Question: Monique, Can you please advise me on how to get enough protein in my diet? I am taking a medicine which limits my protein intake. I have to take this med one hour prior to eating or two hours after. It has also been suggested that I eat all my protein in the evening. I'm finding this very hard to do. Also, can you give me a general idea of a good protein menu (daily): Female, 115 pounds. Thanks. love to make gluten steaks, but can not figure out the calories for them? After I wash the starch off I usually have a 2 pound ball of gluten. Can you estimate the calories in that? And there is no fat, right? Thanks for your help.
Answer: Some very good sources of plant protein are tempeh, seitan, textured soy protein (TSP), tofu, edamame, soynuts, nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc.), beans and legumes. All plant foods contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.
Some foods, like the ones I just mentioned, have more protein than others. You may want to eat most of your lower protein foods like fruits, vegetables and grains in the early part of the day, and have your higher protein foods later in the day.
For instance, for breakfast eat cereal and fruit, pancakes with fruit, toast with preserves, or a fruit smoothie. For lunch, have a salad, soup, or cut up vegetables with a dip. For dinner, you could make a tempeh stir-fry, seitan with mashed potatoes and peas, spaghetti sauce or chili made with TSP, or sauteed vegetables with baked tofu cubes over pasta or rice. For snacks, you could munch on some nuts or edamame.
Even when on medication, you must strive for variety in the foods you eat in order for you to get as much nutrients as you can (spicing also helps). While I do not know your particular medication, or its side effects, you may just need to rearrange the timing of your foods intake from what you used to do.
Remember that you need balance in your nutrients for the whole day. It is not necessary for each meal. Therefore, you can consume most of your carbohydrates during the day, and most of your proteins at night, and still maintain a balanced diet.
Recommended Reading...
• Plant Based Nutrition and Health
by Stephen Walsh
• The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet
by Vesanto Melina & Brenda Davis
• The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen
by Donna Klein
• Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
• Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet
by Brenda Davis & Vesanto Melina
• Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan Worldby Bob Torres, Jenna Torres
• Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook
by Monique N. Gilbert
• Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking
by Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano
You may also want to visit the Virtues of Soy website.
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Monique N. Gilbert, BSc. has offered guidance in health, nutrition, fitness and stress management since 1989. Through her writings, Monique motivates and teaches how to improve your well-being, vitality and longevity with balanced nutrition, physical activity and healthy stress-free living.