The Baby Boomer Diet

Integral to every cell in the body, protein is used to build and repair tissues, and to make enzymes and hormones. However, as we age, we must rethink our protein needs—considering type, quality, and digestibility. Body Ecology’s 7 Principles can help lead the way.

I was born in Athens, Georgia, a sleepy university town. At 16, I got my first car, a Morris Minor. To me it was a rite of passage that meant freedom and independence. We Baby Boomers created the new “car culture.” It was during the ’50s that the first motels and drive-in banks, theaters, and restaurants emerged. Clearly, we loved our cars so much that we never wanted to leave them, not even to eat!

Bubble haircuts were in, so all day Saturday we wore big ugly rollers in our hair so that we would look “cute” for Saturday night … party time. We watched movies from the hoods of our cars, and drove to frat parties or to Charlie Williams’s Pinecrest Lodge, where there were great bands, too much beer, and horribly unhealthy food.

It’s funny how many of us associate some of the most memorable times in our lives with food. One favorite memory of mine was eating with my friends at the Varsity drive-in. The Varsity specialized in chili dogs, kraut dogs, greasy fries, and huge Coca-Colas. I especially loved the kraut dogs—perhaps an early clue to my future love affair with cultured cabbage! When I think of my teen years, I can still remember the smells and warmth of that special time.

Although they were here and gone faster than 8-track players, you might say drive-in restaurants were one of the places where our generation came of age. Did you have a Krystal burger joint or Dairy Queen in your hometown? The short-lived drive-ins of yesterday have been mostly replaced with today’s far more tenacious fast-food restaurants. The greasy fries, cheap-quality burgers on spongy buns, sugary soft drinks, and sickly sweet desserts remain a permanent fixture of American culture. Now, decades later, as our grandchildren enter this world, we are beginning to glimpse the consequences of this fast-food diet.

Our generation must begin … step by step … to undo the damage of the past. Today, there are a number of compelling reasons why we should change our eating habits with regard to animal protein. How we embrace this change on a personal level will have an impact globally. The world’s total meat supply is increasing at an alarming rate. In 1961, it was estimated at 71 million tons a year. In 2007, that figure had risen to around 284 million tons. Americans continue to eat about eight ounces of meat a day, roughly twice the global average. More meat means more feed, especially corn and soy … which not only raises the price, but also exacts a heavy cost on our energy supplies and on our environment. In fact, nearly three-fourths of the problem we have with water quality in U.S. rivers and streams is caused by our unquenchable demand for meat.¹

In Eric Schlosser’s widely read book Fast Food Nation, he talks about our poorly regulated meat industry and its potential health threats. Every day in the United States roughly 200,000 people become ill from foodborne disease. More than a quarter of the American population suffers a bout of food poisoning each year, and this is just a small fraction, as most of these illnesses are not reported.²

However, the problem is not with the animals, but with the way we now commercially raise them—in cruel, large-scale confinement facilities. Turning this problem around is one of the most challenging issues facing Baby Boomers; and it will take a focused effort from a healthy, energetic generation to tackle it with a compassionate heart.

So is this meant to suggest that you give up meat or other animal proteins such as fish, milk, eggs, poultry, and beef ? Perhaps, but the choice will be yours to make. In this chapter you’ll find exactly what you need to know to make this decision. Here are six important points to remember:

4. It is not wise to obtain all your protein from animals. However, if you choose to be a vegetarian, you will have to take great care not to miss out on certain nutrients, including amino acids, minerals, fats, and vitamins found in animal products.

5. All foods have their positive and negative sides … including all protein foods.

6. Proper digestion is crucial to ensure that the value of high-quality protein is not lost.

If all of the water and fat is removed from the body, 75 percent of what remains is protein. Protein consists of chains of amino acids. There are 22 amino acids that combine to form different types of proteins. Everything, from our neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers of our brains; to our organs, blood, bones, hair, and nails are composed of proteins. Nine of the 22 amino acids are called essential, and because our bodies can’t make them, they must be obtained from the diet. We need to consume proteins or we will be deficient in these essential amino acids.

Your body expends more energy to digest protein than sugars or fats. But unlike sugars, which provide quick energy, protein provides long-lasting energy without an insulin surge (which promotes fat storage). For these reasons, protein can help keep you lean and slender.

The protein in our diets determines the amount of an important hormone in the body called glucagon, which helps balance insulin. While insulin can contribute to fat storage, glucagon helps prevent it. Body fat, especially abdominal fat, creates inflammation. And low-grade chronic inflammation leads to every disease of aging: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and gum disease.

