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Is Hemp Protein a complete protein?


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I have read in the past that Hemp Protein is not a complete protein and that it should be combined with another protein source yet when i looked it up to purchase, they make claims that it has all the essential amino acids necessary to make this claim.

 

Can someone clear this up for me and if it is not considered a complete protein, what would one prefer to use in a blend to make it so?

 

thanks...

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Why do you worry about it?

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/proteinexplain.html

 

The Protein Combining Craze

 

In 1971 America, however, the idea of not eating meat was considered much crazier than it is today. Many people actually believed that vegetarianism wasn't simply unhealthy, but it was impossible to survive on a vegetarian diet. Lappé knew that her book would be met with this bias, so she researched vegetarian nutrition, and in doing so made a substantial mistake which would dramatically change the course of vegetarian history. Lappé found some studies conducted around the turn of the century on rats, which showed that rats grew best when fed a combination of plant foods whose amino acid (protein) patterns resembled that of animal foods. Lappé had her magic bullet -- this would be the way she could convince readers that they could make their plant foods "just as good as" meat.

 

Lappé devoted half of her book to this idea of "protein combining", or "protein complementing" -- how to serve beans and rice together, for example, so that the protein would be "complete". The protein combining idea was contagious -- it appeared in every other book by every other vegetarian author published after that, and made its way into academia, encyclopedia entries, and the American mindset. Unfortunately, the idea that protein combining is necessary was absolutely wrong.

 

The first problem was that the protein combining theory was just that -- only a theory. There had never been any studies on humans. The idea of protein combining was thus more superstition than science. And it's not surprising that rats would grow differently than humans, since growing rats need ten times as much protein per calorie as growing humans. (Rat milk is 50% protein while human breast milk is only 5%.) Further, if plant foods were really so inferior, then how did cows, pigs, and chickens who eat nothing but grains and other plants get their protein? Wasn't it odd that we were eating farm animals for protein, and they were eating nothing but plants? Finally, plant foods were not even as "deficient" in various amino acids as Lappé had thought. As Dr. John McDougall wrote:

 

"Fortunately, scientific studies have debunked this complicated nonsense. Nature designed and synthesized our foods complete with all the essential nutrients for human life long before they reach the dinner table. All the essential and nonessential amino acids are represented in single unrefined starches such as rice, corn, wheat, and potatoes in amounts in excess of every individual's needs, even if they are endurance athletes or weight lifters. Common sense tells you this would have to be true for the human race to have survived on this planet. Throughout history the food-providers went out in search of enough rice or potatoes to feed their families. Matching beans with rice was not their concern. We have only the hunger to relate to food; there is no drive to tell us to mix and match protein sources to make a more ideal amino acid pattern. There is no need for such a drive because there is no more ideal protein and amino acid composition than that found in natural starches." [emphasis in original]

 

-- The McDougall Program; 1990; John A. McDougall, M.D.; p. 45.

-- More detailed examination in The McDougall Plan; 1983; John A. McDoguall, M.D.; pp. 96-100

 

Diet for a Small Planet was a runaway best-seller, and made Lappé famous. It was therefore surprising -- and commendable -- that Lappé owned up to making a mistake about the very thing which made her a household name. In the 1981 edition of Diet for a Small Planet, Lappé recanted and explained that:

 

"In 1971 I stressed protein complementarity because I assumed that the only way to get enough protein ... was to create a protein as usable by the body as animal protein. In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.

 

"With three important exceptions, there is little danger of protein deficiency in a plant food diet. The exceptions are diets very heavily dependent on [1] fruit or on [2] some tubers, such as sweet potatoes or cassava, or on [3] junk food (refined flours, sugars, and fat). Fortunately, relatively few people in the world try to survive on diets in which these foods are virtually the sole source of calories. In all other diets, if people ar getting enough calories, they are virtually certain of getting enough protein." [emphasis in original]

 

-- Diet for a Small Planet, 10th Anniversary Ed.; 1982; Frances Moore Lappé; p. 162

(http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/history.html#complementing)

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I agree with this completely. The idea of a complete protein is crazy...well the idea isn't but what makes up one isn't. Cows live on grass and it gets them huge. Grass is by no means made up of what one would call a complete protein. Granted maybe they can make a few more amino acids than we can but who's to say they make all of them. Nutritionists make it seem like we need every single amino acid...just because it exists and we can't make it doesn't mean we need to eat it.

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Nutritionists make it seem like we need every single amino acid...just because it exists and we can't make it doesn't mean we need to eat it.

 

Thanks guys. Potter, this is so true. They do this with fats as well, as if there are 35 different "essential fatty acids" that one must purchase separately in the form of a supplement and consume if one is to exist in a healthy state.

