It is safe to say that America has a food obsession.
Whether this obsession surrounds unrestrained weight loss or gain, Americans just know surprisingly little about health and nutrition. Even with all of the talk of our obesity epidemic, those of us who choose to cut particular things from our diet are commonly looked at weirdly.
Being a vegan, the most typical question I am asked is, "Where do you get your protein?"
Vegetarians are individuals 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 good sources of protein, the concept that those are the sole natural choices is incorrect. Vegetarians and vegans do not necessarily need to beef up their diets with shakes and pills either (though I know 1 or 2 that do, those people are body-builders). It is true that a 6oz steak has about 40 grams of protein, and a large egg has about six, but those aren't your sole options.
What most individuals do not realize is that there's at least some protein in most things you eat.
Vegetables, for instance, provide small amounts of protein. On the high end, a serving of broccoli provides around 4 grams of protein. Asparagus, artichoke and spinach each provide three, and most other vegetables fall somewhere below that. Compared to one steak, it's nothing. But most folks don't eat the suggested servings of vegetables. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an individual with a median calorific consumption of about 2000 should have around 9 servings of vegetables a day, which is about 4 1/2 cups. So say you ate 9 servings of broccoli in one day (mmmm, right?) you would have had 36 grams of protein!
Ok, realistically let's say you actually did eat enough servings of vegetables and they were not all broccoli. You're likely a guy because most women don't try to eat 2000 calories a day. We will say your average intake of protein per serving was around 2 1/2 grams, so you're now already at 22.5 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 with whole soybeans) has 41 grams of protein, and 1 cup of cooked soybeans has 29 grams. Only 3 ounces of seitan (a protein made with wheat) has 31 grams of protein, one cup of lentils has 18, 1 cup of chickpeas has 12, and 1/4 cup of almonds has eight. Even 1 cup of spaghetti has 8 grams of protein.
Eating from that list can bring you nearer to your daily amount, and I have not even gone into beans and other legumes that are likely a part of your diet already. In my previous experience, if you're careful to eat the correct quantity of vegetables and whole grains, proteins will naturally fall into place.
Whether this obsession surrounds unrestrained weight loss or gain, Americans just know surprisingly little about health and nutrition. Even with all of the talk of our obesity epidemic, those of us who choose to cut particular things from our diet are commonly looked at weirdly.
Being a vegan, the most typical question I am asked is, "Where do you get your protein?"
Vegetarians are individuals 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 good sources of protein, the concept that those are the sole natural choices is incorrect. Vegetarians and vegans do not necessarily need to beef up their diets with shakes and pills either (though I know 1 or 2 that do, those people are body-builders). It is true that a 6oz steak has about 40 grams of protein, and a large egg has about six, but those aren't your sole options.
What most individuals do not realize is that there's at least some protein in most things you eat.
Vegetables, for instance, provide small amounts of protein. On the high end, a serving of broccoli provides around 4 grams of protein. Asparagus, artichoke and spinach each provide three, and most other vegetables fall somewhere below that. Compared to one steak, it's nothing. But most folks don't eat the suggested servings of vegetables. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an individual with a median calorific consumption of about 2000 should have around 9 servings of vegetables a day, which is about 4 1/2 cups. So say you ate 9 servings of broccoli in one day (mmmm, right?) you would have had 36 grams of protein!
Ok, realistically let's say you actually did eat enough servings of vegetables and they were not all broccoli. You're likely a guy because most women don't try to eat 2000 calories a day. We will say your average intake of protein per serving was around 2 1/2 grams, so you're now already at 22.5 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 with whole soybeans) has 41 grams of protein, and 1 cup of cooked soybeans has 29 grams. Only 3 ounces of seitan (a protein made with wheat) has 31 grams of protein, one cup of lentils has 18, 1 cup of chickpeas has 12, and 1/4 cup of almonds has eight. Even 1 cup of spaghetti has 8 grams of protein.
Eating from that list can bring you nearer to your daily amount, and I have not even gone into beans and other legumes that are likely a part of your diet already. In my previous experience, if you're careful to eat the correct quantity of vegetables and whole grains, proteins will naturally fall into place.
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