As we age, sarcopenia (muscle wasting) becomes a serious problem. The youngest of the Baby Boomers are now in their 40s, so most of us have already begun to experience a loss of muscle mass. Those of us entering our seventh decade can expect an even more rapid decline in muscle unless we make changes to our diet, digestion, and way of life. Even if we are physically active, low-grade acidosis, inflammation, and a lack of minerals in the diet will cause our muscles to disappear. Protein helps build muscles that make us look sexier and more youthful.

Contrary to popular belief, it is the egg yolk that is the healthiest part of the egg. Eggs yolks are great for your brain, thyroid, and hormones—they contain good fats and are an excellent source of vitamins A and D. They also contain the B vitamin choline—the precursor to acetylcholine, an important stimulating neurotransmitter that is deficient in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s. Choline also helps convert fats into HDL, the good cholesterol.

This may surprise you if you still believe in an outdated perception that egg yolks raise cholesterol. They do, but you want this good cholesterol.

While it is difficult to find them, try to purchase eggs from pasture-fed chickens that have not been fed soybeans. In nature, chickens eat worms and bugs for their protein, not soy. They are not vegetarians. Eggs from chickens that eat their natural proteins, live cage-free lives, and are never fed hormones are the very best.

Oily fish, like salmon, are one of the most preferred animalprotein foods on the Body Ecology program. We recommend having fish at least two or three times per week. Avoid warmwater species, like orange roughy, because preservatives are used when they are caught. Cold-water fish are best, such as salmon, sardines, tuna, and halibut. Salmon and sardines are especially healthy because they are rich in omega-3s.

Meat and poultry, especially from organic, hormone-and antibiotic-free animals, can be excellent sources of protein for some. While red meat has gotten bad publicity in recent years, more recent studies are coming out to debunk these myths. Beef, a complete protein, is high in minerals and B vitamins and contains heart-healthy carnitine and coenzyme Q₁₀. Lamb is also an excellent protein, strengthening to many, especially those with blood type B. The important thing to remember with regard to beef is quality and preparation.

If dairy works well in your body, this ancient food has long been thought to increase longevity. It is fun, delicious, and very easy to make with Body Ecology’s Kefir Starter. Use goat, cow, or sheep milk … raw, if possible. Find a source at: www.realmilk.com. (For more on kefir, refer to Chapter 15: Fermented Foods.)

Apart from its global impact, excessive consumption of redmeat protein also exacts a great toll on our health. A study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and older Americans found that those who consumed more than four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the ten years in which they were observed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts, and other processed meats also increased the risk. (See “Protein and the Principle of 80/20” later in the chapter.)

At the same time, the study revealed that those who consumed the most white meat (poultry and fish) were about 8 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who ate the least. This is because poultry contains more unsaturated fat, which improves cholesterol levels; while fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease.

Researchers stressed that the study results do not mean people should eliminate red meat from their diets entirely, but simply avoid eating it in large amounts and every day. Walter Willett, a nutrition expert at the Harvard School of Public Health, writes: “You can be very healthy being a vegetarian, but you can be very healthy being a non-vegetarian if you keep your red meat intake low.”³

Nuts and seeds are nutrient-dense protein/fats, best eaten after soaking 8 to 12 hours to remove the phytic acid that makes them difficult to digest. There are some good reasons not to overdo these foods. Very concentrated sources of protein, nuts and seeds are not only acidic; they are also rich in the amino acid arginine, which often triggers viral outbreaks. If you have herpes or AIDs, avoid them or eat them in very small quantities … perhaps sprinkled in a salad. Take the mineral selenium and also lysine, another amino acid. Unfortunately, nuts and seeds are also rich in oxalates, which should be avoided, or at least limited, in many people’s diets. (See the low-oxalate diet in Chapter 19.)

Beans are mostly a carbohydrate combined with some protein. This makes them intrinsically harder to digest. They digest best when combined with land, ocean, and fermented vegetables. To really get the benefits of the protein in beans, they must be soaked for 8 to 24 hours to remove the phytic acid. To minimize the gas-producing effect of beans, soak them for at least 8 hours, and then cook them slowly for 45 minutes in water. Pour off the water and start cooking again. This time, add a strip of the sea vegetable kombu. Salt can be added after the beans have become soft.

Eating beans only with fresh and cultured veggies in a meal is a big help when it comes to digesting them. Combining beans with a grain such as rice or with a tortilla, as is traditionally done, is not recommended. Beans can also be soaked, sprouted, cooked, and then blended up into a delicious pâté.

The best way to eat beans is to ferment them, and with soybeans, it is absolutely critical to do so. Fermented soy foods such as miso, wheat-free tamara, natto, and tempeh are definitely on The Diet and are excellent anti-aging foods.

The phytoestrogens and isoflavones in soybeans have estrogen-like activity and are structurally similar to estrogen. They bind easily to receptor sites on a cell.

