I've been reading a book that my dad gave me last year called The China Study. It revolves around the forty years of research and data that T. Colin Campbell gathered regarding the advantages of eating plant-based proteins and the misconceptions around animal-based proteins. Basically, you can get all of the essential proteins in plant-based foods and will even make for a better recovery. I know that could be a controversial topic for some of you meat-eaters out there, but once you read this book and all of the information that he gathered to support his hypothesis, you might become a believer too.
The reason why I'm sharing this with you is because I'm seriously rethinking the ways that I get my protein. Scott Jurek is one of the best ultramarathoners in the USA and he is a vegan. All of his protein comes from plants. If my vegan wonder boy/hero can do it, then so can I! Therefore, on my last trip to Trader Joe's I did not stock back up on my favorite extra sharp cheddar cheese, and instead replaced it with a purchase of extra firm organic tofu and a bag of sesame seeds. Instead of throwing cheese on my spinach salads now, I toss in the tofu that I made with olive oil, sesame seeds, and liquid aminos.
It could be just a mental thing, but I've felt better since doing so. As a result, my dad would be thrilled to know that I'm going to revert back to my high school days and really limit the amount of dairy I consume. Really that means I will be dramatically decreasing my consumption of cheese, eggs, and yogurt from my diet to more healthy levels (only 5% of my protein intake and the other 15% plant-based). I'll eat it occasionally, but not often. If I don't feel recovered or if I'm not making the right nutrition decisions, then I'll obviously switch back to my vegetarianism habits. Of course, I'm going to continue to check on my iron regularly. Unfortunately, my ferritin level has been stagnant at a low level of 10 for the past four months.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
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3 comments:
I grind sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds in a coffee (seed) grinder and pour them on my salad. Add some some ground kelp and some brewer's yeast and you have a high protein salad.
Also, I like smoothies made with Sun Warrior Vanilla Rice Protein Powder (this is a very high quality raw plant based protein.
Dad
I LOVE The China Study - it was highly influential in my going Vegan this year. And my recovery time has actually improved since I've switched to only plant protein. I make a Juice Plus smoothie every morning with almond milk, add ground flax seed and brewer's yeast. And you can usually get all the iron you need from plants like soybeans, kidney beans, sesame and pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, seaweed. I think you will feel better and see results, definitely keep us posted! :) Emily
thanks Emily. I've been a vegetarian my whole life, so luckily my parents have taught me a whole lot on nutrition. i feel like i've got the foods down that have lots of iron in it, but my body just doesn't want to absorb it all of the time!! mehhhh i've been struggling with it since i was a freshman in high schooL! i'm going to do the plant-based protein (was eating too much yogurt!) and see what happens!!!! so excited
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