To the Editor:
As a follow-up to Mimi Leggett’s excellent Commentary article published in The Phillipian last week, “Let Them Eat Lettuce”: data from a recent study led by the Harvard School of Public Health linked eating less red meat, especially beef, to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. Since most grains contain all nine essential amino acids (just in slightly lower amounts than in equivalent portion of animal foods), a mostly plant-based diet (e.g. black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, peanut butter, tofu, soy milk, quinoa, seitan, nuts, etc.) can easily meet even an athlete’s protein needs, especially if milk, fish and poultry are incorporated into the meal/snack plan.
Eating more protein than your body needs does not encourage muscle growth; excess protein is either burned as fuel or stored as fat. Endurance athletes, when building muscle, need 0.55 grams of protein per pound of body weight while strength athletes require 0.75 grams per pound, somewhat higher than the recommended daily amount of 0.4 grams per pound for adults. So moving away from red meat as your protein mainstay will not impact negatively on a muscle-building goal. (If you have questions about your individual protein needs, please e-mail Aggie Kip at agiglio@andover.edu.)
Eating red meat has the greatest negative impact not only on your long-term health but also on your carbon footprint. Why, then, do we serve red meat at Paresky Commons? Simple: popular demand. When we attempted a “Make A Difference Monday” program in September 2011, the response was immediate and categorically negative. More recently, we have been trying new entrees— soups and salads—to support lower red-meat consumption.
Non Sibi takes many forms; this is a big and important step in the right direction, as Mimi Leggett so eloquently discussed. Watch for a display of fun and informative books soon in the OWHL to learn more about making a painless transition to a more plant-based and healthy way of eating.
Trish Russell, Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Amy Patel, MD, Medical Director, Isham Health Center
Mike Giampa, Paresky Commons Food Service Director
Aggie Giglio Kip, PA Nutrition Counselor and Sports Dietitian