While unfermented soy foods such as tofu and soy milk have been heavily promoted recently as having significant therapeutic properties for women, most of the claims (breastand prostate-cancer prevention, reducing cholesterol, and prevention and treatment of postmenopausal symptoms and osteoporosis) have not been confirmed in well-designed clinical trials.

Instead, a more convincing body of research shows that the phytoestrogens being consumed in large quantities in popular unfermented soy foods (soy milk, tofu, energy bars, protein shakes, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, hot dogs, and so on) are disrupting the endocrine system. They can cause infertility and can promote breast cancer … not prevent it. Japanese researcher Hiro Watanbe, an expert in developmental biology and cancer prevention, has shown that fermented miso soup helps to dramatically lower the risk of breast cancer and even to reverse it.

Disturbing studies are now showing that unfermented soy foods suppress the thyroid, and tofu has been shown to negatively affect cognitive function in older people. MSG is formed during the processing of soy, and soy foods also contain high levels of aluminum.

What else is the research showing about the many negative side effects of unfermented soy foods? The list is extensive and scary. It includes: high levels of phytic acid (which reduce the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc) and trypsin inhibitors (which interfere with the digestion of protein and may cause pancreatic disorders).

Natto—for Bones and Beauty

Natto, a traditional food of Japan, has been a staple in that country for more than a thousand years. Sometimes called “vegetable cheese,” natto is simply fermented soybeans. Rich in vegetable protein and vitamin B₁₂, natto is nourishing, cooling, and antiviral. It has been linked to prevention of cancer, heart attacks, osteoporosis, and obesity. Although these health benefits are often attributed to soy, it’s really the bacteria in natto that give it its kick. Bacillus natto produces various enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, and other nutrients that can only emerge during fermentation.

Under good conditions, natto bacteria can double their numbers in 30 minutes, producing various enzymes that help digestion. Nattokinase and pyrazine are two enzymes present in natto that prevent or reduce blood clotting, which obstructs the flow of blood and is often the precursor to heart attacks and strokes. Nattokinase is only produced during natto’s fermentation process.

Another interesting thing to note about natto is that it has a very high amount of vitamin K, which helps in the formation of our bones. Very few foods contain naturally occurring vitamin K. People with osteoporosis tend to have low amounts, so this is an ideal natural supplement.

And finally, natto has some wonderfully “youthening” cosmetic benefits. Soybeans are high in lecithin, a surfactant (wetting agent) that balances fat and water in skin cells and on the cell surface. This may explain why Japanese women have smoother, clearer skin than Europeans and Americans. Natto is also rich in vitamin E, which helps prevent skin damage and keeps us looking young.

When you eat unfermented soy, your need for vitamins D and B₁₂ will increase. These two vitamins are seriously deficient in many people today anyway.

Note: If your sons and daughters have infants, please tell them to do their own research on the damaging effects of soymilk formulas. Soy milk has none of the real nourishment found in breast milk. Feeding soy to a child risks permanent endocrine-system damage.

Growing in popularity since they were first introduced in 1939, soy formulas are one more factor contributing to the increasing rate of infertility in our children and grandchildren. In 1992, the Swiss health service estimated that 100 grams of soy protein provided the estrogenic equivalent of the birth-control pill.⁴ Hormonal changes begin to occur after only one month on soy milk, and the large amounts of phytoestrogens present are hormone disruptors. Soy formula causes hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroid disorders. And research shows that its phytic acid and the trypsin inhibitors stunt growth.

The soybean is difficult to ferment, and only hardy bacteria can do the job. The bacteria, working over months or even years, degrade the proteins into easily digested amino acids and the fats into fatty acids, while also reducing the starch and sugar in the beans.

If you’d like to learn more about the negative effects of soy, visit the Weston A. Price Foundation website: westonaprice.org. Their information is well supported by research.

Look for a whole-food green drink that contains a wide spectrum of beneficial microflora and beneficial yeast, digestive enzymes, and protein. Examples are Body Ecology’s Potent Proteins and our very popular blend called Vitality SuperGreen. Knowing how important it is to alkalize the body and nourish it with easily digested nutrients that assimilate immediately, we’ve made sure that both of our green protein powders contain fermented ingredients to help heal the digestive tract.

Quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and amaranth are similar to a grain and are preferred over rice, wheat, barley, oats, and rye. (See Chapter 20 for more on these important protein-rich foods.) They should be on your daily menu.

Perhaps you’ve already accepted that as the years go by your body will become less muscular. Isn’t that normal with aging?

Even though we consume twice the global average of animal proteins, protein malnourishment is surprisingly quite common in America. In fact, even our children are protein deficient, yet most consume animal protein every day. You may have become protein deficient in childhood even if you were a big “meat eater.” Why? Because even from birth, many of us have not been digesting the protein we eat.

