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Meat Free Everyday
Meat Free Everyday - Food for ThoughtVegetarians and ProteinThis is a huge big deal. Meat, although not the best protein source provides at least some. A human body can make carbohydrates from protein or fat. It can't easily make all the requied protein. Protein must be provided for the body. And when it comes down to it, our bodies are made up of protein. Hair, enzymes, skin, DNA, nails, hormones and muscles are all protein. We are one big mass of different proteins. If a vegetarian is eating a steady diet of rice, sandwiches and pasta, they are at a distinct disadvantage. I make an effort to include a protein source at every single meal. And as it turns out, vegetarian sources of protein are often better assimilated by the body than animal sources. It's a lot easier if I eat at home. Eating out is a major challenge. But there is plenty to choose from. Here are some suggestions:
A no brainer. They seem to go in and out of fashion, but they are versatile. Think spicy frittattas, veggie filled omlettes, boiled eggs in a salad or regular breakfast style i.e. scrambled or fried. I keep a batch of boiled eggs on hand in the fridge in a bowl of water ready for use. There are so many varieties you could try a new type every day and still never eat them all. Cheese is high in saturated fats so I look for the white coloured ones which are lower in fat. Think cream cheeses, goats cheese, feta and ricotta. Just an aside, ricotta is not made from milk, but from whey. It has only 7g fat per 100g. Cheese is easy to add to salads or to gratinate a meal. It also makes a lovely starter or finisher at a meal. I slice it thinly and eat it on Wasa cracker biscuits or dice it and eat it with crudites for a snack. I also look for hard, strongly flavoured cheeses so I can use less. Parmesan, Gruyere and Pecorino do the trick. Not all beans are equal. Soy beans and edamame have the highest protein yield. Most people don't realise that beans have a high carbohydrate count. Not as high as grains but still very high. The good thing about beans is their fibre content. I buy soy beans in bulk and boil them up. Then I freeze them and use them in chilli bean dishes, toss them over salads or make soy bean pates like you would make hummus. They vary in protein yield but are usually a good protein source. If you think cheese is high in fat, nuts contain double the fat gram for gram. Good fat, yes, but fat is still fat. I use them sparingly. They make a great snack straight from the bag and they are yummy lightly toasted in a non-stick pan and tossed over cereals or salads. I also make nut burgers or roasts. This stuff doesn't have a good reputation and rightly so. Plain tofu tastes like cardboard. Actually it tastes like nothing. But it will do what you want it to. You use it for it's low calorie protein potential. I use soft tofu to make a mock mayonaise, a divine chocolate moussse and to perk up smoothies. You can completely change the texture of tofu by freezing it. It becomes firmer and porous. You can also buy firm tofu. Smoked tofu is sublime. I use it on cracker breads or eat it straight. Plain tofu needs to be marinaded for flavour. It absorbs flavours beautifully. My best way to eat firm tofu is to make Cajun style spices and allow tofu pieces to sit in the spices. Then I flash fry in a non stick pan. It is heavenly with a sweet salsa. Not a well known protein source and it is gluten flour so those who are gluten intolerant can't eat it. I love it. Patrick hates it. Gluten flour is great for adding to batters and doughs to increase the protein density. Dilute regular flour with gluten flour. I mix the straight gluten flour with water to make a dough. It becomes a gummy rubbery dough that is not very plaible. Then I slice it into chunks and add it to curries, stews or soups for a sort of dumpling. It swells up when cooking but returns to it's original size on cooling. These are up there with gluten flour for increasing the protein yield in your food. Whey is the byproduct of the milk curdling process. Think curds and whey. It mixes into foods that work with milky flavours. So dips and smoothies get a protein boost up with a spoon of whey. Soy protein powder has a more flourey taste. I do put a teenie bit in my smoothies but I use it more for baking, sauces, burgers and nut roasts. The kind of food that would have flour in. This blue green algae grows in ponds and lakes around the world. This is my desert island staple supplement. It's not just a protein power house house it is cram full of other valuable nutrients. It is well absorbed. And that's not all. It is high in chlorophyll which has an alkalinising effect on the ph of the body. High acidity is the cause of plenty problems in our bodies and spirulina counter balances acidity. What is not to love about it? The taste. I can't consume it in a drink. I swallow it in pill form. Milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium. While they do have protein, they are a bit like beans in that they still have quite a high carbohydrate yield. Low fat and fat free are best. Organic is the very best. Brands like Quorn and Frys Zoglos make easy to use sausages, burgers, mince, etc. Some people view them as processed food, which they are. Quorn is actually made from a fungus but it is sold as turkey slices, roast chicken and bacon. So yes, that is quite a transformation. I like them. It doesn't bother me that they have meat flavours and you can't beat them for convenience. The old textured vegetable protein of days gone by. It comes in granules aka mince and chunks. Much like one of it's relatives tofu, it tastes like nothing. You have to rehydrate them and use a lot of flavour. But for a protein source with a negligible fat yield, this one ticks the boxes. I like adding it to stews and curries. It absorbs all the flavoursome juices and prevents the food from being too runny. |