It is fair to say that America has a food obsession.
If this obsession surrounds excessive weight loss or gain, North Americans actually know surprisingly little about health and nutrition. Even with all of the talk about our obesity epidemic, those people who choose to cut specific things from our diet are often looked at bizarrely.
Being a vegan, the typical question I am asked is, "Where do you get your protein?"
Vegetarians are those who cut meat from their diet, and vegans cut all animal products. The majority of people think vegetarians just eat plenty of eggs or peanut butter, while vegan protein sources remain a mystery.
The endorsed quantity of protein for an adult female is around 45 grams, and for an adult male about 55 grams. While meat and eggs are fine sources of protein, the idea that those are the sole natural options is wrong. Vegetarians and vegans do not always need to bolster their diets with shakes and pills either (though I know one or two that do, those individuals are iron pumpers). It's correct that a 6oz steak has about 40 grams of protein, and a large egg has about 6, but those aren't your only options.
What most folks don't realize is that there is at least some protein in most things you eat.
Vegetables, for example, provide small portions of protein. On the higher end, a portion of broccoli offers about four grams of protein. Asparagus, artichoke and spinach each offer 3, and most other vegetables fall somewhere below that. Compared against one steak, it's nothing. But most folks do not eat the recommended servings of vegetables. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an individual with a median calorie consumption of approximately 2000 should have around nine servings of vegetables a day, which is about 4 1/2 cups. So say you ate 9 servings of broccoli in 24 hours (mmmm, right?) you would have had 36 grams of protein!
Ok, realistically let's imagine you did eat enough servings of vegetables and they weren't all broccoli. You're probably a male, since most girls don't aim for 2000 calories a day. Let's say your average intake of protein per serving was around 2 1/2 grams, so you are already at 22 1/2 grams of protein. That is not 55, so let's have a look at what else you can consume in a day.
I cup of tempeh (a protein made from whole soybeans) has 41 grams of protein, and 1 cup of cooked soybeans has 29 grams. Only three ounces of seitan (a protein made with wheat) has 31 grams of protein, 1 cup of lentils has 18, 1 cup of chickpeas has 12, and 1/4 cup of almonds has 8. Even one cup of spaghetti has 8 grams of protein.
Choosing from that list can bring you closer to your daily amount, and I haven't even gone into beans and other legumes that are likely part of your diet already. In my previous experience, if you are careful to eat the correct quantity of vegetables and whole grains, proteins will naturally fall into place.
If this obsession surrounds excessive weight loss or gain, North Americans actually know surprisingly little about health and nutrition. Even with all of the talk about our obesity epidemic, those people who choose to cut specific things from our diet are often looked at bizarrely.
Being a vegan, the typical question I am asked is, "Where do you get your protein?"
Vegetarians are those who cut meat from their diet, and vegans cut all animal products. The majority of people think vegetarians just eat plenty of eggs or peanut butter, while vegan protein sources remain a mystery.
The endorsed quantity of protein for an adult female is around 45 grams, and for an adult male about 55 grams. While meat and eggs are fine sources of protein, the idea that those are the sole natural options is wrong. Vegetarians and vegans do not always need to bolster their diets with shakes and pills either (though I know one or two that do, those individuals are iron pumpers). It's correct that a 6oz steak has about 40 grams of protein, and a large egg has about 6, but those aren't your only options.
What most folks don't realize is that there is at least some protein in most things you eat.
Vegetables, for example, provide small portions of protein. On the higher end, a portion of broccoli offers about four grams of protein. Asparagus, artichoke and spinach each offer 3, and most other vegetables fall somewhere below that. Compared against one steak, it's nothing. But most folks do not eat the recommended servings of vegetables. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an individual with a median calorie consumption of approximately 2000 should have around nine servings of vegetables a day, which is about 4 1/2 cups. So say you ate 9 servings of broccoli in 24 hours (mmmm, right?) you would have had 36 grams of protein!
Ok, realistically let's imagine you did eat enough servings of vegetables and they weren't all broccoli. You're probably a male, since most girls don't aim for 2000 calories a day. Let's say your average intake of protein per serving was around 2 1/2 grams, so you are already at 22 1/2 grams of protein. That is not 55, so let's have a look at what else you can consume in a day.
I cup of tempeh (a protein made from whole soybeans) has 41 grams of protein, and 1 cup of cooked soybeans has 29 grams. Only three ounces of seitan (a protein made with wheat) has 31 grams of protein, 1 cup of lentils has 18, 1 cup of chickpeas has 12, and 1/4 cup of almonds has 8. Even one cup of spaghetti has 8 grams of protein.
Choosing from that list can bring you closer to your daily amount, and I haven't even gone into beans and other legumes that are likely part of your diet already. In my previous experience, if you are careful to eat the correct quantity of vegetables and whole grains, proteins will naturally fall into place.
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