By Ayten Talaat
In the Middle East, especially during Eid Al Adha, a lot of people tend to consume high amounts of animal protein as they believe in “the more, the better” which in fact, isn’t necessarily true.
Gladly, Dr Bassem Youssef released a video talking about the risks of consuming high amounts of animal protein on his YouTube channel, PlantBtv. It turns out that animal protein doesn’t only lack fiber and antioxidants, but it also contains a great amount of cholesterol as well as growth hormones which help growing cancer cells. Surprising, isn’t it?
Additionally, Youssef explained that plant-based sources can actually have the equivalent nutritional value as animal-based food, or even higher. He also suggested some alternatives that are rich in protein, fiber, antioxidants, and irons such as hummus, black beans, lentils, quinoa, almonds, and tahini.
The point here isn’t to totally cut off your animal protein intake, but to lessen it as much as you can. As I believe that the key to maintain a healthy diet is to find the right balance and to eat a wide variety of foods. Also, it’s never wrong to admit that our old eating habits weren’t the healthiest after all.
Generally speaking, if you are serious about digging into nutrition, and learning more about food misconceptions, then you should consider subscribing to PlantBtv on YouTube. It’s a life-changing channel.