April: Up Your Plant Protein
So here we are in one of my favourite months of the year: April showers, lighter nights, blossoms, new growth, wee lambs, and a feeling of optimism and renewal!
Our wild plant friends are popping up everywhere, reminding us of their existence, if only we would notice! I have been encouraging the nettles growing at the side of my meditation hut, they were spectacular last year, and I have many uses for them, in teas, pestos, blinis, soups and cakes!
I’ve been invited as guest speaker to a local Gardening Club to talk about weeds!
I contribute to the online magazine Scotland Grows, and last year wrote an article called If you can’t beat them, eat them, so I am looking forward to changing their minds about our wonderful wild plants!
So onto this month: our focus is on protein. Not a topic we’ve covered before, largely because I didn’t think it was as important as fibre!! It turns out I was wrong:
Our body is almost entirely made of proteins, arranged in a different order, for literally hundreds of functions.
Protein is the building blocks not only of muscle, but of the numerous enzymes which our body needs to perform the hundreds of daily functions to keep us functioning well! A bit like Lego building blocks can be arranged into lots of different structures in a specific arrangement. I am learning all the time, for my own health journey but also so I can share with you lovely folks the latest research on every aspect of our health.
News to me is the fact that our body can’t store protein, we need it on a regular basis, and the quality of protein makes a massive difference, especially if we are plant based.
We generally need 1g of protein/kg of body weight on a daily basis, which is way more than I am currently eating! If you eat meat, fish and dairy then you will likely be eating sufficient protein but we will be focusing on plant-based protein, which is generally also a great source of fibre, and we will be looking at combining these proteins for the full complement of 9 essential amino acids. For example, rice paired with lentils and nuts paired with beans.
My main bug bear with protein is the constant PT focus on protein shakes and lack of balance on fibre, carbs and quality fats from food. Our focus is always on real food, not supplements, although they can be useful in certain circumstances. I
was sent a Collagen supplement last month which contains 10g complete protein in 2 tablespoons, so it's really easy to add to drinks and smoothies, and contains no nasties!
Our plant based protein heroes are tofu, tempeh, edamame beans, peas, beans, hemp seeds, lentils, wholegrains, nuts and seeds. All plants contain protein, in lesser amounts, which count towards our daily total. So look out for lots of high protein recipes and snacks this month. Black bean Brownies, Tahini Seed Bars, Energy Bites, Rice and Bean dishes, Soups, Tofu, breads, crackers and dips!
I’m off on holiday to Wroclaw in Poland with my brother this week, so will be posting high protein foodie photos of our travels! I’m hoping to find some fermenty treats too!
So let's all start upping our protein game and reaping the many benefits! Remember to use the Yuka app to check protein content of any food you are buying and also check the labels! It’s so easy to make simple swaps that make a big difference.
In good health,
Janice xx