Protein malnourishment elevates the amount of cortisol in our blood and causes us to feel stressed-out, sleep poorly, and age quickly. A deficiency in protein has other serious negative effects. Our organs fail; thinking, planning, and cognition go on the blink; and the immune system crashes and has difficulty fighting infections. Since our brains, bones, hair, nails, and muscles all rely on protein, they lose their vibrancy—their life force.

Clearly, protein is a vital nutrient, and eating the right protein foods is vital for combatting aging. But the $64 million question every Baby Boomer must now be asking is, “If my goal is to add more quality years to my life and eliminate age-related suffering, must I alter the kind of protein foods, as well as the amount, I eat?” The answer is, without a doubt, yes!

Even though we consume twice the global average of animal proteins, protein malnourishment is surprisingly quite common here in America. In fact, even our children are protein deficient, yet most consume animal protein every day. How can this be?

Over the years, I have learned that the discussion of protein is much like politics and religion … a provocative topic with highly charged emotions and strongly held belief systems. And, although I know to never discuss politics or religion at a dinner party, there is no way I could write a diet book and avoid this controversial area of nutrition. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could let science lead us to the best answers?

Sadly, there are many hard-core scientific studies showing that we need animal protein, so there are many advocates for high-protein diets. However, there is just as much “solid science” advocating a vegetarian diet … especially for cancer prevention and anti-aging.

So where do you go for answers? Body Ecology can help finally put an end to this protein debate and offer something for everyone. While research on calorie restriction seems to provide significant clues, the 7 Principles of the Body Ecology system of health and healing will once and for all clear up this confusion … as I find they always do.

The word calorie is an unpleasant one to many of us who have been dieting for years, and restriction is perhaps even more objectionable to a Baby Boomer who doesn’t believe in holding back when he or she wants something. Several studies actually suggest that as we age our protein intake needs to be even higher than what is currently recommended, and at Body Ecology we agree. We do need “more” protein than we are currently consuming, but not more quantity. In fact, the secret to pushing back Father Time is to decrease the quantity of protein and add more quality—from a wide variety of sources, not just animals—and to make sure we digest it better.

Thomas Jefferson probably said it best: “I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that not as an aliment, so much as a condiment for the vegetables which constitute my principal diet.”⁵ A man of many interests, Jefferson was passionate about architecture, gardening, music, wine, and food. Although he never needed to cook his own meals, it is said he frequently collected delicious recipes from chefs and shared them with his friends.

As you envision protein as a “condiment,” remember the Principle of 80/20: 80 percent of your serving plate will be land and ocean vegetables; the remaining 20 percent should be animal protein. Always emphasize vegetables, with a focus on adding fermented vegetables, as this is critical to fostering vitality and a healthy inner ecosystem.

By the way, the average life span in Jefferson’s day was only 45 years. Born on April 13, 1743, the third U.S. President lived to be 83, dying in 1826. Certainly this man of great intention, intuition, and wisdom had something to tell us.*

Animal proteins are potent sources of nutrition. This is one of the main reasons we don’t need a large serving at a meal. Even nuts and seeds are concentrated sources of nutrition. Indeed, to truly follow what science is revealing with regard to calorie restriction, we must eat smaller amounts of very high-quality protein. And we must discover the proteins that are best for us!

Animal proteins are contractive because of the naturally occurring salt in blood. To create balance, you will feel best if you eat them with more expansive foods. For example, a poached salmon or chicken fillet (contractive) on top of a big raw salad with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar, plus cultured vegetables (more expansive), creates a very nice balance of ingredients.

Animal protein is also acidic; and since salt, while contracting, is the most alkalizing of all foods, you might have noticed that when you eat certain acidic proteins (fish, eggs, chicken, beef, and even nuts), they taste much more delicious with sea salt. It’s your natural instinct to balance the acid protein with the very alkaline salt.

Nuts and seeds are less contractive than animal proteins, as you will see if you look at the Expansion/Contraction Continuum at the end of Chapter 11. They do not naturally have the salt content of animal foods. You can salt your nuts to make them more alkaline; and they, too, will go nicely in a big raw salad with dressing, plus cultured vegetables.

Chlorella, spirulina, and blue-green algae are excellent vegetarian proteins that have become more and more popular today. While they are alkaline, they have an expansive, openingup quality. Adding contracting sea salt to a drink containing algae can help create that perfect balance. I often recommend adding a pinch of sea salt to a “green veggie smoothie” in the morning, because all those expansive, raw veggies become more balanced with the more contractive sea salt.

