Vegetarian living

Merilee-

You can get all of the protein that you need from a plant based diet which does not include dairy or eggs. Nuts and legumes are good sources of protein.

Merilee-

I use walnuts in my morning oatmeal and put them in my salad. I also have a handful of nuts (usually almonds) for a snack.

Studies show that you should keep protein to 10% of your calories. I don't actually know how to figure this out but I do know that you can get all of your necessary protein from a plant based whole grain diet. Too much protein can actually promote cancer.

A great source for vegetarian nutrition is the book Becoming Vegetarian, by Melina, Davis, and Harrison.  They give the formula for figuring out individual protein needs as 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.6 g if you're Canadian!!).  So a 120 lb woman (about 54 kg) should aim for about 43 grams of protein (or just over 1.5 oz) of protein a day. Alternatively, it's recommended that 10-15% of daily calories come from protein.  This is quite attainable on a vegetarian diet, especially if one is a lacto-ovo vegetarian.  If you are trying to go completely vegan it is a bit more challenging but doable.

Interresting DGHoff.  I've never heard this particular argument, but my brother has read a fair bit on this subject and believes that we (North Americans) actually eat too much protein.

Instead of tediously calculating my intake on a daily basis, I try to eat protein at every meal and snack, but not necessarily as the star of the meal, but as one ingredient. Most food has some protein in it, so it all adds up.  Periodically, just to make sure I'm on track, I will log my food for a few days and then input it into a diet analysis program (there are some free but tedious ones on the web) to get an overall nutritional analysis, including protein intake, and I am usually pretty close, sometimes even over, the recommendation.

Some of my protein staples are 

(Vegan)

-bean spreads (black bean, hummus, etc.)

-soups with lentils and beans

-nut butters (almond and cashew)

-walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds in salads

-handfuls of nuts as a snack (cashews, peanuts, almonds, etc.)

-fermented soy (is supposed to be less problematic re: estrogen than unfermented soy like tofu) like tempeh, miso, or natto

-quinoa as pilaf or salad

-pasta made from kamut (another anicent grain, with has a rich buttery taste)

(Non-Vegan)

-cream cheese on toast or bagels

-yogurt (with fresh berries or in a smoothie)

-feta cheese in salad (generally I am a cheeseaholic and add it to almost everything. . . )

-eggs (sandwiches, omelets, pancackes and crepes, fritattas . . .)

-cereal with milk (any time of day)

-chocolate milk (for an occassional treat!!)

I most often do a cup of plain yogurt (Brown Cow Cream Top is my absolute favorite; Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt is also good), with some chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, and ground flax seed (just a bit).  Sometimes I'll also add a small handful of vanilla granola, or some fresh berries, or a tablespoon of whey protein.

I also love the dark European square bread from Trader Joe's that's full of all kinds of whole grains and nuts.  Heavenly with just a bit of Trader Joe's European style butter (the one in the red pkg).

Hemp is a good protein source.  You can get hemp protein powder at your health food store.

For breakfast, most of the time I have oatmeal (cooked--or if I feel like having it raw, just soaked overnight and gently heated).  I usually add things like oat bran or wheat bran, wheat germ, and chia seeds.  Sometimes I throw some dried fruit (usually blueberries--Trader Joe's has them without added sugar) or some sunflower seeds in, too.  Sometimes I have cold cereal with rice milk--usually shredded wheat and bran.  It pretty much tastes like cardboard, but I'm used to it after all these years, and I actually like it.  Sometimes I'll toss in some fresh strawberries or banana, but usually I prefer to eat it plain.  One other thing I sometimes do for breakfast (and often for lunch on the run) is to mix raw oatmeal with things like shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, dried fruit, chopped almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, and a teaspoon of organic sugar.  I eat it in a bowl with a spoon, but I don't add any type of milk.  The sugar usually sinks right down to the bottom, as it has nothing to stick to, so I end up eating very little of it--still it does add a little sweetness (especially if I tilt the bowl and scoop some of it up in my spoon!)--so does the coconut.  This is my version of "granola", although most granola is baked--at least the oats and sweetener.  This conglomeration is very chewy (because the oats are raw), and a lot of people think I'm crazy when they see me eating it without milk, but I really like it!

Audrey

From Jamie Oliver's web site:

the best whole-baked carrots

serves 4

ingredients

• 750g/1lb 10oz young bunched carrots, different colours if possible, washed and scrubbed
• olive oil
• herb or red wine vinegar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

I love cooking any type of carrot in this way. By cooking them first covered by tinfoil, they steam and exchange flavours with the herbs and garlic. Then when you remove the foil they start to roast and sweeten. A really simple method but one that gives incredibly delicious results!

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Toss your carrots with a good glug of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs and the garlic cloves. Place in a roasting tray or earthenware dish, cover tightly with tinfoil and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until just tender. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes until the carrots have browned and caramelized nicely.

Chickpeas and Green Bell Peppers with Tomatoes

 Ingredients:

2 green bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz tomatoes, peeled, seeded and minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 can chickpeas, drained and skins removed ( I have used both dry and canned)

1 small bay leaf

1 small sprig fresh thyme or pinch dried thyme (I used dried)

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Quarter the peppers, discard the stems and seed and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler (I don't remove the skins)

Cut the peppers into 1/4-inch strips

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then saute the garlic until soft but not brown.

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.

Add the chickpeas, pepper, bay leaf and thyme. cook for a further 5 minutes and serve.

I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years; albeit not a healthy one.  I am trying to be more health conscious (nothing like the wake up call of bc).  This is a wonderful thread.  I love it.  I am not much of a cook (stove, what's a stove lol) but I appreciate these recipes and the encouragement of others.

For years I thought I hated oatmeal.  Turns out I love it - steel cut oats with cinnemon, sliced almonds and dried cranberries - yum.

I've also heard that the American diet is way overloaded with protein.

I don't know why soy is bad for you either Laura3.

Laura,

There are estrogen-like products in soy (phytoestrogens) that are thought to not be good for estrogen sensitive cancers (ER+).  Here is a page on bco where you can read about this frequently debated issue. (you may have to copy and paste this link.)

http://www.breastcancer.org/search.jsp?searchagain=soy+products+and+estrogen

Please read more research on phytoestrogens...there is not REAL research these are harmful for anyone.  There is a thread that goes into good research that shows this is false information. No real research to back this up.

Flalady

FlaLady, Could you post a link to the thread you mentioned on soy research please.  I saw one thread on soy in the Alternative forum that did not go into much research, so i think there must be another one that you are referring to.  In my earlier post about what doctors say is why soy may not be good for ER+ women, i said that the issue of soy products for ER+ is heavily debated.  I am not clear on whether there is a real problem with soy for ER+, but my onc did tell me to avoid most soy and i prefer to err on the safe side.  I would really like to read the thread you mentioned.  thanks.

daisy6, i was amused about the "chickpeas skinned" too.  There is a bit of a "skin" on the canned garbanzos, but i would not try to remove the skins---way too labor-intensive!!!

this is an excellent overview of soy and hormone-related cancers:

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/soy-and-hormone-related-cancers.htm