Have a great day - eat something healthy.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Protein? Processed Foods? Perplexing!

I've gotta admit - I'm a bit confused by this diet. On the one hand, it calls for eliminating processed foods. But on the other hand it recommends foods like Boca Burgers, and other meat substitutes. I've got a couple of problems with this:
1.) Aren't meat substitutes processed? They sure don't come out of the ground that way.
2.) These meat substitutes are super high in sodium - one Morning Star Turk'y Griller has 390 mg of sodium and a Boca Burger has 280. 
3.) Some of the E2-approved meat substitutes - Yves, Morning Star, Boca, Litelife, and Fantastic Foods - are not labeled "organic." That could mean that the soy or wheat they're using is genetically modified. I'm not going to get into the perils of GMO foods right now, but they're something I want to avoid at all costs.

So what do you do? Well, I've got tofu in the fridge and I've got some great hemp protein powder that I can use for smoothies. But I don't have to panic because apparently we don't have to be so crazed about protein after all. Check it out:

According to E2, you can get enough protein eating a plant-based diet. In fact, "Not only will you get all the protein you need, for the first time in your life you won't suffer from an excess of it. Ample amounts of protein are thriving in whole, natural plant-based foods. For example, spinach is 51 percent protein; mushrooms, 35 percent; beans, 26 percent; oatmeal, 16 percent; whole wheat pasta, 15 percent; corn, 12 percent; and potatoes, 11 percent.  

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average 150-pound male requires only 22.5 grams of protein daily based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet, which means about 4.5 percent of calories should come from protein. ...Most Americans, however, are taking in 20 percent or more.

So I'm not going to sweat it. I'm going to have an occasional Turk'y Griller if I'm having a protein "emergency," but I'm going to stay away from them as much as possible. And I'm not going to worry so much about going protein-heavy on my diet. Instead I'm going to concentrate on eating nutritional, organic, healthy foods as close to their natural state as possible and trust that I'm getting the fiber, protein, carbs and nutrients I need. Sure, I'll do some research to make sure I'm getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals, but for now I'm just gonna go with the flow. 

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