A recent study compared an acidic diet, full of acidproducing proteins and cereal grains, to a diet rich in alkalineproducing fruits and vegetables. The results indicate that metabolic acidosis from the meat-and-grain diet appears to contribute to a reduction in lean tissue mass in older adults. The alkaline diet favored lean tissue mass.⁶

If you choose to eat acid-forming proteins, you must balance them with alkaline-forming foods, including small amounts of sour fruits and larger amounts of vegetables from the garden and ocean. If you don’t do this, you will rapidly deplete your chi or life force.

The meat-and-potatoes meal, characteristic of the standard American diet, contributes to an inner-ecosystem imbalance. It causes you to gain weight and use up metabolic enzymes, which will age you faster. Chapter 13 covered the importance of food combining, so by now, you know that meat and potatoes (the first acid and the second alkaline) neutralize the acid in your stomach, inhibiting the first stage of digestion. When these foods enter the small intestine—where both protein and starches are digested—digestion suffers here as well. Not only that, but the door is opened to potential pathogens that would have been destroyed by the stomach acid.

To digest animal protein and maximize its benefits, always combine it with nonstarchy vegetables from the land and ocean and cultured veggies. For example, combine scrambled eggs with cultured veggies and steamed asparagus.

Nuts and seeds are a protein/fat, as is avocado. Dairy foods such as milk kefir and raw cheese are also protein/fats. You could drink a glass of milk kefir and eat some soaked almonds or walnuts. All protein/fats combine well with members of the acid-fruit family (such as grapefruit, strawberry, and raspberry). All foods in this protein/fat category also can be combined with vegetables.

• A salad made with romaine lettuce, avocado, soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds, blueberries, or grapefruit sections. You could even toss in a few cubes of raw cheese (if this protein works for your body).

• A smoothie made with milk kefir, sour Granny Smith apple, celery, zucchini, and stevia to sweeten. A bit of coconut oil would be tasty, too, and a spoonful of chia seeds will add fiber and omega-3 fatty acid.

All the organic, unrefined oils combine with the proteins mentioned above. In fact, all proteins naturally contain oils. For example, salmon has salmon oil, cod liver has cod-liver oil, walnuts have walnut oil, and hemp seeds have hemp oil. Oil can even be found in algae. The brain-nourishing fatty acid DHA can be obtained from the oil in algae.

The four recommended grain-like seeds—quinoa, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat—are protein/starches. Because of the starch, most people find that these digest best when eaten as the main entrée and combined with nonstarchy vegetables. If you combine them with animal proteins and nuts and seeds, you may find that your digestion is sluggish and gassy. If you must serve a meal with animal protein and a grain, however, these grain-like seeds are a much better choice than traditional protein/grain combinations such as chicken and rice, meatballs with pasta, or eggs with toast and oatmeal.

Because the Principle of Uniqueness says that no one diet fits all, some of us may feel better and maintain more muscle mass when we eat animal protein. Some of us will feel lighter and more fit if we are vegetarians.

In other words, you will have to decide whether animal protein works in your unique body and how much you should be eating each day. (Or perhaps several times per week?)

The Body Ecology Way, with its 7 Universal Principles, excellent-quality fats and oils, and wide array of fermented foods and liquids, can also enhance the diet of any vegetarian or someone who is considering a non-carnivore way of life. You would then also have the benefits of a gluten-free, sugar-free diet. This will help you maintain the important anti-aging, acid/alkaline balance of your blood.

The best place to begin is by asking yourself the right questions, educating yourself, and seeking out a source for reliable testing. You might consider consulting with a Body Ecology Coach or scheduling a visit to a health-care professional who knows the Body Ecology Way.

Start paying attention to your body. Maybe you’ll find that where you live right now requires you to eat more animal protein and fats. It’s harder to eat only raw foods when you live in a cold climate, because they cool the body and provide no warmth. They work well in warmer climates, like the Southwest, Florida, Hawaii, and California, however … where you’ll notice most raw food–ists reside.

What’s your age? A growing baby will not have the same nutritional needs as someone in his or her 70s.

If you are a Baby Boomer woman, you have probably put your childbearing years behind you, but how about your daughter? Is she pregnant or nursing? Her nutritional needs change dramatically, and calorie restriction would be very wrong for her.

What’s happening with your own hormones? Did you eat a lot of acidic foods such as meat, pasta, and ice cream as a child and as an adult … and now you are experiencing hot flashes and low libido in your 40s? An acid-forming diet will wreak havoc with your hormones, burning out your endocrine system quickly and causing you to age.

And very important, what are you digesting right now? Undigested food becomes another toxin in your digestive tract, so how you prepare what you eat so that you can digest it will be fundamental.

There is one commonality among everyone, regardless of age, hormones, lifestyle, activity level, and current state of health: the need for fermented foods and beverages.