 

Fact is there are only two: Linolenic and Linoleic. Every other fat taken is converted into one of these two once consumed. There is no need for 10 different types of EFA supplements in the diet!

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I agree with this completely. The idea of a complete protein is crazy...well the idea isn't but what makes up one isn't. Cows live on grass and it gets them huge. Grass is by no means made up of what one would call a complete protein. Granted maybe they can make a few more amino acids than we can but who's to say they make all of them. Nutritionists make it seem like we need every single amino acid...just because it exists and we can't make it doesn't mean we need to eat it.

 

You can't compare humans to cows in this manner. Grass gets cows huge? Come on...

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Yeah, I don't believe in the whole protein combining thing either. We don't give our bodies enough credit.

 

It is far more important to eat a wide variety of foods and trust your body. It's the same reason I don't get too hung up in the simple carbs before workout/protein after, eating certain macronutrients before/after and during workouts.

 

I think some of us are so guilty of the too-much-information problem. Follow the things that make the most sense to you and disregard the rest

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I think that when we have been eating raw for awhile, our bodies will let us know what we need. If we crave protein, eat protein, etc... There is too much info out there and for every article that is for something, I can find another against it. It's crazy. Just listen to your body.

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I think that when we have been eating raw for awhile, our bodies will let us know what we need. If we crave protein, eat protein, etc... There is too much info out there and for every article that is for something, I can find another against it. It's crazy. Just listen to your body.

Where is DV when I expect her to disagree? (sorry for the inside-joke!)

@Belladonna: I agree so much to what you wrote! But it usually takes some time and efford to develope that bkind of sense...

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@Belladonna: I agree so much to what you wrote! But it usually takes some time and efford to develope that bkind of sense...

 

 

Yup Flanders. That's why I said that you needed to be raw for awhile.

I was just answering his question at the beginning of the thread. I use hemp protein but not because of its amino acid properties but because it is a good source of some extra protein when I need it and it has alot of fiber.

 

Raw, raw, raw, that's the spirit!!

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You can't compare humans to cows in this manner. Grass gets cows huge? Come on...

 

How's that??? If you understood biochemistry you'd see that if the building blocks aren't there then the animal wouldn't get to its potential size(of course we wouldn't be the size of a cow if we ate grass). Feed a cow a diet purely of potatoes and I think you'd find the cow wouldn't be so big(compared to a cow. Lets look at gorillas then(which are more closely related to us). They may get "complete" proteins from termites/ants but in general they eat very little "complete" protein. They food they eat is amino acid dense for what they need...and surely they aren't getting every amino acid in their diet.

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Where is DV when I expect her to disagree? (sorry for the inside-joke!)

 

Hey, I'm staying out of the raw section!

 

But seriously, I wish my body would have TOLD ME that I needed creatine and branched chain amino acids and eating when not hungry in order to put on muscle mass. All those wasted years of listening to its needs. So I did some research (oooh, bad word) and read some studies (ouch, even worse) and applied this knowledge using a scientific approach (now that is going overboard!) in order to finally, finally make some real gains!

 

Sorry to tease you and run, Flanders but I won't be near my laptop for a few days. However, I'll be thinking of you when I eat at the lovely Pure Food and Wine (raw) Restaurant tomorrow in New York.

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There is such thing as a complete protein!!! Anyone who wished to differ needs some basic biological education All foods have different amino acid makeups. Some have high levels of all aa (animal products) and are complete proteins while some lack them (plant products with potatoes as the exception) and are incomplete proteins. If there isnt a supply of all the amino acids needed to complete a protein synthesis will cease, cells will be broken down for their amino acids and synthesis will resume when they aa are available. You need all of the essenitial amino acids or you will have problems!!! It is a proven scientific fact. A for the raw thing, you cant digest a whole enzyme. All enzymes are stripped down do single amino acids in the stomach and small intestine. So when you eat an enzyme you just get aa. also another bacic physiological fact. The claims on this forum are from street knowledge and have no real support. Pay attentioc to the aa profile of your foods and you will see leaps and bounds in your growth and performance. Fight food faddism with knowledge.

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There is such thing as a complete protein!!! Anyone who wished to differ needs some basic biological education All foods have different amino acid makeups. Some have high levels of all aa (animal products) and are complete proteins while some lack them (plant products with potatoes as the exception) and are incomplete proteins. If there isnt a supply of all the amino acids needed to complete a protein synthesis will cease, cells will be broken down for their amino acids and synthesis will resume when they aa are available. You need all of the essenitial amino acids or you will have problems!!! It is a proven scientific fact. A for the raw thing, you cant digest a whole enzyme. All enzymes are stripped down do single amino acids in the stomach and small intestine. So when you eat an enzyme you just get aa. also another bacic physiological fact. The claims on this forum are from street knowledge and have no real support. Pay attentioc to the aa profile of your foods and you will see leaps and bounds in your growth and performance. Fight food faddism with knowledge.

