So let's first look at the first protein myth: the amount of protein required daily. According to The World Health Organization, we need 10% of our calories from protein. Dr. Campbell, who wrote "The China Study," states that our body only needs He thus also recommends approximately 10% to ensure we get the 5-6% that we actually need. To further this point, look at the difference between adulthood and babies. We are definitely no longer growing like we did throughout childhood. Surprisingly, a mother's milk, which is the perfect for food an infant, only contains about 6% of its calories from protein. This is pretty shocking in regard to the "protein myth" since you consume this milk during the most rapid growth period of your life.
What about protein combining and getting all the essential amino acids? The "complete protein myth" has long since been debunked. The truth is that you can and do get all your essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) from eating a variety of vegetables. In fact, this has been shown to be a more efficient, effective, and simply better way for our bodies to absorb and utilize these nutrients. Unlike animals products that contain more "complete proteins," which means they contain most if not all the essential amino acids, our bodies get sort of shocked by the overload and end up improperly digesting them. In contrast, with plant proteins, our body is able to slowly and efficiently store and use the amino acids it needs from day to day.
With this in mind, you can use this formula provided by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to find out your average individual protein needs.
Body weight (in pounds) X 0.36 = recommended protein intake (in grams)Now, before we dive into where herbivores find the protein they need, let's first ponder why plant-based proteins are superior to obtaining it from meat. As just discussed, our body is able to better use plant proteins over animal based proteins. However, we have all still been duped into thinking that we need to eat animal products in order to get enough protein. As this chart below demonstrates, many meat entrees do not hold a candle to the supernutrients (including protein) that vegetables offer.
The meat and dairy industries have long pushed for high-protein diets ... since it obviously supports their products. But do we need those products for a balanced diet? As just depicted, most vegetables are not indeed "low in protein." And we have already established that our bodies only need 5-6% of calories from protein to replenish itself daily, a diet of around 10% is more than sufficient. But what's more is that meat consumption has been linked to many diseases of affluence including colon cancer. Per the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), links to intestinal cancers "should not surprise us, since our intestinal tracks look just like those of herbivores ... [t]hey are more than twice the length of a carnivore's, so most of us are walking around with five pounds of meat rotting in our bowels." The World Health Organization similarly finds that up to 90% of all cancers are preventable despite that only 1% of the National Cancer Institute's resources are spent on prevention. (emphasis added) This is especially unfortunate since the protein that has consistently been shown to strongly promote cancer at all stages of the process was from the animal origin. It has been further shown that the safe proteins were from plants.
(Reseach based on findings by the PCRM at http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=251)
So how can we meet the daily protein requirements on a PBD and where do we get it from? It is important to maintain an adequate but not excessive amount of protein, which you can easily do on a plant-based diet. You can use the following guidelines as examples:
- Aim for 5 or more servings of grains each day. This may include 1/2 cup of hot cereal, 1 oz. of dry cereal, or 1 slice of bread. Each serving contains roughly 3 grams of protein.
- Aim for 3 or more servings of vegetables each day. This may include 1 cup of raw vegetables, 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables, or 1/2 cup of vegetable juice. Each serving contains about 2 grams of protein.
- Aim for 2 to 3 servings of legumes each day. This may include 1/2 cup of cooked beans, 4 oz. of tofu or tempeh, 8 oz. of soymilk, and 1 oz. of nuts. Protein content can vary significantly, particularly with soy and rice milks, so be sure to check labels. Each serving may contain about 4 grams to 10 grams of protein. Meat analogues and substitutes are also great sources of protein that can be added to your daily diet.
Well there you have it! Now that you been "shaking" it up in the mornings with your green smoothies, now try to focus on maintaining a variety of your other plant-based foods throughout the day!
PBD Recipe
How to Dry-Fry Tofu, Marinate, & Stir Fry
Dry-Frying Tofu:
Ingredients:
1 package firm tofu
Tofu comes packaged in water, so first drain the tofu, cut it width-wise into 1/2 inch pieces, and then cut it into triangle pieces or cubes (the smaller and thinner the pieces the more crunchy baked it will taste). Next, place the tofu pieces between absorbent cloth napkins, woven dish towels, or paper towels (not terry cloth) and gently press hard enough to get most of the water out, but not hard enough to squish it.
*I usually cut the tofu block in half width-wise which is about 1/2 inch and save the rest of the tofu for another dish. Tips on how to store uncooked tofu see below.
Place your pan on medium heat (use a teflon or well-seasoned cast iron pan). Slow cooking is the key to keeping the tofu from sticking to the Teflon and insures that the water has time to evaporate out before the outside is browned. Do not use oil. You want to leech all of the moisture out of your tofu, so do not use oil and leave the pan dry.
Put your tofu in the pan leaving room around pieces. As the tofu cooks, use a spatula to frequently press down on each piece. You will see the water seeping out and sizzling in the pan. Once the bottom sides are very firm and golden in color, flip the tofu pieces and fry the other side, again frequently pressing each piece with a spatula. When they are golden and firm on both sides, they are done.
Now, you can toss your tofu into the stir fry to finish cooking all the ingredients together. Or if you would like your tofu to have more of its own smokey flavor, follow the marinade directions below before tossing in with the stir fry. After adding all the ingredients, cook the stir fry for a few additional minutes and serve warm.
Stir Fry
Ingredients:
Your favorite veggies!
I like to add:
- few handfuls of cabbage, chopped or torn manually into strips
- few handfuls of spinach or kale
- 2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 6 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or 4 tbsp of tamari or soy sauce)
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized florets, about 2 1/2 cups
- 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3/4 cup water
Cook rice according to its directions and let sit while you prepare the rest of the stir fry. Whisk together tahini, 1/4 cup Bragg's sauce (or 8 tsp soy sauce), and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium pan put in the remaining 2 tbsp of Bragg's (or 4 tsp soy sauce), 1/4 cup water, and veggies. Cook veggies until tender. Add in the dry-fried tofu. Serve over plate of rice. Use additional sauce to taste.
Marinade
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (for a salty, smoky flavor)
Splash of rice vinegar
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
water to cover
Since dry-frying has left your tofu dry and firm, it is ready to take on flavors of a marinade like a sponge. Combine the above ingredients and place the tofu pieces in the marinade and stir well, making sure the tofu is submerged. Marinate for 20-30 minutes and then use this delicious firm and flavorful tofu in your stir-fry.
*This marinade works for one 16-ounce tofu block, use less if you are not cooking with all the tofu.
*Depending on how invested I am into cooking, I typically just toss the tofu into the stir fry after dry-frying and it absorbs the flavors from the vegetables. However, if you want it to take on a little extra taste, try marinading.
*Note on storage - if you have a half a block of uncooked tofu that you did not use, simply put it in a sealed container completely submerged in water (a zip-lock baggie will do in a pinch, but some sort of Tupperware container is best). Cooked tofu, on the other hand, can be stored just the same as any other leftovers.
(Recipe courtesy of http://melissaraydavis.hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros and "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin)
Happy Thoughts from Your Healthy Herbivore,
S
"Current life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years. The oldest documented person was a woman who lived to the age of 122. Life expectancy is higher in non-meat-eaters than meat-eaters. Vegetarians live about 7 years longer, and vegans live 15 years longer than meat-eaters." - Julienna Hever, M.S., R.D.
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