Angela Success

Fried chicken, barbecued turkey, goat meat pepper soup, cow leg and head delicacies are all part of protein meals enjoyed in Nigeria. The human body needs protein to build and replace dead cells in the body, but over indulgence on animal protein can become fatal.

Beef, poultry and fish can take up to three to four hours in the stomach before digestion. Undigested animal protein can lead to amino acid deficiency and can cause severe reactions if it leaks out from a porous intestine. This can be quite traumatic, as the body fights any unnatural process.

Leaking of semi-digested animal protein into the guts causes inflammation and may manifest as food poisoning some times. In some other cases, improperly digested animal protein may cause diarrhea, gas, bloating and flatulence. The stomach actually needs hydrochloric acid and protease enzymes to digest protein. Pepsin, chymotrypsin and Trypsin are released from the pancreas to break down the protein for easy absorption through the walls of the small intestine. Protease, a protein enzyme, also helps in breaking down proteins into digestible amino acids.  Externally enzymes, like papain from Pawpaw and bromelain from pineapple, can be introduced into the body as food, if the system is overloaded with animal protein. However, ulcer patients are advised to avoid pineapple as it can easily eat into ulcers.

Protein needs to be broken into smaller peptides so as to be easily absorbed into the blood through the small intestine. Other nutrient from other food are absorbed into the body through this way too. When this intestine is clogged up with fats from fried meat and food, most of the food eaten later in the month will not be properly digested leaving the body weak and unable to function maximally.  Eating lots of animal-based protein food leads to mucoid deposits in the small intestine, which makes it difficult for other much-needed nutrients to be absorbed into the blood stream. Mucus is part of what is produced during the digestion of protein. Cancer cells are said to be sustained in the body filled with this mucus as they feed on it.  Detoxification becomes inevitable for the body to function maximally.

Detoxification of animal protein

Related News

Plant-based food, on the other hand, contain low levels of saturated fat and have lots of dietary fiber, which, if taken, are bound to help flush out this mucoid deposits. Fruits, like oranges, papaya, kiwifruit, pineapple and figs, help in detoxification of animal protein. They are loaded with fiber, which helps with digestion and removal of the mucoid deposits. Beans, cooked dry peas and lentils eaten regularly will speed up the body’s digestive process too. Pawpaw, in particular, contains papain a proteinase enzyme that helps in removing this mucoid deposit. It has anti-inflammatory properties that can decrease the congestion of the colon. Fiber otherwise known as roughage also plays a very important role in detoxification of animal protein and fat from the body.

Animal protein and fat has no fiber and this makes it difficult to leave the body without the help of other fiber-rich food. Most plant-based food, like beans, vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts contain fiber. The body cannot break down some of the fibers, so they help sweep the mucoid deposits, fats and other free radicals out of the body. Some green vegetables in the family of Ukazi and Atama from the eastern part of Nigeria are also rich in fiber. Carrots, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, whole grains and garden eggs also have high fiber content. Tiger nuts have higher fiber content than most of them.

Soluble and insoluble dietary fibers help bulk up the waste in the digestive system and move such out of the body. They help prevent constipation and the risk of inflammation of the intestines, which can lead to other dangerous life threatening diseases.

Dr. Chinwe Ezirim of the Health Services Unit, University of Port Harcourt, on this topic, said the whole essence of detoxification has two angles. According to her, one is to stop the intake of the wrong harmful materials and another is to begin to take the good proper and cleansing food needed by the body to function. When it comes to the issue of taking excessive animal protein, she said, the two major problems are lack of roughages to move them out of the system and the absence of the enzymes to digest them fully to where they are absorbed into the cells.

Consumption of excess animal protein, she said, creates excess acid at the cellular level of the body, which is very dangerous. Research has confirmed that excessive acid at the cellular level makes the body cells to undergo mutation and become cancerous. Such toxic build up in the cells can cause various types of diseases and disorders. People who have over-indulged in excessive intake of animal protein are advised to abstain from such for now and should start eating fruits and vegetables with roughage and fiber to help clear and move out the half digested animal protein that are stuck in the intestine walls. She further suggested that such people should  begin to take colourful fruits and vegetables in  smoothies forms, drink them as fresh juices, and also take them in salads so as to neutralise the excess acids and alkalinise the cells.  This, she said, will help to combat free radicals. Get them out of the system and give the body vitamins, minerals and fresh nutrients, which will help to build up immunity and facilitate metabolism.