“I am a vegetarian and I don’t think I am getting enough proteins. What should I eat to meet my protein requirements” This is the most common suspicion in the minds of vegetarians. They are always surrounded by doubts of getting the required amount of proteins from their day to day diet. Most people argue that getting good amount of proteins from non vegetarian food is easy but getting sufficient amount of proteins from a vegetarian diet is difficult. Let’s understand more about this important component that is a major cause of worry in vegetarians. In simple words, protein is a combination of amino acids. Each amino acid plays a specific role in our body from muscle development to metabolism some of these amino acids cannot be created by our bodies. When people talk about required proteins they actually refer to the amino acids. Nutritionist Pooja Lodha says, “ Proteins are an important component of every cell in our body. They are known as building blocks of muscle, bones, cartilage, skin and blood. Proteins help to build essential enzymes, hormones and are necessary to build and repair body tissue. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is to consume 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. On average, based on the RDA, the average male who weighs 77kg should consume approximately 56 grams of protein per day, while the average female who weighs 50kg should consume approximately 40 grams of protein per day. For those who are active, insulin sensitive, overweight or seeking weight loss or are in their teenage years, the amount of protein should be higher. If this is the case, you will likely need to increase your protein intake from the RDAs recommendation of 0.8 g/kg to 1.2-1.8 g/kg. The calculation would be: If you are pregnant, recovering from an illness, stuck in a metabolic rut, under stress or work out intensely, I recommend using a number between 1 and 1.8.” Sources of proteins:>>> Protein is an important constituent of the human diet that provides the raw material for muscle construction and repair. Natural sources of proteins are pulses, milk and milk products, sprouts, egg white, chicken, meat and fish. The traditional Indian diet offers a good combination of proteins and carbohydrate says well known Nutritionist Pooja Lodha Shah. Animal protein vs. vegetable protein>>>>> Animal protein contains all nine essential amino acids hence believed to be a complete form of protein whereas there is no single plant source that contains all the nine essential plant protein hence known as incomplete source of proteins. However recent studies suggest that though a single plant source does not contain all essential amino acids but combining different sources offers similar results, additionally, the human body can store essential amino acids and combine them as necessary, so while it is good to consciously have a diet with a good protein combination, it is not necessary to do this at every meal. Nutritionist Pooja adds, “It is hard to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet or plant protein does not contain all essential amino acids and you have to carefully combine plant foods in your diet in order to get the right protein are absolute myths Every individual can easily meet their protein requirement from both plant and animal sources. It would be wrong to say that animal sources are better than plant sources. Unless you are pregnant or an Olympic bodybuilder, you will most likely get more than enough protein from your diet without even trying.” Secondly, animal protein is generally high in fat and cholesterol in comparison to plant protein. Finally, what do you eat? If you are eating a variety of whole foods, it is easy to get the required protein requirement from your diet. Pooja adds, “Some plant-based proteins are strong in one type of amino acids, but weak in two; some are strong in two, but weak in one. Combining plant based foods helps to strengthen different amino acids and offers good proteins. Here are some good protein combinations for vegetarians. Dal and Rice, Beans and Rice, Khichdi, Kadhi and roti, Kheer (Milk and rice), Stir-fried vegetables with tofu over rice, Baked beans with brown bread, Whole grain cereal with milk, Idli with sambar” Here’s the learning: The choice to be a vegetarian constantly puts you on the suspicion, but by having complete details on good protein combinations you can be more confident that you are getting the required protein requirement from your diet. If you eat a varied diet and adequate calories, combining proteins is not an issue.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 06:42:38 +0000
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