Urea

The German word for urea is Harnstoff, a metabolic product released with the urine (Harn) when you pee. It makes an excellent fertilizer for urea has the highest nitrogen content with 46% of all conventional nitrogen fertilizers. Ammonium nitrate, also often used, has a nitrogen content of only 35%.

Gülleausbringung (spreading liquid manure) ©Westdeutsche Zeitung

Not only in Germany, farmers spread the metabolic product of their livestock as Gülle (liquid manure) on their fields. The motorist's comment passing, "It smells of agriculture."

Farmers indeed tend to put too much nitrogen fertilizer on their fields following the principle viel hilft viel (much helps much). It has come so far that the EU ostracizes Germany, i.e., its farmers, for polluting the groundwater.

An article in Scientific American titled, "Eating Too Much Protein Makes Pee a Problem Pollutant in the U.S." found my attention. The author Sasha Warren subtitled, "Protein-packed diets add excess nitrogen to the environment through urine, rivaling pollution from agricultural fertilizers."

Red Baron has been on medical observation for years. On my doctor's recommendation, I now undergo a medical checkup twice a year, including a full haemogram. The results show that my sugar levels approach a diabetic situation drawing comments from my doctor. These made me stop my consumption of sweets, including sugared drinks.

Another observation is that since 2015 the urea concentration in my blood has started to rise. The value should range between 10 to 45 mg/dl, but during recent years settled around 60. These results pass without my doctor's comment.

Red Baron cut down on carbohydrates and eats meat only when having lunch or dinner with friends. 

Found on Facebook

I don't buy any wurst anymore, remembering Bismarck's dictum. Am I consuming too much protein?

Indeed the missing meat is more than compensated by my consumption of yogurt and cheese. Lately, I discovered tasty fat-reduced chips made from lentils, i.e., vegetable protein.

Protein is muscle food, and although I try hard to keep my muscular mass constant at Kieser Training, all muscles are shrinking with age. So they can no longer handle my ample protein supply that flushes down the toilet in the form of urea instead.

Mind you. Red Baron will not change his eating habits. He rather likes to overprovision his shrinking muscles than have them undersupplied.
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