I was messing around on Facebook this morning and I came across an article a dear friend of mine, Christy, had posted. It was about plant based protein. Intrigued I followed the link on the article and found it really fascinating.
There always seems to be this big Protein debate when it comes to diets, food lifestyle choices (like that one- who can be P.C. now huh), and nutrition. Some of the biggest ones come from my husband constantly telling me that I need the protein to make me feel fuller and to get me through the day. And he's right (don't tell him I said that!) But where does my protein have to come from. Are we stuck in this way of thinking that our protein can only come from animal meat, eggs, and nuts? Nope!
So if I don't want to have those things each and everyday - then what? When I want to make a smoothie for breakfast, my husband will often say - this would be better if we put some protein powder in it. But why would I want to put that chemical based protein in my body? One of my green smoothies contains kale (2.5g), spinach (1g), grapes (1g), kiwi (1g), flaxseed (1.25g), and pineapple (1g) = 7.75 grams of protein.
The amount of protein a person needs can be calculated like this: weight x 0.36 (grams). I weigh about 140 pounds, so therefore I need 50.4 grams per day. One of my smoothies is 15% of my daily allowance. Not bad when it comes with the rest of my meals.
Here are two great articles that talk about protein from other sources. Check them out.
http://gentleworld.org/10-protein-packed-plants/
http://www.vegparadise.com/protein.html
KC
