Protein

As a vegetarian the most common question I get asked is "how do you get your protein?" I will tell you right now that that is the most annoying question you could ask a vegetarian. To be fair I totally understand why people ask that question and I am sure before I became a vegetarian and learned more about protein I asked it too. It seems I have been asked a lot more then normal lately. I feel like it is because of the rise in interest in vegetarianism. I have seen the topic on Oprah and Ellen this week alone. It is on the news and there are more and more books written on the topic. The environmental movement is also making it an issue. So it is just coming up a lot more. When I get asked the question I have to remind myself to stay calm and understanding and I usually give a little answer like "protein is in a lot of food other than meat and besides we don't need as much protein as you would think". That usually answers their question enough to make them happy but inside I am dieing to really explain it well so people get it. So since this is my space, my blog I am going to do it here.
Just like vegetarianism is in the news a lot so is our need for protein. That is why it makes it a confusing thing for people. I think as a country we are currently in a love affair with protein. You know like before this we were in a love affair with "low fat". Snackwells ring a bell? That obsession lead to its own issues. Then big fad diets like the Adkins diet came and changed it to protein. I am not saying they don't work. They do work. The question is are they healthy? If you consider gout, cancer, heart disease, smelly breath, constipation, liver damage, kidney damage, and depleting muscle tissue worth loosing some weight then the diet is for you! The high amounts of protein alone (forget the amount of fat and other crap) are responsible for osteoporosis (animal protein depletes calcium storage), kidney disease, calcium stones and some cancers. Okay, that is a whole other topic. Anyway, so my point is that we are in a time where people think a lot of protein is good. So just simply understanding that the thought that we need so much protein is a myth it will help you understand the relationship of protein and vegetarians a lot better. Did you know plants have protein? A lot of people don't. Grains, legumes and vegetables all have protein. There is a lot of proof that it is better protein too. Easier for the body to utilize. Let alone the fact that when you are eating those foods as protein you are also getting large amounts of other nutrients, fiber and antioxidants that you would not get from meat. The bottom line is that if you eat a varied diet high in vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans, nuts) you will get more then enough protein. I know this but I decided I would put it to the test. Plus I got curious.
I looked up the daily recommended value for protein. You take your body weight and divide it by 2.2 to get your weight in kg (body weight/2.2=weight in kg). My weight in kg is 59 then multiply that by .8 to get the amount of protein you need in grams per day (wight in kg X .8= protein in grams). So I need 47 grams of protein a day. If you are very active you can use a little more. So if you are active you multiply it by 1.2. That would be 70.8. So I need between 47- 70.8 grams of protein a day. Another point is that there is no proof that if you are really trying to build muscle more protein will help. After a certain point your body can't do anything with it. The highest amount of protein recommended for someone actively trying to build muscle (we are talking body builder here) should ever take is 2.4 times their weight in kg. And even then there is no proof it makes much of a difference. There was a study where they had three body builders on three different protein amounts (.86, 1.4 and 2.4) and there was no difference in the amount of muscle built. Anyway, back on the topic. To see if I ate enough protein with my diet of mostly whole grains, vegetables and legumes I wrote down everything I ate yesterday and counted all the protein using the packaging or using this site and it is awesome because you can change the amounts you ate and it will calculate the new values. Plus I will tell you that I didn't even have protein in mind when I ate. Here is how it broke down-

Breakfast-toast with almond butter spread on it and vanilla yogurt with chopped fresh strawberries and blueberries.
1 slice of whole wheat toast- 4 g
2 T Almond butter- 7 g
6 oz. Yogurt- 7 g
1/2 c Berries- 1 g

Lunch- leftover enchilada pie
1 corn tortilla- 3 g
1/2 c black beans-6 g
corn- 8 g (this one surprised me)
Zucchini-1 g
salsa-1 g
1/2 avocado- 2 g
1/2 ccheddar cheese- 7 g

Dinner- Homemade whole wheat pizza loaded with veggies
whole wheat pizza crust- 26 g
1 oz mozzarella cheese- 7 g
pesto- 3 g
tomato sauce- 1 g
1/4 c cooked Spinach- 1.5g
1 cup mushrooms, olives, pepper- 2 g

Snacks
1 String cheese- 6 g
1 Orange- 2 g
1c pistachios- 26 g

Grand Total= 121.5 grams of protein! Remember I needed between 47g and 70g (121.5 grams is like multiplying my weight by 2). It just shows that if you eat a diet of WHOLE foods you will get enough. Whole foods are grains, vegetables, legumes and fruit. You do not need meat to get enough protein! Even if I don't count all the grams I got from animal protein (cheese, yogurt) I would have 93 grams!

I became a vegetarian for three different reasons, Religion took me so far, health took me further and cruelty to animals took me the rest of the way. When I chose to "try" this diet out two years ago my heath is what kept me at it. I feel so healthy. I have energy, I don't always feel tired, and sick and I think I look better too (better skin etc). I might not be at the weight I want to be at but who knows if that weight is even a healthy weight for me. I know this is kind of weird but one thing I love about it is that I picture my organs, muscles, veins and tissue and see healthy, plump, pink, clean organs sitting in clear fluids. That makes me happy. I guess all those hours in a cadaver lab helps me picture it all but it makes me feel good knowing I am taking care of my body the best I know how and getting more then enough protein in the process. :)

So now you know and you don't need to wonder how vegetarians or even vegans for that matter get their protein!!