Why is there such a focus on eating protein, especially animal protein, to the exclusion of a variety of other nutrients in food?

Why is there such a focus on eating protein, especially animal protein, to the exclusion of a variety of other nutrients in food? Can enough protein be obtained from a variety of food sources (such as grains, greens and legumes), besides animal?

Transcript

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You can get enough protein from plant sources such as grains and legumes. You've got to be very careful.

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Make sure you're including sufficient amounts of those foods in the diet so that you're getting adequate protein. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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This question is from Andrea. She asks, why is there such a focus on eating protein, especially animal protein,

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to the exclusion of a variety of other nutrients in food? Can enough protein be obtained from a variety

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of food sources such as grains, greens, and legumes besides animal without high fat and cholesterol?

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Well, high protein diets are now very popular and in vogue as a means of reducing body weight.

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And that's based on some of the research that is emerging that shows that when you eat a high protein diet, you actually get greater satisfaction, less hunger,

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and you can experience weight loss. The second half of your question, yes, you can get enough protein from plant sources

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such as grains and legumes. You've got to be very careful. Make sure you're including sufficient amounts of those foods in the diet so that you're

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getting adequate protein. On average, males require about 56 grams of protein a day

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and females require about 46 grams of protein daily. And yes, again, they can come from grains and legumes.