The Baby Boomer Diet is mostly plant based but not necessarily vegetarian. Because each of us is an experiment of one, it would be violating the Principle of Uniqueness to say that everyone needs—or shouldn’t have—animal foods.

Humans are the only animals on the planet that have the capability and freedom to grow and harvest a wide variety of foods. This makes living on Earth very exciting, but it has given us something else to argue about. Unfortunately, even our diet triggers strife.

Millions of us feel stronger and more grounded when we eat animal foods. We also have a powerful emotional and even genetic attachment to them, because not only have we grown up eating them every day, but also as a race we’ve been doing so for thousands of years, and our cells and our genes are familiar with them. They simply seem comforting and natural to us.

For many reasons, some of us prefer to be “vegetarian” while still consuming some animal products such as dairy foods and eggs. A vegetarian feels good because the animal has not been killed to provide nourishment, yet he or she is obtaining important nutrients available only in animal sources of food.

If you choose to be vegetarian or vegan, the Baby Boomer Diet can help you go about this even better.

Many of us who have tried a raw, vegan diet feel lighter and more energetic. Others of us find we cannot digest raw vegetables, but feel as if we’re being judged and in the wrong if we’re not eating an all-raw diet. After all, cooking kills the enzymes, right? (Chapter 19 talks more about raw versus cooked vegetables.) And, of course, raw food–ists believe that if we eat all raw, we won’t age as quickly.

But the Principle of Uniqueness is infallible and cannot be ignored. You must find what is right for you. Determine your needs and know that these will change through the years.

When you embark on a vegan or raw-foods diet, you might thrive for a certain period of time … say, one day, one week, a month, or several years … on this lighter fare. This is because it is right for your unique body at this point in your life. But maybe you’re beginning to look older, and your spine is developing a curve. Your teeth and gums have started to deteriorate, and you can’t carry on a focused conversation with your accountant. These conditions can be related to protein deficiency.

It’s very important to take a fish-oil supplement. Codliver oil, butter, ghee, and egg yolks provide vitamins A and D. Vegetarians can become deficient in B₁₂ and important amino acids such as tyrosine and taurine. Full-spectrum amino-acid supplements are available but should be unnecessary if you are eating the right vegetarian protein foods and digesting them properly. Supplements are great, but there is nothing as effective as well-digested food. You might also consider adding Body Ecology’s Potent Proteins powder to your diet, as this is an excellent source of B₁₂.

Always be willing to change. Your body will constantly be going in and out of balance. Your goal is to be mindful of bringing it back into balance.

Be watchful … and when you see symptoms of low energy, anxiety, spaciness, tooth decay, hormonal imbalances, and loss of sexual desire, it may be time to add in more grounding animal foods and/or animal fats such as butter, ghee, cod-liver oil, egg yolks, or even raw-milk kefir. Ask yourself questions such as the following:

• “My tests show that I am losing bone density; what’s not working now?”

If you are less active, you may find you do best on your own unique version of a vegetarian/vegan/raw-foods diet, with occasional animal foods added in for grounding and strength.

Some of us are very active sometimes but then have quiet, restful days as well. Wake up and decide what your body needs for that day. It’s a matter of supply and demand. You supply what your body demands.

To digest protein, you must have strong “digestive fire.” This means adequate amounts of digestive enzymes in your stomach and small intestine. Hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsin, and pancreatic enzymes (found in the small intestine) that digest protein and fats are often inadequate or nonexistent. Ironically, when you are too acidic and deficient in minerals, your stomach will not produce enough stomach acid—creating a vicious cycle: low stomach acid equals low minerals; then low minerals equal low stomach acid.

If you find you feel stronger and more grounded when you eat animal proteins but have weak digestion, then you must find ways to prepare these foods so that they are easy to digest.

“Blenderize” your animal proteins such as chicken or fish into a pâté (like baby food). Salmon pâté can be a tasty delicacy.

Indigenous people around the world instinctively knew to eat a portion of their animal protein such as fish, milk, or meat either raw or fermented. In fact, sausage is traditionally a fermented food. When you cook animal proteins, you denature the protein, and they become impossible to digest. Undigested animal protein is simply another toxin in your gut. Too much over a long time can lead to cancer.

Salmon or tuna sashimi is served in millions of Japanese homes each day. If you have not tried it yet, visit a top-notch Japanese restaurant and do your own experiment (no rice, please, only the sashimi). You will find it much easier to digest.

If you want to prepare sashimi in your own home and are concerned about parasites or bacteria, simply buy sushigrade fish or freeze it for at least 48 hours to destroy possible parasites or bacteria. Then defrost, wash, and slice to serve.

Including fermented foods in your diet—especially having cultured veggies and/or young coconut kefir with your protein meals—is a must.

