Is It Time to Ditch Animal Protein? It Might Be

Why is protein so important to sustain a healthy body? Is it an essential component of weight management? Proteins are the building blocks of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein. Your body breaks down proteins into small molecules called amino acids. Your body uses these amino acids to build and repair muscles and bones and it also makes hormones and enzymes. Proteins take a long time to digest, longer than carbohydrates, and keeps you feeling full longer with fewer calories. Therefore, proteins are a very important component of weight maintenance and weight loss.

We know women should be eating a minimum of 46 grams of protein and men should be eating about 56 grams. If you are very active, maybe you should be eating more to help sustain your energy levels. Also depending on your weight, these numbers can vary. For a long time, when we talked about protein, most of us were referring to animal protein such as, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy. These were the hallmark sources of protein. Now, you may hear people talking about plant-based proteins. These proteins have brought a lot of hype to the world of nutrition and for good reason. Animal proteins have been getting a bad wrap for its high saturated fat and cholesterol content. So if we can limit these and still get enough essential nutrients in our diets, that’s great news!

There are a plethora of benefits to eating plant-based proteins. It will benefit your health and the environment. Here’s why relying mostly on plant foods will benefit you. Individuals following a plant-based diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are more likely to have a healthy BMI and less likely to be overweight. Plant base diet reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. In fact, those who follow plant-based diet are more likely to have improved insulin sensitivity and lower cholesterol levels. We all know eating saturated fat, which comes from animal proteins, can be implicated in heart disease. Plant-based proteins reduce your risk of obesity, high blood pressure and stroke. These proteins have low or no sodium, and more fiber and nutrient content. Consuming organic produce, and reducing consumption of animal foods can help limit exposure to certain toxins. Meat, dairy, and farm raised fish may contain hormones, steroids, and other toxic residue from their feed and processing. Although a better choice, wild fish can still be contaminated with heavy metals, like mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s), which may disrupt our hormones. Another benefit to eating plant-based proteins is it may save you money. On average, it will save a consumer about $750 per year on grocery costs. Whole grains, beans, and in season produce are economical and incredibly nourishing. Animal welfare is another reason to consider eating more plant-based proteins. To meet the demand for animal foods, animals are often raised under poor conditions and crowded together in confined animal feeding operations. Supporting humane farms, or not purchasing meat at all, is a way to speak your voice against animal cruelty. Let's consider our planet! The demand for animal products is a major cause of deforestation as land is cleared to make room for animals. In fact, nearly 30% of the earths land area is used to raise livestock. Farm animals are also a major contributor of greenhouse gases, which are linked to global warming. Another benefit is that plant-based foods require less energy, space, and water than animal foods, and are less taxing on our resources. Producing 1 kg of animal protein uses 100 times more water than the same amount of protein from grains. Lastly, plant foods are high in antioxidant compounds, like vitamin C, selenium, and vitamin E. These compounds assist in reducing oxidative stress in the body, which decreases disease risk and supports healthful aging. Some of the world's longest living people live in the Blue Zone areas like, the Mediterranean and Asia. Both areas have traditional diets focused on plant-based diets. Are you ready to move towards a more plant-based protein diet?

Let’s dive deep into the plant-based proteins, since we now know why they are so good for us. What can we do with these foods and how should we incorporate them? 1. Beans and Legumes: one of the highest protein content, which can be added to salads or blended into your salad dressings, dips or sauces. One of my most favorite salad dressing is with garbanzo beans blended up in it. Peas: Legumes are a great plant-based protein source and peas are no exception. One cup of peas contains 7.9 grams of protein. You can eat them as a side dish or you can blend them into a pesto sauce. My favorite variation of pesto is with peas, pine nuts, mint, and olive oil served over gluten free pasta or quinoa pasta. It’s a great dinner for meatless Monday’s and you are still getting adequate protein to keep you feeling full longer. Beans: There are so many different types of beans but one thing they have in common is their high protein content. 2 cups of kidney beans have about 28 grams of protein. You can buy them dry (but just remember, you have to soak them overnight) or canned. I like to buy Eden brand because their beans are prepared without chemicals, just pure water. 2. Soy Products: Another great substitution for red meat, poultry or fish is Tempeh and Tofu. They are highly nutritious foods made from soybeans. They take on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with. So if you are looking for it to taste like chicken stir fry, you’ll need some chicken flavored seasoning or sauce. Edamame is a great soy protein straight from nature, still in the pod. You can boil them, steam them, eat them cold or warm with a dash of salt. Delicious!! 3. Non-Dairy Milk and Yogurt: Some people find it difficult to walk away from milk products. Whether you put a splash in your coffee or start off your day with yogurt or a bowl of cereal, there are plenty of alternatives. These alternatives are packed with protein, vitamin D and calcium. Next time your in the grocery store, grab milk alternatives like soy, almond, oat or coconut milk or yogurt. Just watch out for added sugar and flavors! Always buy unsweetened. All these alternatives offer the same probiotic benefits as their traditional counterparts. 4. Nuts and Seeds: These are an excellent source of plant-based proteins and can make a quick on-the-go snack. You can make your own trail mix by buying lots of different nuts and mixing them together or buy them premade. I pack these for my husband when he is out on the golf course. It gives him energy throughout the day. You can also look into nut butters. Look for brands with the fewest ingredients, just nuts and salt. You can make a sandwich or use it as a dip for your fruit or vegetables. This is a great way to get extra protein in your diet. Hemp seeds and Chia seeds are another way to get some added protein into your diet. I add them to salad, smoothies, pesto or baked goods. 5. Quinoa: most grains contain a small amount of protein but quinoa is packed with a whole lot, 24 grams in a cup of cooked quinoa. It also contains nine essential amino acids that the body needs for growth and repair. You can add quinoa to salads, soup, or chili. 6.Leafy Greens: vegetables do not have too much protein but some do. 2 cups of raw spinach contains 2 grams of protein and 1 cup of broccoli contains about 5.7 grams along with fiber and antioxidants. 7. Plant-Based Protein Powder: this is an easy way to boost the protein content of smoothies, pancakes, savory soups and treats like pudding and frozen pops. 8. Unsweetened Raw Cocoa Powder: you can get protein from chocolate. Use this when baking or making hot chocolate from scratch for a little added protein (1 gram per teaspoon) 9. Seitan: another meat substitution popular with plant-based diets, made from wheat gluten. It packs a lot of protein, nearly 46 grams per one-half-cup serving. Seitan looks like duck meat but tastes like chicken so you can use it in any recipe that calls for chicken. 10. Nutritional Yeast: is a reliable source of vitamin B12, which is a great way for vegans and vegetarians to get B12 into their diets. You can sprinkle it onto popcorn, cooked veggies, potatoes, soups or salads. These top 10 plant-based proteins are a great way to still get protein into your diet if you want to limit your meat intake.

Have I convinced you yet to try eating more plant-based proteins? Swapping out animal protein for plant-based protein will do wonders for your health! It can reduce your risk of heart, disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, and also help you maintain a healthy weight. If that isn’t enough reason to limit animal protein, I don’t know what is! Start out by doing Meatless Monday’s. You may find you don’t really miss meat as much as you thought you would. Try new things! This will keep your diet fresh and creative.