On Moving Toward Vegetarianism: Getting the Protein You Need
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 11. 7.08
Photo by Kelly Rossiter
Hands down, the number one response I get from people when I mention that my children are both vegetarian is "but how do they get enough protein?" Getting your daily requirement of protein is actually pretty easy. In fact, if you are eating meat, chances are you are consuming more protein than you need.
Eating any kind of balanced diet simply requires a little thought and a well stocked pantry. Just a cursory look through my cupboards and refrigerator revealed quinoa, green lentils, red lentils, dried chickpeas, canned chickpeas, dried kidney beans, canned kidney beans, canned navy beans, dried yellow split peas, dried black beans, tofu, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter, almonds, cashews, pine nuts and walnuts. They all provide varying amounts of protein to sustain you.
According to the Canada Food Guide adult men require three servings of meat alternatives and women require two per day. 3/4 cup of cooked beans or tofu translates into one serving, as do two eggs or two tablespoons of peanut butter. If you had peanut butter on your toast in the morning, then had a lentil or bean soup for lunch and a tofu stir fry for dinner, all of your requirements for the day are met. If you didn't have a protein for breakfast, then you mid-morning snack might be a handful of almonds or cashews. Just two ounces of nuts are a serving of protein.
There's no question that using dried chickpeas or beans takes a bit of forethought because you have to soak them overnight before cooking them, but if you soak them on a Saturday night and cook them on a Sunday morning, you'll have enough to use for your meals during the week. Toss some chickpeas into a tomato pasta sauce or make chickpea burgers or a chickpea salad sandwich to take for lunch. You can mix things up during the week so that you can have a different source of protein every night and keep things interesting.
This recipe was very easy and absolutely fantastic. I used sharp cheddar cheese rather than the Gruyere because that's what I had on hand.
Photo by Kelly Rossiter
Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 plump garlic cloves
4 cups cooked quinoa, (1 cup uncooked)
2 large eggs
3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish.
2. Heat a medium frying pan or a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Wash the spinach and without spinning dry, add to the pan and wilt in the liquid left on the leaves after washing. You may have to do this in 2 batches. As soon as the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop. Set aside.
3. Wipe the pan dry and heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir with the onion until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the quinoa, the onion and spinach mixture, the Gruyère, and the sage. Add freshly ground pepper and stir the mixture together. Scrape into the gratin dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in the oven and bake until nicely browned on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to sit for about 5 minutes, and serve.
From the New York Times
Before you all write to me with complaints, let me point out that some of the recipes linked to call for chicken or vegetable stock. You know, use the vegetable stock.
The challenge this week: Make dinner using a meat alternative that you've never tried before. I strongly recommend this quinoa recipe.
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I cook way more beans than I need and then freeze them.
Cooked beans go pretty skanky in the fridge after only a few days.
Some people require more protein for medical reasons as well. For instance, people with fibromyalgia should try to consume more protein daily than is recommended. It is certainly true that meat is not the most nutritious source of protein though, and getting protein through varied sources is healthier.
One more note, I find that my vegetarian cookbooks often have more pleasing and flavorful recipes than other cookbooks. When I cook a meal for friends they are often surprised when I tell them it came from a vegetarian cookbook because they expect it to be bland. If you find a good vegetarian cookbook, chances are the flavors will be more pleasing because they are not relying on a good chunk of meat to carry the meal.
The truth is that the only North Americans with protein deficiencies are anorexics and the elderly. It's actually difficult to eat too little protein in our culture.
It's funny, because the same people so concerned about my protein intake don't seem to care about their overconsumption of saturated fats and the other garbage that comes with most meat-based diets.
it's great to see some vegetarian recipes here! we should remember, though, that government protein estimates do not assume an athletic lifestyle, so you should take in an extra serving or two if you want to be really healthy.
Just remember this simple formula for getting complete proteins: Don't Get Love Sick (Dairy, Grains, Legumes, Seeds)
Just combine any two of these that are next to each other (dairy+grains/ grains+legumes/ legumes+seeds or seeds+dairy) and you will have a complete protein.
Thanks to National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for teaching me this years ago.
KR: That's great! Thanks for that little mnemonic.
I have some questions that maybe some of the vegetarians out there can answer, or maybe it could be explored in one of these articles (hopefully, it hasn't already been mentioned. I should read those other vegetarian articles more thoroughly). In Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food, he mentions that there were cultures in the past that were exclusively vegetarian. Do these past cultures influence modern vegatarian food? If so, how?
Thank you to KR for this article.
