Protein: The Big Question

Homemade Sushi

Now that I’ve gone vegetarian, I need to think about where to get protein since I won’t have the simple answer of “meat.”

Like most people, I thought protein pretty much only came from meat. Hence, my hesitancy about ever going vegan. But I have since found out that most vegetables have plenty of protein and that you don’t need meat to get it.

Look up “what vegetables have protein?” on Google and you will get a protein counter. Choose any veggie and it will show you how much protein is in it. Cool, huh?

According to FitDay.com, these are the top 7 veggies to pack protein:

1. Peas (16+ grams per cup)

2. Corn (5 grams per cup)

3. Broccoli (3 grams per cup) Add rice and beans, and you have a high protein meal!

4. Chickpeas (8 grams per cup)

5. Spinach (13 grams per cup)

6. Artichokes (4 grams per artichoke)

7. Potatoes (5 grams per medium-sized potato)

According to The Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org):

“Although protein is certainly an essential nutrient which plays many key roles in the way our bodies function, we do not need huge quantities of it.”

You only need up to 0.36 grams per pound that you weigh. So a 180-pound person (and most of us are or should be less than that) only needs as much as 65 grams. And more is not better. In fact, VRG stated that too much protein can increase your risk of osteoporosis and kidney disease.

They have a great chart showing some sample meals and how much protein is in them. Here’s a daily meal chart I made up: (showing examples of a few protein foods only. You can, of course, eat other things with these, and probably should if you want to feel full)

Protein in grams:

Breakfast: one potato (5), baked or shredded and fried as hash browns. Add some bell pepper and onion (1.5). 6.5 grams.

Lunch: Spinach salad (13) with peas (16), tomato (1), cucumber (1). 31 grams.

Dinner: Broccoli (3), brown rice (5) and black beans (15). 23 grams.

Total: 60.5 grams.

Add a snack of a handful of almonds: 4 grams.

Drink some soy milk with that: 7 grams.

Total for the day: 71.5 grams.

Now you’ve taken in more protein than you actually need.

What kinds of whole food and grains contain protein? Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, bagels, peanut butter, spaghetti, veggie burgers, soy yogurt, lentils, quinoa, sunflower seeds, etc.

According to www.cookinglight.com, the average protein requirement for women is 46 g and for men it is 56 g. They add a couple more ideas to the protein menu: cottage cheese (13 g per half cup) and pumpkin seeds (7 g per ounce).

Most vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains contain plenty of protein. Fruits don’t have protein, for the most part, but they do contain many essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as well as calories needed to get through the day. And fiber.

As an example of what one might eat, I have kept track of my meals for one day:

Breakfast:

1 1/4 cup Hash browns cooked in 1 tablespoon olive oil

(2 g protein, 70 calories, 0 fat, 16 g carbs, 20 mg sodium, 300 mg potassium, a little Vitamin C)

Frank’s Sauce

(0 protein, 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs, 60 mg sodium, a little Vitamin A).

Strawberry-peach smoothie (peaches, mandarin oranges, coconut milk, mango, strawberries, ice)

(1.1 g protein, 184 calories, 1 g fat, 44 carbs, 4.2 mg sodium, 45 mg potassium)

Total protein: 3.1

 Lunch:

-Homemade Veggie Sushi

(3.6 g protein, 191 calories, 2.5 g fat, 9 g sodium, 37 g carbs,)

-Almond milk

(1 g protein, 60 calories, 2.5 g fat, 160 mg sodium, 35 mg potassium, 8 g carbs, vitamins & minerals)

Total protein: 4.6

Dinner:

-Butternut Squash Bisque

(1 g protein, 100 calories, 1.5 g fat, 650 mg sodium, 19 carbs, vitamins A & D, calcium, iron)

-Homemade wheat bread

(15 g protein, 445 calories, 3.2 g fat, 93 carbs, 462 mg sodium)

-Summer Salad (spinach leaves, mozzarella cheese, mandarin oranges, almonds, pink vinaigrette)

(3.6 g protein, 295 calories, 9 g fat, 288 mg sodium, 25 g carbs)

-Iced Herb Tea

Total protein: 19.6

Snacks:

-Cup of soy milk (7 g)

-Handful of almonds (4 g)

Total protein: 11

Total for day: 38.3

Not quite the 46 that I probably need, but it was close.

I hope this helps. For more information, look up those websites above.

Cheers and Hugs!

Denise

Recipe of the day:

Homemade Sushi (California Rolls)

2 cups jasmine rice, cooked (2 cups of rice with 1 1/2 cups water, in rice cooker or on stove for 20-25 min)

1-2 Tbls rice vinegar

1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise and cut into 3-4 inch strips

1 large avocado, sliced

1 package carrot slivers

1 package imitation crab, optional

1 package seaweed strips

1 rolling mat 

Cook rice. Add vinegar when done, stirring to mix in thoroughly. Cool at least 2 hours before proceeding.

Prepare your rolling mat by wrapping in plastic wrap.

Put a large scoop of rice on the mat. Spread so that it is just a little larger than the seaweed paper.

Place the seaweed paper shiny side down on the rice.

Line up cucumber, carrots and avocado along one side (long ways, closest to you). Add crab, if desired.

Roll the whole thing, squishing tight when the two ends touch.

Cut into 8-9 pieces. Lay flat on a plate.

Serve with soy sauce, wasabi sauce, and pickled ginger.

You can add some Spicy Sushi Sauce on top to make it spicy:

1/2 cup mayo 

2 Tbls Sriracha sauce

Mix together. Drizzle on top of rolls. Add fish roe if desired.

You can also sprinkle toasted French's onion pieces on top as well.