoporosis : Acids are released from protein when it breaks down in the digestive system of the body. To compensate for the increased level of acid, the body releases calcium to neutralize the effect from the protein. If excessive acid enters the blood stream, the body takes more calcium to maintain a balance. Diets high in protein create high levels of acid in the blood, if high levels of calcium are not readily available to counteract the acidity, the body begins stripping the calcium from bones. This calcium leaching inevitably leads to osteoporosis.

Protein also increases uric acid and oxalate levels in the urine which has been connected to kidney stones. In addition, eating excessive amounts of protein produces high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the urine which the kidneys have to work vigorously to expel from our bodies. This burden can lead to kidney disease and even kidney failure. Read more here.

Diabetes & cardiovascular disease : These two afflictions are a result of high fat protein sources, mainly from animals (beef, lamb, pork etc.) Consuming moderate amounts of good fats from avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil provide fuel for healthy brain function and maintain the body's ability to build muscle without adversely effecting weight. Excess weight, especially abdominal fat, has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Colorectal, breast, prostate and stomach cancer : Research has suggested chemical compounds produced when meat is cooked (and the world's increased meat consumption) might be partly to blame for the rise in cancer. Heterocyclic Amines (a mutagen) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (a carcinogen) form on meat while it is being cooked. Usually the higher the temperature and the longer the meat is cooked, the more these cancerous compounds are produced in the meat. Read more here. In addition, the saturated fat and iron found in red meat has been linked to causing cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends reducing red and processed meat intake to reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer. To obtain more information, see this article in U.S. News and Report health section and an article on the National Institutes of Health website.

The healthy way 
The best option for optimal health is a vegan or vegetarian diet. If meat consumption is part of your routine, it should be consumed in very small portions and only a few times a week instead of at every meal. Choosing protein sources that are low in saturated fat such as lentils, fish, skim milk, yoghurt, nuts and seeds are the best choice for a healthy life. A wise man by the name of Aristotle once said:

"... moral qualities are so constituted as to be destroyed by excess and by deficiency—as we see is the case with bodily strength and health. Strength is destroyed both by excessive and by deficient exercises, and similarly health is destroyed both by too much and by too little food and drink; while they are produced, increased and preserved by suitable quantities."

Even the ancient Greeks knew the dangers of excessive behavior. The best way to live life in all aspects is in moderation, the mean or middle way between extremes.

Factory farms of the ocean - Part II

There are alternatives to conventional fish farming:

• Polyculture and Integrated Aquaculture
• Wild Fishing

Polyculture and Integrated Aquaculture uses an eco-system approach to growing fish. The system can be land-based in tanks or "ponds" or can be open-water in bays or off shore. This approach pairs complementary species such as: Salmon, mussels and kelp. The waste from the salmon produces ammonia and phosphorus which the kelp extracts from the water. Mussels filter organic bottom level organisms. This approach keeps the enclosures cleaner - reducing or eliminating the need for antibiotics and fungicides as well as keeping the fish waste from contaminating waterways. Polyculture and Integrated Aquaculture is not used on a large scale, setting up such a system can be prohibitively expensive and it does not have a fast return on investment, the conventional ways of fish farming are far cheaper and are more lucrative in the short term.

By far, the best practice is sustainable wild fishing. The fish live their entire lives in the open ocean, they are less susceptible to the disease of their farmed counterparts and they have less chemicals in their bodies (except mercury).


What you can do to mitigate the harmful effects of farmed fish
First, I want to point out that being vegan, vegetarian or reducing your consumption of animal protein is the best choice to alleviate the environmental impact of farmed fish or wild fishing. In fact, the average person only needs 46-56 grams or 1.6-1.9 ounces of protein a day. The average American consumes 3.5 ounces and some people consume as much as 9 ounces of animal protein per day.


Purchasing sustainably wild caught fish is the best choice, for environmental as well as health reasons. Wild fish are not anti-biotic laden and have not been treated with other harmful chemicals such as fungicides. Check out this eco-friendly fish guide from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to make better choices for fish consumption. EDF also works with fisheries around the world, helping them set up "catch shares" where quotas are set for wild fishing, helping to ensure fish populations do not collapse. 


Some grocery stores clearly display the country of origin and if the fish are farmed or wild - if you are not sure, ask. Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label on packages of fish - they only assess wild caught fisheries. The MSC certifies that fisheries are using sustainable methods of fishing:  e.g. avoiding overfishing, limiting bycatch (unintentionally catching other species such as dolphins and turtles) and agree to respect closed zones. 


Other animal species depend on stable global fish populations. To ensure we retain the rich biodiversity of this planet, we should only take what we need and leave the rest for others.

Factory farms of the ocean- Part I

Over 1 billion people today depend on fish as a major source of animal protein in their diet. 40% of the fish consumed are grown in fish farms in a $78 billion aquaculture industry. The business of factory fish farming is the fastest growing food supply source, growing 9% a year since 1975. 


Part of the boom is due to the widely publicized health benefits one receives by eating fish and to counteract the overfishing of wild populations. However, eating farmed fish can be a risky business. Like the land-based factory farms, fish farms pack as many fish into the enclosures as possible to increase profits often causing health risks to the fish and people. It is also doubtful that fish farming alleviates the wild fish population dilemma. 


Health issues of aqua-farming
On salmon farms, fish spend their entire lives in a space no bigger than a conventional bathtub and trout often have less space with up to 27 fish sharing a bathtub-sized space. Without sufficient space to move and isolated from their natural ecosystems these fish are susceptible to disease, injury and dirty conditions. 


In the wild, fish move through the open waters with a large variety of other fish species, their waste is dispersed and sometimes consumed by bottom feeders or other inhabitants of the ocean. Parasites are cleaned off of them by "cleaner fish" keeping them healthy. The mono-species environment of fish farms are so crowded and dirty with fish excrement and sea lice that many fish become diseased. There is evidence that the crowded conditions cause stress in the fish populations making them more prone the lice infestations. Sea lice feed on tissue, blood and mucus, once a fish is infested their immune system breaks down, reducing growth and making disease an inevitability – many do not survive. 


To combat the health issues caused by the unnatural surroundings, fish farmers treat their fish population with antibiotics and carcinogenic fungicides. The over use of antibiotics causes antibiotic resistant bacteria to emerge increasing disease susceptibility not only in fish but the people who consume the fish.


Environmental issues of aqua-farming
The largest impact of fish farms is their negative influence on the environment. In the global fish market, demand is high for top of the food chain, carnivorous varieties of fish like: tuna, striped bass, cod and mackerel. These fish eat other smaller pelagic fish which are harvested from the open ocean, depleting the wild fish population. 37% of global seafood is used for fish food and distributed to fish and shrimp farms. This practice takes the food from the oceanic food chain further disrupting the ecosystem and is highly unsustainable. 


The lice infestation and disease that farmed fish succumb to are passed on to wild populations. Aqua-farms are usually located around coastal areas close to inlets, rivers, bays and estuaries which are also used by wild fish populations. Wild fish have to navigate around fish farms, frequently coming in contact with contaminated fish contracting their afflictions. 


The high concentrations of fish produce a significant amount of condensed faeces, often contaminated with drugs, which affect local waterways. The bacterial growth, resulting from fish waste and uneaten fish meal pellets, strips the water of oxygen, reducing or killing off the local marine life. Algal blooms occur in these nitrogen and phosphorus rich waters further disrupting the surrounding areas, proving to be toxic to wild fish larvae and marine mammals, such as porpoises and seals. It also kills caged farmed fish. Once an area has been so contaminated, the fish farms are moved to new, uncontaminated areas.