I’m catching wind of the tide turning against the paleo and keto way of eating, as more protein-bashing murmurs and vegetarian information begins circling into media. This is the natural pendulum swing
that I’ve been expecting to occur as gluten-free eating morphed into paleo, then morphed again into keto and carb-demonization became the chorus of pop-culture nutrition yet again (anyone else remember the late 90’s Atkins revival?). You can expect protein demonization to be the next trend, peaking sometime in the next 8-10 years.
One of the old arguments you’ll hear crop up is that high protein diets lead to bone loss and osteoporosis. There is often an argument about acid-base balance that goes along with this. The reality is – nope, not exactly! Higher protein intakes, especially among the elderly, is associated with higher bone density. This may be because elderly individuals consuming higher amounts of protein are consuming more nutrition in general. With correlation it is hard to say. What we can say is that the idea that protein will cause osteoporosis does not appear to pan out.
If you are concerned about preserving bone mass don’t skimp on protein, but *do* increase your vegetable and calcium intake (and possibly your protein intake as well). (Source Here.) You’d also be doing yourself a huge favor by learning how to lift heavy things, either at a local gym or by having a trainer come to your home to teach you. Weight-bearing activity is key to strong bones as we age. Need inspiration? There’s no one better than Ernestine.
