What you choose to eat is a personal choice, and a lot of what you eat effects your health and well-being. Regardless of what you choose to eat, one thing is true for all people, protein is essential to any diet. I believe the best way to get your protein is through animal protein. However, not all protein is made the same; the best animal protein to consume is 100% grass fed and grass finished meat and wild caught fish. We will get into why a little bit later.
Generally, our bodies are made up of twenty percent protein. We don’t store protein, so that is why we need to make sure we consume enough protein in our diets daily to continue to maintain the twenty percent of protein we need. Specifically, we really need twenty amino acids to build proteins in our bodies to ensure that we can function properly. When we consume protein, the protein is broken down into the amino acids we need, and amino acids are separated into either essential or non-essential amino acids. Our bodies only make the eleven non-essential amino acids. So, we need to consume the other nine amino acids by way of protein for proper health and function.
And, like I noted above, in my opinion, animal protein is the best way to consume the necessary protein we need. Animal protein contains all nine amino acids we are missing, so it is considered a complete protein. Animal protein gets the job done in one fail swoop. It is like killing two birds with one stone. Not only is animal protein a complete protein, so you are getting all of the amino acids you need in one, but animal protein, when it is 100% grass fed and grass finished meat or wild caught fish, contains higher amounts of other important vitamins and nutrients, we all need. These vitamins include vitamin a, vitamin e, vitamin b12, vitamin b6, vitamin d3, omega 3-fatty acids, omega 6-fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (antioxidant), heme-iron, glutathione, selenium, and zinc.
A lot of people worry about eating too much red meat because red meat has a bad reputation. People think it is linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and early death, but in reality, that is only the effect of processed red meat. Unprocessed meats do not have this same effect, and grass-fed and grass-finished meats do not contain the antibiotics, GMO feed, and added hormones that processed meats contain, which we all know are very bad for you. Toxins are also stored in the fat of grain fed beef, which is not the case in grass-fed and grass-finished meats. Grass-fed and grass-finished meats are also lower in saturated fat and calories, contain more minerals, healthy fats and iron, and decrease your risk of heart disease, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Likewise, wild caught fish is also linked to reducing the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and cancer.
This is not to say that I don’t think that everyone should and can also eat plant-based proteins. Plant based proteins are good for you, as we know. You just need to eat more of them to gain the protein you need, and you can get the same protein and more from eating grass-fed and grass finished meats or wild caught fish. So, my thought is why not get the job done more efficiently. I also wanted to destigmatize red meat since many people really do think red meat is not good for you, and that is simply just incorrect. As a result, don’t feel bad about eating animal protein this holiday, but remember, not all protein is made the same, so check labels and ensure you are eating grass-fed, and grass finished meats or wild caught fish.
Here’s to being well preserved.
Always,
Taylor
