Nutritional Misconceptions 101: Protein
I touched on the role of protein in our bodies in a previous blog, The Low Down on Protein, and this blog I want to talk a bit more about good vegetarian sources of protein. The Covid-19 pandemic has shed some much overdue light on the faults and dangers of the typical Western diet, one based on animals.
I have been a vegetarian for years and most of my family has joined me recently. It warmed my heart when my Dad, who was raised on a cup of cows milk, meat and potatoes for dinner, said to me that it was fine the meat case at the grocery store was becoming empty, he was having curried tofu for dinner that night and hasn’t purchased meat in months.
Factory farms, meat processing plants and other animal agricultural facilities are just as bad as the Wet Markets of the East. If you don’t agree, I suggest you take some time to watch the documentary Earthlings.
A warning, though, as truthful as this film is, it’s not easy to watch but I think we all need to know where our food comes from and its cost to not just our Earth but to the people who have to work in this industry.
We have all been conditioned to think that we need animal protein to survive. That’s just not the case. Let’s say that the average person needs about 50g - 70g of protein per day, depending on their weight.
Per 100g of steak there is 25g of protein, 13% iron, 1% calcium and 19g of fat.
Per 100g of spirulina there is 57g of protein, 15% iron, 12% calcium and 8g of fat.
Spirulina has more than 2x the amount of protein!!!
What the heck is spirulina and how do you eat it? It is a blue green algae, it is one of the healthiest foods you can eat because its benefits range from a good protein source, a detoxifier and is nutrient dense!! More to come on Spirulina.
It can be used in smoothies, protein balls, raw bars, or just chugged in a glass of water. So much healthier for you than steak.
Per 1 cup of chicken there is 38g of protein, 19g of fat and 0g fibre.
Per 1 cup of edamame there is 17g of protein, 8g of fat and 8g fibre.
Per 1 cup of beans there is 19g of protein, 2.4g of fat and 14g fibre.
Having a salad of leafy greens like spinach for lunch : (1 cup = 5g protein), with edamame (1 cup = 17g protein) and some beans (1 cup = 19g) will give you 41g of protein just in one meal!!
Eating more plant based meals will provide you with all of the protein, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients you need without the saturated fat, hormones, cholesterol, antibiotics and other nasty chemicals that come with a typical Western Diet.
Here is a fantastic recipe for a healthy leafy green salad that is tasty, filled with protein and nutrients.
Lemony Leafy Greens and Couscous
Please feel free to contact me for more information on how to eat a balanced, healthy and plant based whole foods diet!!
Eat well!
Sarah
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