Cutting down on protein

MANILA, Philippines –  When my friend found out that she has a high creatinine level, she had to cut down on eating too much protein. Creatinine is a compound formed in protein metabolism and is involved in the supply of energy for muscular contraction.

A diet high in protein as well as intake of protein supplements could be the cause of elevated serum creatinine. Creatinine is a measure of kidney excretory functioning. There is a slight increase in creatinine level after meals especially after taking in large quantities of meat, but if your kidney is functioning normally, the effect may only be temporary.

However, an increase in creatinine level may indicate an existing kidney problem. It gets aggravated when you are dehydrated, when you exercise too much and when you take too much protein or protein supplements. Then the problem can be complicated. That is scary.

So, when my friend decided to cut down her protein intake, I had to cut down mine as well; not because I have the same case as hers but because I am her friend, therefore, her food mate. Hence, I had to support her.

We started our hunt for restaurants serving tasteful carbohydrates and a little bit of protein. We found Spasso and tried their pasta with truffle cream sauce and a little bit of parma ham on top — yummy.

Next discovery was Carpaccio where we ate spinach ravioli and a little bit of lamb carpaccio. It is made of thin slices of raw or highly seared lamb — superb. So superb that we came back for their salmon pasta, clam pasta and salmon carpaccio — sooo flavorful, I swear.

After ingesting too much pasta, we craved for rice. We scoured around for some special rice until our big eyes saw Chef Dogan that served us Turkish rice, rice pudding for dessert — satisfying, fulfilling and pleasing.

If you have noticed, we only ate a little bit of meat but enjoyed every meal tremendously. My friend had been obedient to her new diet requirement and I had also been an obedient food mate.