Wisdom Wednesday - Protein

Original Picture from Roma Foods

Do I get enough protein?  What if I am vegetarian, or vegan?  What if I just juice or am a raw foodie (eat raw fruits and veggies only)?  I'm glad you asked, let's find out! 

(By-the-way, raw foodies consume much larger quantities of fruits and veggies than the average person, eating an entire bunch of bananas, or a huge bowl of berries, or even a large plate of peaches all at once...that is how they get their calorie and protein intake.  Oh, and their salads are the Big serving bowl size, not a little cereal bowl size...yumm!)

First, what is protein?  Protein is the basic building block for the human body.  About.com explains that about 16% of our body is protein: muscle, hair, skin and connective tissues; and that it also plays a major part in our DNA and cellular activity. 

Since childhood we have been told that we have to eat meat (or other animal byproducts like eggs, cheese and milk) to get enough protein in our diet.  Is this true?  Are there other sources of proteins?  Are there better sources of proteins?

So, how much protein do I need?  The basic calculation for how much you need is your body weight in pounds x .37 =  minimum daily protein intake.  So for me that would be 103 x .37 = 38.11 grams minimum per day.  Athletes and pregnant/lactating women need more.  This is just one way to calculate daily needed protein, but it is good enough for any examples I use today.

Children are a little different, they are continually growing and learning so according to Baylor College of Medicine their calculation looks like this:
Ages 1-3 years: .55 x body weight in pounds = daily protein intake
Ages 4-6 years: .5 x body weight in pounds = daily protein intake
Ages 7-14 years: .45 x body weight in pounds = daily protein intake
Ages 15-18 years: .4 x body weight in pounds = daily protein intake
18+ uses calculation above for adults

My children would look like this:
Mackenzie: 43 x .5 = 21.5 grams daily
Micah: 29 x .55 = 15.95 grams daily

These numbers are very easily reached if animal byproducts are consumed.

3 oz. of chicken breast = 25 grams protein (the same as beef and turkey)
1 cup non-fat milk = 10 grams protein
1 cup cottage cheese = 28 grams protein
4 oz. ocean caught fish = 25 to 31 grams protein
6 oz. yogurt = 5 grams protein

If you use me as an example of needing 38.11 grams protein per day I would meet that with 4 oz. of fish, 1 cup milk and a yogurt.  Chances are I would eat MORE than 4 oz. of fish in a sitting.  Or, maybe I had 6 oz. of chicken...that is a whopping 50 grams of protein, way more than I need.  And this does not include all the extras like butter and cheese!  So yes, on an animal rich diet you can easily exceed your daily protein needs.

What about protein on a plant based diet?  You do have to be a little more intentional, but doable especially with grains, seeds, nuts, beans and legumes.  Let's take a look using my 38.11 grams of protein per day.

1/4 cup Nuts:
Almonds, Sesame and Pumpkin seeds: 7 grams protein
Peanuts and Sunflower seeds: 8 grams protein

1 cup cooked beans:
Black, Garbanzo and Kidney: 15 grams protein
Black eyed peas and Mug: 14 grams protein
Navy and Split Peas: 16 grams protein

1 cup cooked grains:
Wheat, Couscous, Bulgar, Groats: 6 grams protein
Brown Rice, Quinoa, Barley: 5 grams protein
Wild Rice, Oat bran: 7 grams protein

Raw Fruit:
Most of your fruit has 1-2 grams of protein per serving.  1 serving being either 1 medium fruit or 1 cup (like berries and cherries).  Some fruits have more like Durian or Avocado which has 4 grams of protein.

Cooked Vegetables:
These vary widely, so I am going to take a small sample of those with the most protein and those with the least protein.  Your green leafy veggies contain quite a bit of protein.
Medium Artichoke, 1 cup Collards, 1/2 cup peas: 4 grams protein
1 large cob sweet corn, Baked potato: 5 grams protein
Sweet potato: 3 grams protein
1 cup summer or winter squash: 2 grams protein
5 Asparagus spears: 2 grams protein
1/2 cup broccoli, Brussel sprouts: 2 grams protein
1 cup cucumber, lettuce, eggplant, celery, spinach: 1 gram protein

2 Tablespoons Peanut butter: 9 grams protein

Woo, that's a lot, and I didn't even include meat substitutes like tofu, milk substitutes like almond/coconut/soy milk, butter substitutes like olive oil or nut butters (which are high in protein...like 4-9 grams of protein per 2 Tablespoons)! 

Now, let us use my 38.11 grams of protein needed daily.  Can I do it?

2 slices of whole wheat toast (my bread has 5g per slice) with 2 tablespoons peanut butter for breakfast: 19 grams protein
Avocado, cucumber, tomato, whole wheat sandwich with strawberries on the side: 16.5 grams protein
By lunch I have already consumed 35.5 grams protein; more than I need for the day.
1 apple, 1 banana for snack: 2 grams protein
Roasted Eggplant, potato, sweet potato over brown rice for dinner: 14 grams protein
Daily total: 51.5 grams protein without animal byproduct!  And I usually have 2-3 snack per day.  Plus this did not include any milk, meat or butter substitutes.  When I juice each glass usually contains about 10 to 15 grams additional protein.  So I could easily get 66 grams of protein in my daily diet without the use of animal byproducts.  For me that is enough to live and work out on!  Actually, that is enough for some smaller men.  I usually do not have peanut butter and am heavier on the leafy greens and beans/legumes which would actually increase my daily intake of protein!  Now, having seen this, it is easy to see that unless you are on a vigorous workout schedule or are pregnant or nursing you probably do not need to stress out about your protein intake.  I exceeded my daily needs without even trying!  Also, don't eat processed and junk foods or drink unnecessary sugar and calories.  Those simply strip your body of the good stuff you are getting and trick you into thinking you are still hungry and need more protein!

Yes!  It can be done!  Even if you don't eat grains.  My large salad made the way I like it can easily contain 16+ grams of protein (a lot more if I add beans or eat a bigger portion).  Or even oatmeal with berries could have 6 grams or more!

Now, do I need to avoid animal byproduct?  That is a personal conviction.  Plant based proteins are easier for the body to digest and utilize, while animal based proteins cause plaque in arteries, disease, inflammation and high cholesterol/blood pressure things that the plants do no cause.  I would recommend you watch Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and/or The Beautiful Truth (check out my blog post here) to decide your stance on eating with our with out (or even limited) animal foods.

My next big topic to study...Gluten! 

What are your thoughts about protein? 

What would you like to read about?

Leave your comments and let me know!