Enough is Enough: Protein

Recently I sitting at my desk going through my inbox and counting down the hours till I could go home having a grand ole time while perusing one of my daily dietitian newsletters (yes that is a thing and yes I know how cool I am), I found an article that really just riled me up so much that I opened a blank email and just fervently started typing my sentiments for this blog post. My typing fervently kind of looked like this…

...but I wasn’t just typing my name over and over again…this time anyways. What was this aforementioned article about you ask?  Protein water.

Beth, why the hostility towards protein water?

I will be the first to admit that I do tend to follow a more holistic approach to nutrition i.e. no supplements, powders, etc. All of my nutrients come from actual, real food. That being said, here is my take on this. Water, and other beverages for that matter, is for hydration. Thirsty? Grab a some water.  Similarly, if you want protein, eat meat, dairy, legumes, eggs, nuts, or vegetables (yes, vegetables contain protein).

Why is everybody obsessed with protein?

One of the things that everybody seems to obsess over these days is protein. Just because a product has protein in it does not make it healthy. Case in point…

I mean you could probably just whip up a batch of cookies or brownies and dump some protein powder into the batter and it would basically be the same thing.

PSA: Just taking protein powder will not make you look like this…

Yes these people may take protein powder, but they also eat healthy AND work out a ton and by working out a ton I don’t just mean a 30 min jog or one yoga or spin class. Just saying…

Anyways, Americans get enough protein. The average person needs around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. (To figure out how much protein you need, take your weight in pounds and divide by 2.2 and then multiply that number by 0.8 to get how many grams of protein that you need in a day---Oh and by the way, you are welcome I just laid out all the math for you J

Can you over do it on protein?

Yes. Protein has calories in it just like fat and carbohydrates so if you are dumping protein powder into everything, it can add up and cause weight gain. If you are really concerned about being healthy, losing weight or whatever health related goal that you might have, why don't you focus on cutting back on things such as processed foods, simple carbohydrates, fried/fatty foods, added sugars, etc. and eat more fruits and vegetables. Just a thought...I know...call me crazy!

Breaking it down

As for me, I will take my water on the rocks—no protein powder or added flavorings necessary. As for my protein, I would like it not in the form of a powder, rather something that I actually enjoy eating…

But if you really are just that busy and hate the taste of real food, just jump on the soylent train like the other people who are just too busy to bother to eat…

Unfortunately, I am not that cool. My question is if you are too busy to eat, what do you do when nature calls? Just some food for thought. Well I am off to enjoy a water on the rocks and anything and everything pumpkin spice flavored! Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Throwback Tuesday: Milk Alternatives

Ok so maybe Throwback Tuesday really isn't a thing, but I'll blame it on my ripe old age of being in my late 20s. Anyways, I was looking back through some old blogs and found one of my favorites that is still pretty relevant. What is this blog about you ask? Well my answer to this is embedded in this riddle (because old people love riddles). What do cows, soybeans, almonds and rice have in common? MILK! Without further ado, check out this oldie, but a goodie on milk alternatives...

What do cows, soybeans, almonds and rice have in common?


Well I am off to go drink my prune juice and live the...

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,
Keep it Green,

Beth

Nuts!

I was having a hard time trying to think up what I was going to blog about this week and then I serendipitously got a text from my mother and it all just came together! Nuts! To be fair, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and the stuff my brothers and I did growing up was enough to drive anyone crazy. Not sure about you all, but we enjoyed playing Smart Mop and pouring all sorts of stuff on the floor to clean up…except for we didn’t have the Smart Mop...so it didn’t work out so well.

Anyways, I thought I would take this week’s blog to capitalize on this thought and blog about nuts.

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that you all know what a nut is and that you can probably name a few of them off the top off your head. What most people probably don’t know is some of the health benefits of nuts, so I will help you out.

What’s so special about nuts?

As a vegetarian one of the questions that I get without fail, is how I get enough protein. Well it just so turns out that nuts are a great source of protein! In addition, depending on the nut, they are good sources of certain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). For example, Brazil nuts contain an entire day’s worth of selenium in just one nut. Since there are a ton of different types of nuts, I am just going to leave this little infographic here…

One of the other points of interest with nuts, is that they do contain fat...

Now before you swear off nuts just because they contain fat, the type of fat they contain is a good type of fat. Some nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, are actually even a good source of omega-3s (which yes, is a good fat).

Wait…are they going to make me fat?!?

No. Eating too many calories and not exercising makes you fat.  Yes, you could gain weight by eat 10,000 calories a day of nuts, but you could also do so by eating 10,000 calories a day of carrots (unless you are an ultra-marathon runner).  If you want more info on this, check out this previous blog post of mine on how eating fat does not make you fat. 

What about flavored nuts?

They can be delicious, but watch out for high amounts of sodium and added sugar.

How can I incorporate them into my diet?

Now, I am not really the type to wake up early to allow myself time to sit and eat breakfast in my house, so I usually end up grabbing something to eat in the car. That being said, I usually keep a bag/huge container of trail mix in my car, which is chock full of nuts.  Other ways include adding them to cereal, yogurt, salads, pasta dishes, Asian dishes, etc. Yes, you could put them in desserts, such as cookies, to make them a little bit healthier, but at the end of the day a cookie is still a cookie.  

Breaking it down

Nuts are healthy. They are a good source of protein and other vitamins and minerals. They do contain fat (the good fat)...

so don’t eat a whole five pound bag in one sitting. Well I am off to think up new ways to irritate my mother. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth