Prashant Desai

“Vegetarians don’t get enough protein. Eat Meat!”

Limited Idea Entertained (LIE)!

Being a vegetarian, I have been trolled too…. 😪

“Where do you get your protein from?” I am asked often.

“From vegetables, nuts, pulses, paneer, milk!”, I reply with surprise.😬

“But that’s not enough?”, I am probed further with sarcasm.

“It is enough for my body!”, I nod in disbelief.

“Don’t mind. You must eat meat, poultry, and eggs for protein.”, I am told curtly.

LIE! ❌

I learned at Stanford vegetarians need not fuss. They get all their protein from plants. Sorry meat eaters.

The science:

➡ Proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids. think of them like the alphabets – a b c d e f - just that there are 20 (we have 26 alphabets).

➡ The 20 different amino acids play different roles in building blocks, they’re enzymes, they’re hormones that control our metabolism.

➡ A combination of these 20 amino acids put together in different sequences and different lengths like words from alphabets that make protein.

➡ Protein cannot be generalized. It is the ‘combination’ of amino acids that makes them.

➡ There are 20 amino acids, 9 essential (which we get from food) and 11 non-essential (which the body makes).

➡ We need to provide the body with only 9 through food.

➡ And there is enough in the food that vegetarians eat.

Busting LIE: Unlike carbohydrates and fats, excess protein cannot be stored by the body. It gets secreted out!

Almost every food – vegetarian and non-vegetarian – has a different amino acid profile (and hence protein).

➡ If you give your body 36 gms of protein, it doesn’t mean it's 4 gms of all 9 essential amino acids.
➡ They vary. Hence diversity of food intake is important.

This is where people misunderstand protein as one macronutrient. Vegetarian foods provide all 9 amino acids required for life.🥗

As a vegetarian, diversity = power. 💪

Chose wisely:

➡ Grain matters: Remove maida and opt for whole wheat or wild rice.

➡ Experiment with other Indian millets like bajra, rajgira, jowar, sattu.

➡ Add lots of leafy green vegetables.

➡ Add one portion of pulses like dal, chana, rajma.

➡ Add Paneer/curd to every meal.

➡ Have nuts every day.

➡ Add a protein shake to your lunch or dinner, irrespective of whether you work out or not.

Vegetarians have elite company: Novak Djokovic, Virat Kohli, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lewis Hamilton, Shahid Kapoor! (Virat does eat eggs but is off meat).

Even Chris Gardner, our Director of Nutrition Studies at Stanford is a vegetarian.

Make no mistake. This post is not AGAINST meat eaters. This is to provide enough comfort to non-meat eaters. They are doing just fine.

Found this useful? Repost ahead. Help more vegetarians.

#health #longevity #vegetarian #diet #healthylifestyle

🕴️LIVER – The unsung hero! Protect it. With your life. For your life.

“Protect the Liver, Feed the Gut.”

Why Liver?🧐

Because there is no organ like the Liver.

When damaged:

· Kidneys have dialysis
· Hearts have ECMO
· Lungs have ventilator

Liver: None!

If you damage your Liver…..And you can't get a Liver transplant in 48 hours, it's game over🛌

🧐But why?

Because of the complexity of the function it performs.

The liver is also (like muscle) the most adaptive organ. The donor of a Liver transplant can regenerate a third of their liver in two weeks. That’s how adaptive it is.

BUT..

💯Only if the architecture of the liver is preserved. Once you cross Liver Cirrhosis, you cannot reverse the damage and you will need a transplant.

And the stage of Liver Cirrhosis begins with Liver Fat!

That’s where Carbohydrates and Sugars come in….

🎯Carbohydrate and Liver: The liver metabolizes carbohydrates and stores excess fat from it.

However, Fructose (50% of table sugar) gets metabolized mostly by the Liver, not the stomach. And hence when you drink (and eat) more fructose, your Liver keeps getting damaged by converting excess Fructose into Liver Fat causing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, taking you one step closer to Cirrhosis.

Guess what else causes the same response?

Alcohol🍺

Yes, the Liver synthesizes both ethanol (from alcohol) & fructose (from sugar) identically. Ditto.

Until 1980, children did not have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, a disease hitherto seen only in alcoholics🍻

Today, 22% of Indian children have NAFLD and 45% of all overweight kids have NAFLD.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑A disease for alcoholics is now found in kids. Damaging their Liver.

✅Let me remind you:

· Liver Fat is the first stage of Liver Cirrhosis.
· Liver has no outside support
· You will need a Liver transplant within 48 hours
· Or, game over!

✨Protect your Liver, come what may:

1. Reduce alcohol. (Daaru peene se Liver kharaab hota hai (Amitabh Bachchan in Satte pe Satta in 1982, 41 years ago!)

2. Avoid high fructose foods (especially liquid form):

a. Fruit Juice (apple and grape have the highest)
b. Cola
c. Dried fruit
d. Honey
e. Sauces, candies, processed food.

☠️The biggest threat: your kids. Open your fridge. Throw away the fruit juice tetra pack. Throw away the colas!