Cultured veggies are full of enzymes that enhance the digestion of proteins. Additionally, undigested animal protein can create toxic by-products in the intestines. The microflora in cultured veggies can negate these.

A lovely wineglass full of young coconut kefir or InnergyBiotic is a great digestive aid. Sip it slowly as you eat your meal. Young coconut kefir is a significant source of B vitamins, which are also manufactured by the friendly flora in your intestines. B vitamins are essential for proper utilization of amino acids, and neurotransmitters such as serotonin must have Bs to form properly.

Poultry should never be eaten rare or raw, but you can “brine” it to make it more tender and digestible. Also, cook it at a low temperature to make it easier to digest. To make a brine, simply put sea salt into a bowl of water and then add well-washed poultry. Let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes (to brine). Remove from water, dry, and then marinate if desired. It should be cooked at a low temperature (approximately 275° F) until the meat has turned a very pale pinkish color. Remove from the oven and cover. Let poultry sit for a few more minutes to finish cooking (meat should be white yet tender); then serve.

Our ability to make digestive enzymes diminishes with age. We can live longer and are much healthier if we take supplemental digestive enzymes.

— Body Ecology created a line of three supplements to help digest the food in your stomach and small intestine. ASSIST was designed to help digest vegetarian protein, as well as fats and carbohydrates. (You would take these with your evening meal.) ASSIST Protein and Dairy is for efficient digestion of animal proteins in the stomach. (Take these with your midday animal-protein meal.) ASSIST SI provides powerful pancreatic enzymes that help digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates once they reach your small intestine. (One or two taken along with all meals enhances digestion in your small intestine.)

— Ox bile and lipase are two other enzymes that may be taken when one has trouble digesting fats. Ox bile, available from Jarrow Formulas, is a must for anyone who has had his or her gallbladder removed.

These digestive aids help maintain total body alkalinity, which helps balance the acids that are produced from proteins:

— Making Body Ecology lemonade by freshly squeezing the juice of one lemon (organic, if possible) into six to eight ounces of sparkling mineral water with stevia (to taste) is a great way to help digest protein. Lemon juice is acidic, and this helps your stomach become more acidic if you tend to have low stomach acid. However, when metabolized, the lemon juice becomes alkaline, creating a more balanced blood pH. Drink the lemonade 15 minutes before your meal. If you use sparkling mineral water, it, too, is acidic, but the potassium citrate in lemons actually creates a strong, overall alkaline effect inside your body.

— Adding one teaspoon of raw apple-cider vinegar to warm water and sipping it along with your protein meal is another great way to add acidity to your stomach to enhance digestion. It is also highly alkalizing once digested.

If you don’t eat a certain type of food for a while, you may find it hard to digest it at first. The intelligent microflora in your intestines work hard to digest what is sent down to them. If you are vegetarian for months and suddenly switch back to animal foods, expect temporary problems until the microflora adjust to their new food. If you have been on a high-animalprotein diet and then suddenly start to eat quinoa or millet and find you can’t digest it, you now know why.

Now that you know the importance of cutting back on the amount of animal protein in your diet, while at the same time adding in much more easily digested plant proteins, what other foods will you need to embrace to restore your prenatal jing? The next chapter showcases one of the most critical food pillars in the Body Ecology program—vegetables.

From the Physician’s Desk

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“Brittle bones and muscle loss have usually been associated with people in their 70s and 80s. However, the reality is that bone loss can begin as early as our 20s. We can blame our protein-heavy, high-acid diets for this acceleration in aging.”

The Price of a High-Protein Diet … Is It Worth It?

It has been well documented that high-protein diets are a primary cause of increased loss of calcium from bones, which leads to thinning and loss of bone (osteopenia and osteoporosis). Alarming data reveal that 50 percent of women above the age of 55 have this problem.

The overconsumption of protein and other acid-producing foods, such as grains, sugars, alcohol, and salt, increases both the acid load and acid production in the body. To make matters worse, the under-consumption of alkalineproducing foods—namely, vegetables, fruits, and minerals (especially potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the citrate and bicarbonate forms)—compounds the problem, creating even more acidosis. The breakdown of calcium phosphate from bone is the body’s way of correcting the acid/alkaline imbalance. So, the bones get thinner, the phosphate buffers the increased acid in the blood, and the high calcium, which leaves the body via the urine, can create kidney stones and/or greatly stress the kidneys. In addition, the higher calcium in the presence of acidosis can be deposited in areas of inflammation such as arteries, tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, and even the brain. This is known as ectopic calcification, or the laying down of calcium where it doesn’t belong.

