Vegetarian or Vegan? Are you protein combining?

I think being a vegetarian is a fantastic way to eat ( for the record I am not, I do feel my body requires meat sometimes). Vegetarians and vegans who put time, effort and preparation into their diets are helping the environment and reducing their risk of today's common lifestyle diseases. However, I have seen many Vegetarian/Vegan clients who were horribly unhealthy, had numerous nutrient deficiencies and simply looked unwell. This was because they were living off bread, pasta, rice and fake vegan meats that are full of sugar, salt and artificial preservatives. They had no understanding about what a complete protein was or how to protein combine their vegetarian food groups.

If you are going to become a vegetarian you need to commit to being educated about what your body needs and how to source these nutrients from vegetarian food sources. Here is a quick run down on how to protein combine. For more detailed information and explanation make a time to see you Naturopath.

Vegetarians, vegans, and especially vegetarian/vegan children, must be sure to consume adequate calories and proteins from their diet. Animal foods, including eggs and dairy, provide all eight of the essential amino acids and constitute a “complete” or “primary” protein. Plant foods are “incomplete” or “secondary” proteins and contain fewer amino acids than animal foods. Plant-based diets can provide adequate amounts of amino acids but only when a varied diet is eaten on a daily basis. The mixture of proteins from grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetables provide a complement of amino acids so that deficits in one food are made up by another. Not all types of plant foods need to be eaten at the same meal, since the amino acids are combined in the body’s protein pool. To gain the greatest use of all the amino acids, it’s best to consume complementary proteins within three to four hours.

The following combinations are strongly advised:

Grains with legumes - Brown rice with Lentil Dahl

Grains with eggs or dairy – 100% rye toast with poached egg (not applicable to vegans)

Legumes with nuts and seeds - Stir-fried tofu and chickpeas with sesame seeds and cashews

Legumes with eggs and dairy - Chickpea curry with yogurt (not applicable to vegans)

Nuts and seeds with grains - Almond spread with spelt bread

Nuts and seeds with eggs or dairy - Roasted seed/nut mix sprinkled onto fruit and yogurt (not applicable to vegans)

Food sources:

Legumes: Black eyed peas, chickpeas, peas, peanuts, lentils, sprouts, broad beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, peas and soy beans.

Grains: Rice, corn, rye, oats, millet, barley, buckwheat, spelt, kamut and quinoa.

Nuts: Cashew, walnut, brazil, pecan, pistachio, almond, hazelnut, macadamia etc.

Seeds: Pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, linseeds, chia, flaxseed, hemp etc.

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