One of the main concerns around reducing meat consumption is nutrition. Where can I get my protein? Can I get all my vitamins from plant based foods? Won’t I get hungry? Am I only going to eat salad? Is a vegetarian/ vegan diet healthier?
Proteins play a fundamental role in the human organism: it is an essential component for human tissue growth: muscle tissue, bone, skin tissue, etc. It also supports many physiological processes such as the immune system or the transport of oxygen into the body.
Contrary to popular belief though, proteins are not constrained to animal sources. Indeed, proteins can be found in almost every plant-based food (except in oils and sugar), especially in legumes or beans, vegetables, cereals and nuts. In other words, it is almost impossible to be deficient in proteins, whether you are a meat eater or a vegetarian/vegan.
The amount of proteins you need per day will vary according to your age and/or physical activity:
0,8 g per kg of body weight per day for adults,
0,9 g for children over the age of 2 and seniors,
1 g for pregnant women,
1,2 g for physically active people.
When you are at the grocery store, you might want to add to your trolly the followings good sources of plant-based proteins.
Too often are nutritional discussions centred around protein when questions about other nutrients deficiencies are rarely raised. Fibre for example, is only found in plant-based foods and is an essential carbohydrate that facilitates digestion.
Here's a few other examples:
IRON
Iron is found in a variety of plant-based foods but it is less easy to absorb than animal sourced iron. In order to increase the absorption level of iron you might want to associate foods rich in iron (such as spinach, lentils, kale, almond, soya, quinoa, dried fruits, cabbage…) with vitamin C rich foods (citrus, kiwi, peppers, blueberries, broccoli, kale, pineapple, strawberries…). For example, after eating a lentil dahl (see previous post for recipe) finish your meal with a kiwi or orange.
OMEGA 3 Omega 3 is commonly associated with fish but it is also present in a wide range of plant-based foods. Essential for the organism because of its precious fatty acids that we can not synthesise on our own, we can find it in chia seeds (cheap at the co-op!), flax seeds, spinach, kale, cauliflower, blueberries, vegetable oil, pumpkin seeds, kidney beens mango, walnuts, grapefruit…
CALCIUM
Contrary to what you might think, dairy products do not constitute the only source of calcium. In fact, did you know that only 30 to 40% of dairy calcium is actually absorbed by our body? Calcium can easily be found in vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale but also in seeds, particularly in almonds, in tofu and soy based foods as well as most mineral waters in more than sufficient quantities
If you think about it, when you eat meat you are ingesting some good proteins and other vitamins but you also absorbing cholesterol, hormones and other bad fats which are bad for your long term health. However, the same proteins and vitamins can be found in plant foods without the negative adverse effects and with added virtues. For example, eating spinach is not only a source of protein but also of iron, omega 3, calcium and other important vitamins!
On top of reducing your carbon and environmental footprint, reducing you meat intake is great for your overall health! In any case, it is important regardless of you diet to be conscious of your food choices!
Stay informed and keep on enjoying food while taking care of your health and the environment! 😋💪🏻🌎
Find out more about Meatless Monday campaign at Warwick on our Facebook page ☀️
----- For Warwick students, if you are looking for an affordable place to buy your beans, seeds and other plant based goodies, don’t forget to visit the Food Co-op at the SU Atrium every Tuesday from 11am to 5pm 😋
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