Do Humans Need Meat Protein?

Q: “Is a veggie burger the same, or equivalent to a meat burger?”

I like a good veggie burger, and I love vegetables, but I’m not naive enough to think that they can replace meat proteins. Meat is MEAT. Vegetables are VEGETABLES. Of course, depending on the studies you choose to believe (and there’s a study for every belief), Americans are not eating enough meat protein. In spite of what is told, there is NO evidence showing that “clean” red meat or saturated fat consumption is the demon for heart disease or diabetes. I do believe that ANYTHING, in excess, will cause health issues, but the biggest problem with American health is consumption of empty calories and lack of exercise/movement. 

Meat from animals, especially red meat, is the best source for all amino acids…which the carbon-based human body requires. That means our bodies more readily recognize and absorb this form of aminos. Amazing! B-12, a vital vitamin that’s very difficult to absorb through supplements, is most absorbable when gotten from red meat. By the way, B-12 deficiency, worldwide, is one of the MOST COMMON causes of disease.

I love beans and nuts but to get the same amount of protein I’d get from 4 oz. red meat, I’d have to eat 12 oz. of kidney beans and a cup of rice, and I’d still not get the aminos my body requires. And nuts? LOVE nuts! But I’d need to eat more than a cup, which would be more than 6 times the calories and about 7 times the fat! So, it sounds like I might need to add more red meat to my diet, right?

Sherrie Ottinger, The Tennessee DirtGirl