protein

Food – How to Get Protein

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If you’re worried about getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet, you may be in for a surprise. The truth is, most Americans get way too much protein, and vegetarians can easily get more than enough protein in their diet as well. Many people still believe that protein is only available from meat and animal sources and we will all fall over dead without animal protein! Here are the best sources of protein for vegetarians.

Beans are one of the most common protein-rich foods for vegetarians. All beans, lentils, and peas are an excellent vegetarian and vegan source of protein, so eat whichever one you like! Black beans, kidney beans, split pea soup and chickpea hummus—pick one and watch the protein grams add up. You can find beans in the grocery store or on the menu just about everywhere you may be.

Soy is a bean as well. It and its derivatives are a popular source of protein for vegetarians. Soy is such a flavor chameleon that you’ll never get bored! You may have tried tofu and soy milk before, but what about edamame, soy ice cream, soy yogurt, soy nuts or soy cheese? TVP and tempeh are also protein-rich soy foods. As an added bonus, many brands of tofu and soymilk are fortified with other nutrients that vegetarians and vegans need, such as calcium, iron and vitamin B12. You can add a bit of tofu to just about anything you cook, including stir-fries, pasta sauces, soups and salads.

Nuts, including peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts all contain protein, as do seeds such as sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. Because most nuts and seeds are high in fat, you don’t want to make them your primary source of protein. But they’re great as a post-workout or occasional snack. Nut butters are delicious as well. Try soy nut butter or cashew nut butter for a little variety from peanut butter with about 8 grams of protein per serve (2 tablespoons).

Read the label of store-bought meat substitute products and veggie burgers and you’ll find they are quite high in protein! Most commercial meat substitutes are made from either soy protein, wheat protein (wheat gluten) or a combination of the two. Homemade seitan is quite high in protein as well.

Tempeh is similar to a very firm veggie burger, and, like tofu and seitan, it’s quite high in protein and can be prepared in a myriad of ways, making it perfect for vegetarians, vegans, or those just wishing to reduce meat consumption while exploring alternative protein sources.

Food – Vacation Plans or Weekend Outings

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When you think of summer weekends, what food pops into your mind? When you think of eating on the road, is fast food the first thing you think of? This summer, don’t eat foods that will leave you feeling depleted, bloated, and tired. Making better food choices will have a positive impact on your leisure time. Healthy food and plenty of water will sustain your energy levels, fuel your muscles, and help you recover quickly. The food you eat on the road will serve as your traveling repair kit.

Healthy eating starts where you stop – If you’re on the road and stop at a fast-food joint, your food choices will be limited to fast food. But if you stop at a grocery store that offers whole or healthy foods—fruits, bagged carrots, nuts, hummus—or a supermarket that features a salad bar, you quickly expand your choices (and reduce junk-food temptations).

Eat frequently, and in smaller amounts – Eating small amounts of healthy foods throughout the day sends a signal to your brain that the food supply is plentiful, so it’s okay to burn through those calories quickly. Limiting your calorie load at a single sitting also gives you lots of energy. Eating too much at one sitting can make you sluggish and sleepy.

Eat plenty of protein – Eating the right amount of complete protein for your weight and activity level stabilizes blood sugar (preventing energy lags), enhances concentration, and keeps you lean and strong. A complete protein for vegetarians is a grain plus a legume (such as whole grain bread with nut butter, or corn tortilla with beans).

Pack snacks so you’re not skipping meals – Often when we’re traveling, we don’t have access to food at regular intervals. The problem is, your body responds as if it’s facing a food shortage and your metabolism slows way down to prevent you from starving. To keep your mind and body humming, pack healthy snacks in your car or backpack. Examples are almonds, raw vegetables and hummus, soy yogurt and berries, fresh and dried fruit.

Avoid “feel bad” foods – These are foods you crave, but after you eat them you feel sick or depleted. When you’re on the road, it’s particularly essential to avoid foods that drain your energy and deflate your mood.

Drink lots of water – Yes, water is a food. The body needs water for virtually all of its functions. Drinking plenty of water will flush your body of toxins, keep your skin fresh, and help you eat less. It will also help you avoid travel lag, symptoms of overexposure to the heat or sun, and junk-food cravings. Believe it or not, many of the unhealthy cravings we experience on the road can be satisfied with a refreshing drink of pure water. www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat

Try cutting up fresh fruit and vegetables beforehand and leaving them nearby and handy as you travel.

Health – Protein – How Do You Get Yours?

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Some time ago I gave a health presentation, sharing about the delicious foods that God has given to us for nourishment and to build the immune system in order to fight disease. In the front row was an elderly gentleman, 95 years old, who had been invited by his neighbor.

As I was sharing, I could tell he was getting a little agitated. Finally, as he was looking through the handouts, he could no longer contain himself, blurting out, “Where’s the protein? You need protein! Nobody can live without protein!” He was so adamant about protein that I did not think he heard anything else that was discussed. A few days later his neighbor told me that this 95 year old man was concerned for the health of another neighbor and had made a list of all of the foods he had learned about in the class and gave it to her hoping that she would build her immune system. Amazing how God works.

See the table above for a few choice sources of vegan/vegetarian protein.

Too much protein is toxic to our bodies. Agatha Thrash, M.D. makes the following statements in her article entitled Dangers of a High Protein Diet:

“It can be readily stated that a high protein diet is toxic to the body. A high protein diet puts a tax on the liver, breaks down protein tissues, triggers a loss of calcium from bones, and leaves toxic residues which must be eliminated. Before elimination of these toxic residues, however, the body is often damaged so that it is more susceptible to a variety of diseases, including cancer and arthritis. … A high protein diet has been shown to cause excessive loss of calcium in the urine. Five overweight but otherwise healthy men and women volunteers were studied. All five were given a free choice of their regular diet for two weeks. After that time a high protein diet was used for several weeks. Each individual took a vitamin-mineral capsule both during the first two weeks as well as during the test period. When the volunteers were on the high-protein, low carbohydrate diet there was a significant increase in their blood of an enzyme from the liver, a strong suggestion that protein tissue was being broken down in their bodies. These volunteers also lost a lot of calcium in their urine. When a high protein diet is used, a high calcium diet must also be provided to make up for urinary losses of calcium. If an extremely high protein diet on the order of 140 grams a day is taken in, researchers found that it was impossible to maintain calcium balance regardless of the extra calcium given. …

“It can be readily understood that a high protein diet for an elderly person would be particularly detrimental. An elderly person may easily lose bone matrix, resulting in osteoporosis, the thinning of the bones that causes pain and much discomfort in elderly individuals. In addition to loss of calcium, there is also loss of iron, zinc, and phosphorus from the urine during a high protein diet. It is known that zinc is needed to balance other minerals in the blood.

“The best dietary is a very simple one consisting of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Apart from these three food groups, all other foods should be used sparingly.” www.ucheepines.org/dangers-of-a-high-protein-diet/

Enjoy the simple fare that God provides through a plant-based diet and enjoy good health.