Found this useful. Share ahead. Help someone protect their kid’s liver👨‍👩‍👦

#kidshealth #liver #healthylifestyle #healthgoals #longevity #guthealth

🥵Don’t drink Water this summer!


Just water won’t help🫡

On my way back from work, I take the local Mumbai train (Prabhadevi to Vile Parle). And then, it is a 20-min walk. I love to walk. Me time(💆). It is really hot now. Temperatures have risen. Humidity is also very high. I sweat like a pig. I reach home completely drenched in sweat. Dehydrated. Thirsty🫠

Water is not enough!🤫

With every 1 L of sweat, you lose up to 2000 mg salt, 500 mg potassium, up to 3000 mg chloride, and 100 mg magnesium. You are losing minerals too. Rapidly😐

🥶Your body needs Water +++. Level up your water game this summer:

1. Add salt to your water, and add Electral/ zero calories Enerzal/ zero sugar Electrolyte. I use LMNT (from the USA).

2. Have nimbu paani with rock salt and one teaspoon of sugar (or sweetener if pre-diabetic) for taste.

3. Have ‘nairal paani’ (coconut water) and add salt. Great potassium replacer and some sugar too.

4. Have ‘chaas’ (buttermilk) with namak and pudina.

5. Have good old Ganne Ka Juice with Adrak and Nimbu and add salt! (Sugarcane juice)

5. Eat more watery fruits and vegetables like cucumber/tomato as they are 80% water and add salt. Don’t juice your fruit. EVER! It is poison.

Avoid making these hydration mistakes:

* Fruit Juice from Kirana stores makes you more thirsty.
* Energy drinks don't hydrate. It is sugar + caffeine. 
* Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite are just sugar. Dehydrating.
* Cold Coffees, Smoothies, and Mango shakes don’t rehydrate: They are all just sugar with milk and flavors.

🤔What if you don’t sweat and work in AC offices? 
You are at higher risk of dehydration. As the body is fooled.

😭Dehydration reduces productivity and increases hanger (anger from hunger)!

A 2% reduction in body weight due to water was linked to a 10% reduction in productivity. The answer: Keep a glass of water next to you in a transparent glass (not a closed water bottle). And keep sipping. Make it sexy: (1) Cool water (2) Water with Tulsi/Mint (3) Cucumber Water (4) Lemon Water. Or eat watery fruits with a sprinkle of salt like watermelon, musk melon, etc.

The Urine Hydration Test: Every time you pee, see the color of your urine. If yellowish, you are dehydrated. Have water ++.

👵A simple Grandma Summer rule: In Summer, Add more liquid. Delete more solids.

Have a nice summer🥭❤️

#GENES #summer #hydration #water #health #longevity

Vegetarians don’t get enough protein. Eat Meat!


Limited Idea Entertained (LIE)!

I am not saying this but the Paris Olympics is!

Paris Olympics won Gold even before the games started by going Vegan. The largest sporting competition chose vegan to serve its athletes! They did it for sustainability reasons and yet dismantled a big LIE!

Vegan/Vegetarian food lacks a complete source of protein. I was taught the same at Stanford and Harvard in my courses.

In Paris 2024, 60% of the 13 billion meals and snacks prepared at the Olympics will be plant-based.

The science:

➡ Proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids. think of them like the alphabet – a b c d e f - just that there are 20 (we have 26 alphabets).

➡ The 20 different amino acids play different roles in building blocks, they’re enzymes, they’re hormones that control our metabolism.

➡ A combination of these 20 amino acids put together in different sequences and different lengths like words from alphabets that make protein.

➡ Protein cannot be generalized. It is the ‘combination’ of amino acids that makes them.

➡ There are 20 amino acids, 9 essential (which we get from food) and 11 non-essential (which the body makes).

➡ We need to provide the body with only 9 through food.

➡ And there is enough in the food that vegetarians eat.

Busting LIE: Unlike carbohydrates and fats, excess protein cannot be stored by the body. It gets secreted out!

Almost every food – vegetarian and non-vegetarian – has a different amino acid profile (and hence protein).

➡ If you give your body 36 gms of protein, it doesn’t mean it's 4 gms of all 9 essential amino acids.
➡ They vary. Hence diversity of food intake is important.

This is where people misunderstand protein as one macronutrient.

Vegetarian foods provide all 9 amino acids required for life.🥗

As a vegetarian, diversity = power. 💪

Chose wisely:

➡ Grain matters: Remove maida and opt for whole wheat or wild rice.

➡ Experiment with other Indian millets like bajra, rajgira, jowar, sattu.

➡ Add lots of leafy green vegetables.

➡ Add one portion of pulses like dal, chana, rajma.

➡ Add Paneer/curd to every meal.

➡ Have nuts every day.

➡ Add a protein shake to your lunch or dinner, irrespective of whether you work out or not.

Even Djokovic follows a plant-based diet and I bet he’ll win a gold this time😉

Make no mistake. This post is not AGAINST meat eaters. The only request: don't look down upon us vegetarians/vegans from a protein perspective, please.

Have protein. At least 1 gram per kg of body weight irrespective of age, gender, or athleticism. Plant, dairy, or animals. All work.

#vegan #protein #diet #nutrition