can anyone tell me apart from meat, other sources of protein to take, also some info about the whey drink veryones tlking about. Thanks Dawn.

Hi Dawn,

There are a lot of sources of protein besides meat, but the big "?" of modern time is whether plant protein is as good as meat protein. The other big "?" is whether low carb diets are good for us or not. I honestly think modern science is quite poor because there is no consensus on anything. For everyone group that says one thing, there is another who says something different. Any diet is as much a leap of faith as any religion!

I've got 2 books by Dr Atkins as I tried his diet for three weeks. It was a tough diet as a vegetarian as I was virtually eating salad and eggs or salad, cheese and high protein veggie sausages. I gave up after 3 weeks, but I got a period 3 weeks later, whereas previously I hadn't got one for a year. But it could be coincidence as I was still getting some menstruation at that point.

Anyway, I've been looking up this subject for some time now, and have found some things out.

Low or equal carbs:
Eggs
Spinach
Asparagus
Peppers
Some nuts i.e. pine, brazil
Seeds i.e. pumpkin, sunflower

lot of protein, but much higher carb content:
Quinoa
Rice
Wheat
Beans
Pasta
Couscous
Lentils

To get a complete protein from plants, it's necessary to combine them i.e. combining grains with legumes or seeds i.e. peanut butter on toast is a complete protein. Rice with beans is complete. Seeded bread is complete. Quinoa and lentils is complete. A meal of quinoa and lentils would give about 20g or protein, which is a good amount, but it would also give about 130 carbs.

I haven't found any vegetarian pre-made meat-replacer that is gluten, soya and milk free except Quorn chicken pieces. A serving of 100g gives 14g of protein.

I have organic cornflakes from Holland and Barrett, but that is 5g of protein to about 35g of carbs (including rice milk).

There is a drink called White Sun Milk that has the highest protein content of non-dairy milks after soya. I believe it's made of pea protein, but I generally don't eat much beans or peas because of the toxins that need to be boiled. But I do sometimes buy Organic Pronto from Tesco which is mixed beans, and has 10g of protein per half pot to about 25 carbs.

Soya is a source of protein, but highly debated on whether it is safe or not.

re the whey protein - if it's what I'm thinking, it's a protein supplement that is usually bought in powder form and added to a drink. Health shops usually sell them. They come from animal milk, so I'm not sure how that works with the no dairy. Maybe the casein is removed?

There's also soya protein powder, rice, hemp, egg and pea. I'm trying the rice, which I ordered online, to see if it helps any. I was tempted by the hemp as it has omegas, but also a lot seem to have chlorophyll, which I believe isn't good to take with the fillings in?

Thanks for the info. Dawn

Whey protein is derived from milk and is one of the richest sources of branched-chain amino acids. Whey protein is rapidly digested and assimilated. You'd have to look at the label to see if the casein has been removed.

One of the primary advantages of casein (produced from skim milk), is that it contains all of the essential amino acids and more glutamine and tyrosine than any other protein. Glutamine is a precursor to glutamic acid, which serves as fuel for the brain, while tyrosine is a precursor to thyroid hormones and the neurotransmitter, dopamine.

For vegetarians, I believe Spirulina is one of the richest sources of vegetable protein, providing 65-71% protein in the form of all 8 essential amino acids in their proper ratio. In fact, much of the protein in Spirulina is called biliprotein, which means the protein has already been predigested by the algae, making it easier to break down than meat or soy protein. Here's more info: Spirulina and here's where you can get a good quality brand that has been tested for heavy metal contaminants: Spirulina capsules

Chlorophyll is usually the form "sodium copper chlorophyllin" so my understanding is that the copper may be troublesome for some mercury toxic people. I don't know this for certain, so if anyone has more information, please let us know.

Isn't casein what mercury toxic people have to avoid? Or is it something else in the milk/cheese that reacts with mercury? Casein in cows milk is the one that a lot of people have trouble with (not just mercury toxic people), but are ok with goats. But isn't goats casein also said to be bad for mercury toxicity?

And if the whey is okay to be consumed with mercury toxicity, then other whey based dairy products aswell?

I thought I was just reading an article by a mercury detox doc who recommended whey protein for detoxing mercury. I wonder if this is true?

I looked it up. According to this article

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/protein/whey-protein-supplements.htm

Milk has 2 proteins - whey and casein. The whey is separated from the casein when they make cheese.

If that is the case, then I would think that all whey dairy derivatives would be okay if it's the casein that is the problem for mercury toxic people and not lactose. I can't think off hand what are whey products, but I'm sure I've seem some butter spreads that are made of whey. I don't know if there is lactose in whey.

Concerning the whey issue...

Here is what I've used to detox gently since 2000:

I start with 1 cup of cold water, mix in 1 scoop of NutraBurn Whey Protein , then add 1/4 scoop of ph Green Zone, then I add 1/4 scoop of Ultimate Green Zone and stir.

I take this as soon as I get up 5 days per week.

It instantly energizes me and aids my long-term gentle detox plan by providing numerous important proteins and a myriad of minerals and vitamins, plus a small shot of chlorella (from the ph Green Zone).

A friend of mine calls my super-drink mix "Swamp Water". I love it.

Here are info-sheets on the ingredients:

Swamp-Water Ingredients (click on the attachments)

brazil nuts are high in protein.

Russ:

I also have a drink I make in the morning: EFA 3,6,9 oil; Green Tea Extract; Grape Seed Extract; Cascara Sagrada Extract, and a powdered Whole Food suppliment of 58 different ingredients; mixed in a glass of water. I call it my "goop". lol <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Sounds "horribly-nutritious" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Actually sounds like a great mix.

Is the amino acid glutamate ok to have? I've noticed its in quite high quantity in almost every protein supplement (of all kinds) and is high in the rice protein one I've got. I'm thinking this is not the same as the MSG that is toxic as it's also high in meat protein?