I became a vegetarian due to environmental concerns. I had a consult with a dietitian to evaluate for any deficiencies. It turns out that I'm still getting way way more complete protein than I need.
Given the tremendous environmental damage from factory farming, people can make a huge stride forward by merely cutting meat consumption in half. They need not become full-fledged vegetarians to make a big difference.
I never realized that you only needed a few eggs and some peanut butter to get your daily dose of protein. That's pretty interesting.
Is it possible for people who have b12 malabsorption to become vegetarians without becoming reliant on supplements?
what would qualify as a seed?
interested non-vegetarian, i was told that italian food has a lot of vegan dishes.
KR: That is true, but there are other cuisines such as Middle Eastern, Chinese, many Indian and Mediterranean dishes that also have many vegan dishes.
I would like to point out, that just because it says "protein" on the back of the package, doesn't mean that it is the same thing. There are thousands of types of protein. Humans are omnivorous creatures by nature. It is "morals" and societal influence that cause people to become vegetarian. Have you ever seen a "meat-eater" claim that everyone should get by JUST on meat? Heck no! Perhaps that wasn't a great comparison, but I personally do not buy into the vegetarian thing. I do however RESPECT those who choose plants over animals, if they feel that killing animals is morally wrong. All I can claim is that I eat as close to 100% of the animals that I consume, and let nothing go to waste... as far as packaged meats allow me to.
A typical western diet (US / Australia) includes way more protein than necessary. As a vegan and a serious cyclist (just got back from a 120km ride) I can tell you I don't have an issue with wasting away due to lack of protein - and I don't do anything that special to ensure adequate intake. I drink soy or cashew milk, eat legumes, spelt flour bread, etc... just eat healthy and you get enough (I rarely eat much other soy based foods though - so not much tofu/tempeh). FYI I'm one of the strongest riders in our group and have been vegan for 3+ years and vegetarian for a year prior to that.
Beans make me nauseous. I don't know exactly what it is, but I can't stomach anything but green and waxed beans. On the flipside, eggs, cheese, and nuts are a few of my favorite non meat things.
Great article, Kelly! Thanks for helping people move toward a more plant based diet. I have a couple of protein and cheese related comments, if I may:
"According to the Canada Food Guide adult men require three servings of meat alternatives and women require two per day."
That sounds iffy to me. In my experience (39 years), both vegetarian women and men need three or more meat alternatives per day, especially vegans. Women may need smaller servings, depending on their calorie needs.
And even without cheese or egg, it's easy to get complete protein from plant foods, by eating a wide variety of high protein foods: whole grains, beans & lentils, tofu, seitan, tempeh, nuts & seeds.
For more info on combining foods to get enough protein and calories, check out the protein article series on Savvy Vegetarian. Here's the url for the lead article:
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/get-enough-protein-veg-diet.php
The quinoa recipe sounds delicious. Lot's of cheese! Even though it's often the first thing people think of when they set out to replace meat, there are some downsides to cheese.
a) You're still eating cow, with all the accompanying environmental and ethical issues
b) Cheese is high in calories and saturated fat relative to the available protein.
c) Many of us are lactose or casein intolerant, and cheese has lots of both.
d) Cheese is pretty expensive.
Quinoa is high in protein (complete protein), and has the highest percentage of fat of any grain. So the cheese seems like it could be optional. This recipe would be great with cooked lentils or beans, salted sunflower seeds or cashews, tofu, tempeh or seitan. Black olives or cranberries would be tasty too. It'll brown pretty well if you just brush some oil on top and run it under the broiler. Maybe just a sprinkle of parmesan!
I realize that you're just trying to get people to move toward a vegetarian diet, and that's wonderful! As one of the commenters said, if everyone cut their meat consumption in half, that would solve a lot of problems. But if you're going to do a meatless meal, why not get really adventurous, and ditch the cheese!
KR: It may be that 2 servings of protein is too little for some people. In the Canada Food Guide 1 serving of meat alternative equals 3/4 cup of tofu, 3/4 cup cooked beans, 2 eggs etc. If I had a lentil soup for lunch and a tofu stirfry for dinner, that's enough protein for me, but if you had some health issues, or were extremely athletic I could see you might need more.
It wouldn't to remind that whey protein is a contains a high amino acid count over both vegetable protein and meat. It definitely would make a good supplement to protein intake if you needed the extra protein.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The dietitian part of me thanks you for sound nutrition advice stated clearly and succinctly.
The vegetarian part of me appreciates a delicious new way to prepare a grain I don't eat often enough.
And this Monday-to-Friday-worker thanks you for a simple, easy supper idea.