 

True you need complete protein or at least combine foods in a meal to make complete proteins, but there are tons of plant foods that are complete by themselves. Hemp being one of them

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(...) Anyone who wished to differ needs some basic biological education (...) The claims on this forum are from street knowledge and have no real support. (...) Fight food faddism with knowledge.

Since you are a quite new member I give you a well-meant advice: Although there are many different personalities and attitudes on this forum WE TRY TO BE FRIENDLY AND POLITE AND ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS OF OTHER MEMBERS.

Maybe this was not the best way to make your first post...

Butaway: Welcome aboard!

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hello everybody, i would like introduce mysef, and share my point of view

 

i'm lebanese, living in south france, just graduated (Osteopathy). Sorry if i make some mistakes wity my english

 

I used to think that we don't need as much protein as claimed...but i was wrong.

There is a wrong belief, specially raw foodists (i used to be one for a long period of time, and fruitarian for a shorter period, then followed 80/10/10 diet for several month), that we only need little protein. They support their idieas by saying "look at cow, gorrillas, elephants! they're so powerful a huge, and all they eat is grass.

i believed those stuff for a long time...until i made my own research and found out that cows, or any herbivore get HUGE amounts of protein from greens (greens are between 20% to 30% protein by calories), and grasses amino acids are COMPLETE protein containing all essential amino acids (somewhere between soy protein and milk protein. (make your own research to verify my sayings)

the same goes goes for the gorillas who eats mosty green leafy vegetables.

Needless to say that carnivores get also huge amounts (and fat instead of carbohydrates)

Others primates like chimps (the closest to humans) eats primarly fruits (gorillas eats primarly greens), but they do also eat several pounds of greens to be sure to get enough protein, because fruits are the lowest...they even hunt small animals and eat them to get even more protein.

Birds? needless to say that they eat a wide variety of grains and seeds...needless to say that they contain considerable amounts of protein. Also a lot of birds eat small animals or insects, full of protein.

 

fish? they also get huge amount of protein.

 

So we aren't differents from all animals, and we need considerable amounts of proteins.

evidence are bodybuilders who would eat anything to be stronger a have bigger muscles!!!! it's a fact now, and it's proven.

Another evidence is that you'll never see a raw foodist with big muscles. Rarely some of them succeded to get ripped (Richard blackman) with fruitarian diet, with a lot of extreme training...but most of them look extremely skinny (that's my opinion).

 

about hemp protein, it's 100% a complete protein, most of the protein is a globulin (simplest protein, very near to red blood cells protein) and the other part is albumin.

the thing is that it's very expensive, so i found out a way to get it a lot more cheaper, by buying hemp flour, which is hemp seeds with a part of their oils removed. The only difference with the expensive hemp, is that it contains a lot more fiber (because of the hull which hasn't been removed).

I orded 4 pounds for less than 20$ (about 15 euros). But i didn't receive it yet, so i can't tell you if it's worth it

But i'll let you know soon

take care

Elie

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Another evidence is that you'll never see a raw foodist with big muscles. Rarely some of them succeded to get ripped (Richard blackman) with fruitarian diet, with a lot of extreme training...but most of them look extremely skinny (that's my opinion).

 

Then again maybe most of the fruitarian or raw folks you meet are not bodybuilders. If you haven't been a fruitarian or followed the 811 diet for long, how would you know that you can't build muscle? It takes alot longer than a few months to build muscle. I see just as many skinny people eating a SAD diet that don't build muscle either but maybe that's because they are not bodybuilders.

Anyways, we can't generalize and I think that most of the people that eat raw are not doing it to build muscle but to achieve optimum health.

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of course you can achieve good health with raw foods, and i still eat mostly raw food! But just by adding protein to my diet increased dramatically my strengh when i train! when i was 100% raw, it was really painful to lift weights. i remained 2 years raw, and my progression in lifting weight was bad. I believed that "I just have to stick with it to get results"!!!! But believe it didn't happen.

also how can you explain that my strengh went to roof just by adding protein, and this in a matter on just 1 week? it's not an optic illusion!

By the way, people on raw food ARE skinny, not only the people i know, but also all raw gurus, and all people i talked with in all this time in forums board look really skinny! if you don't agree with me, just watch any picture of any raw foodist in any forum or site.....and yes they're not bodybuilding as they should, not because they don't want to....but because they just can't do it! do you lift weights?

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