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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The preliminary recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we eat a more plant-based diet. The federal government is not suggesting that the entire country become vegetarians but they are suggesting that we become less meat-centered eaters. Some current eating plans such as the paleo diet focus on more animal protein while eliminating grains, beans, peanuts, dairy and potatoes. Though this and other no-grain eating plains may be popular, there is not enough research to support the benefit of humans avoiding grains. There are, however, dozens of studies that demonstrate that a plant-based diet has positive health benefits.
Those who follow a vegetarian eating plan:
- Eat a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber with little or no saturated fat.
- There are some shortfalls. vitamin B12, zinc and calcium intakes may be low because all three are found mostly in animal foods.
- Have lower total cholesterol values which reduce the risk for heart disease.
- Most are slimmer than their meat eating counterparts.
The best thing about a plant-based eating plan is that it is adaptable to everyone’s tastes. Many people simply stop eating red meat, but they may eat fish or poultry. Others eat no meat, fish or poultry, but still use eggs, milk and cheese. Still others, vegans, eliminate all animal foods, relying on an exclusive plant-based diet. Others, and probably the biggest majority, consider themselves flexitarians.
A flexitarian is a person who eats mostly a vegetarian diet, but occasionally includes meat. Does that mean you eat meat once a week? Once a day? It doesn’t matter because there is no formal definition of flexitarian. It is flexible to meet your needs. It simply implies that that you are leaning more in the direction of a plant-based eating plan.
This is easier to accomplish than you may think.
- When grocery shopping plan your meals around vegetables or whole grains like quinoa, rather than meat.
- Eat smaller amounts of meat – a stew or a stir-fry loaded with veggies.
- Plan meatless meals a few times a week – whole wheat spaghetti with mushroom marinara, bean-based chili, pita salad sandwich with hummus, veggie sushi, or bean burritos. Even the old standby peanut butter and jelly on whole grain bread is a plant-based choice.
Many believe that if they switch to a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian eating plan they will be short on protein. This assumption is false. Scientists used something called a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) to determine the protein value of a food. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 found in food. Nine amino acids are considered essential because the body cannot make them and they must be provided by the food you eat. The PDCAAS score for an egg white, isolated soy protein or whey (milk protein) is 1, because all essential amount acids are found in almost equal amounts. The PDCAAS score for beef is .92, soybeans .91, veggies .73, chickpeas .72, cereals .59, and whole wheat .42. What this tells us is that most foods we eat provide some of the essential amino acids the body needs to build and repair protein.
To make up for the amino acids missing or in low amounts in certain foods, we were once taught that proteins in a meal had to complement one another. A food low in one or more amino acids, like whole wheat bread, needed to be eaten along with a stronger amino acid source, like hummus made from chickpeas. This recommendation is no longer considered current. Eating different protein sources throughout the day and even throughout the week completes your overall amino needs and matching proteins within a meal is not needed.
One ounce of meat, fish or poultry contains 6 to 8 grams of actual protein. All of the following foods contain the same amount of protein as 1 ounce of meat.
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup yogurt
- 1 cup milk or soymilk
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter or roasted soy nuts
- ¼ cup nuts or seeds
- ½ cup cooked beans or lentils
- 1 cup cooked peas
- ¼ cup tofu
Bottom line: There are over 40,000 edible plants. Give some a try.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.
Look for:
The Diabetes Counter, 5th Ed., 2014
The Fat and Cholesterol Counter, 2014
The Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2013
The Calorie Counter, 6th Ed., 2013
The Complete Food Counter, 4th ed., 2012
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.
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