A recent study showed how easily and quickly this boneloss process can begin, even in women as young as 22 to 39. In other words, premenopausal women on a standard American high-protein diet can be putting themselves at significant risk of premature bone loss, which accumulates over time. The researchers took 39 healthy premenopausal women, consuming their typical higher-protein diet, and reduced it to .8 grams per kilogram of protein for only a two-week period. The lab tests at the end the study period showed some surprising results:

• Decreases in urine-and blood-nitrogen levels

• Decreases in renal-acid secretion

• Decreases in calcium and bone-loss markers in the urine

These data show that even in a two-week period, eating a little less protein and a lot more vegetables, fruits, and minerals can modify this chronic and dangerous problem.ⁱ

Another interesting point about overconsumption of protein is that the acidic environment also causes the loss of minerals, especially magnesium, in the urine. This creates many problems, including low intracellular magnesium in the endothelial cells that line the arteries. In the presence of acidosis, the intracellular calcium/magnesium ratio abnormally increases, and affects the arteries’ ability to contract and relax, which often leads to hypertension. Supplementation with magnesium reduces this process of damage to the artery cells (also known as endothelial dysfunction).ⁱⁱ

In addition to bones, muscles must be considered. A recent article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that low-grade chronic metabolic acidosis promotes muscle wasting. This condition, known as sarcopenia, is thought to be due in part to an acid environment, and increased free radicals that damage the mitochondria (energy factories) in muscle cells. These damaged mitochondria then leak out more free radicals that damage, and may eventually kill, their own cell, leading to decreased size and strength of the muscles. Again, a diet that was high in acid foods and low in alkaline foods contributed to a reduction in lean-tissue muscle mass in older adults.ⁱⁱⁱ

A simple formula and some examples to calculate approximate daily protein needs based on body weight appears on the following page. This general guideline will vary with individuals based on their genetics, age, and physical activity.

Attention, athletes! Your requirements may be higher, with 10 to 15 percent of calories coming from protein (or 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day).

This final number would equal about 10 percent of your calories coming from protein.

However, to be safe, everyone should regularly check their urine and saliva acid levels (use pH paper from a health-food store) to get an idea of how much acid is being consumed and made by the body. Other factors such as dehydration, stress, genetics, overexercise, low-grade chronic infections, sedentary lifestyles with improper breathing, lung diseases, obesity, diabetes, sleep apnea, and lack of sleep may also contribute to chronic low-grade acidosis.

—Leonard Smith, M.D.

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ⁱB. Avery Ince, Ellen J. Anderson, and Robert M. Neer, “Lowering Dietary Protein to U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance Levels Reduces Urinary Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Young Women,” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 89, No. 8 (2004): 3801–3807.

ⁱⁱMichael Shechter, Michael Sharir, Maura J. Paul Labrador, James Forrester, Burton Silver, and C. Noel Bairey Merz, “Oral Magnesium Therapy Improved Endothelial Function in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease,” Circulation, 102 (2000): 2353–2358.

ⁱⁱⁱBess Dawson-Hughes, Susan S. Harris, and Lisa Ceglia, “Alkaline diets favor lean tissue mass in older adults,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 3 (2008): 662–665.

From the Physician’s Desk

“Animal protein, when in excess and overcooked, combines with fats and sugars in the diet, creating molecular monsters known as AGEs, which create active inflammation and can lead to kidney failure.”

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Protein and the Story of the AGEs

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can do some serious damage, especially over time. An article in The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology makes several important points about protein and its relationship to many of the diseases of aging:

• Human studies indicate that excess dietary protein promotes progressive kidney damage by increasing the AGE burden.

• A prudent approach is to recommend that people with chronic kidney disease achieve the recommended dietary allowance of protein—0.8 g/kg per day, or about 10 percent of total caloric intake— with an emphasis on high-quality protein, low in AGEs.

• Conversely, very low dietary protein intake may lead to malnutrition, especially in those with advanced chronic kidney disease.

• The dietary AGE load can be minimized by consuming nonmeat proteins.

• There are several culinary methods that reduce AGE formation during cooking—steaming, poaching, boiling, and stewing. Frying, broiling, or grilling should be avoided, as they promote AGE formation.

• Limitation of dietary AGEs seems prudent in those with obesity, diabetes, and other risk factors for chronic kidney disease.ⁱ

With the gradual onset of kidney failure, acidosis again ensues and will lead to all types of inflammation and metabolic abnormalities. The preceding recommendations for how to avoid turning a meal into AGEs should become a major agingmanagement technology for Baby Boomers everywhere.

— Leonard Smith, M.D.

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ⁱJaime Uribarri and Katherine R. Tuttle, “Advanced Glycation End Products and Nephrotoxicity of High-Protein Diets,” Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 1 (2006): 1293–1299.

* Jefferson also said: “Every generation needs a new revolution.” Ours hasn’t happened yet, and it’s about time.