Re: a question or 2

[Guest guest]

, , . The protein question. There are as many answers to how

much you should have each day as there are people with opinions. I'm speaking

from a vegetarian stance so my view is definitely not unbiased.

I get mine from grains, legumes, and dairy products. I love tofu and soy

products (edamame is a GREAT treat to snack on - low fat and lots of protein).

From what I understand from my reading, if you eat a balanced diet from the

different food groups then you should have no problem getting enough protein.

I've read about horrible effects of too much - it leeches calcium from the bones

(which is why some think that the percentage of brittle bone disease is so high

in Finland - lots of dairy intake there, rather ironic), can cause cancer and

other diseases, etc. I know some people say you have to have that red meat to

be healthy, but elephants seem to do fine and they have much more muscle and

bone mass than I do!!!!!

WARNING - editorial comment. Personally, I think meat borders on criminal. The

amount of resources needed to simply " grow " it are astronomical when compared to

other food sources, not to mention the suffering that some processing plants put

the animals and human workers through. Water, land, air, all of it is basically

wasted for tastebuds. But then I know how we all love our food :-).

Anyway, vary your diet, take your multivitamin (another minefield - which

one??), drink the water and get in your exercise. You'll be fine.

[Guest guest]

> QUESTIONS: HELP:

>

> Protien: What are good sources besides meat. and also how much

does

> a person need daily. Thanks for any help with this.

>

>

> 239.9/189.7/135

--

Beans, lowfat cottage cheese and cheese, egg whites, nuts and seeds,

soy foods like soy protein powder, tofu, tempeh, okara, and TVP, and

wheat gluten (also called seitan) are all good sources of protein.

There's some division over the issue of how much a person needs in a

day, but I go with the moderates who say a woman my age (33) needs

about 40 grams a day. Younger people probably need more, and the

elderly perhaps a little less.

A good place to look for alternative sources of protein is a natural

foods grocery. Some of the products out there are gross, but there

are others that are really quite good, and convenient. I think

someone mentioned a fake lunchmeat earlier on the list called " Smart

Deli, " which you get threee slices of for only 1 pt.! I strongly

recommend beans b/c they are so high in fiber that they really fill

you up for a low points serving. If you haven't been eating a lot of

high fiber foods, you may want to look into a product called " Beano "

that eliminates the embarassing side effect!

Good luck with monitoring the protein in your diet! I find it's a

really sure way to avoid the munchies and stay on program. let me

know how it goes...

Amyzan