The World Peace Diet: Eating For Spiritual Health And Social Harmony

72 / the world peace diet
gy, which must find a way to dispose of it somehow. Nutritionists
understand that our actual protein needs are relatively small: between
four and eight percent of our calories should be in the form of protein. 12
Virtually all grains, legumes, and vegetables are between eight and
twenty percent protein, with some foods, like tempeh, even higher. 13
Andrew Weil, M.D., writes,
In our society, protein deficiency is practically nonexistent. Instead,
most people consume too much protein, which can also affect health
adversely. . . . Remarkably small amounts are enough to satisfy the
minimal requirements of the average adult—perhaps two ounces, or
sixty grams, of a protein food a day. Many people in our society eat
much more than that at every meal. . . . Cutting down on protein will
free up energy, spare your digestive system and especially your liver
and kidneys from extra work, and protect your immune system from
irritation. 14
Elsewhere, Dr. Weil writes, “In my opinion, one of the healthiest
dietary changes people can make is to substitute soy foods for some (or
all) of the animal foods they now eat.” 15
According to microbiologist Robert Young, excess protein causes
the pH of the body’s tissues to become too acidic. He emphasizes that
this acidic condition is unhealthy and signals to bacteria in and around
the body that the body is weak, decaying, and dying. 16 When any animal
dies, as the life ebbs out of it, its flesh becomes increasingly acidic, signaling
microorganisms in the region that it is time for them to do their
job and break the flesh down so that it can return to the earth and be
recycled. According to his research, instead of harboring primarily beneficial
bacteria that aid in the various life-support processes of the body,
the bodies of human omnivores may tend to harbor primarily destructive
bacteria that are simply trying to do their natural job of breaking
the body down because it gives signals, by the high acid content of the
tissues and the presence of putrefying animal flesh, that it is dying.
The response of the medical establishment, rather than advising us
to stop eating animal protein, is to supply antibiotics and other drugs