“Vegetarians don’t get enough protein. Eat Meat!”
Limited Idea Entertained (LIE)!
Being a vegetarian, I have been trolled too…. 😪
“Where do you get your protein from?” I am asked often.
“From vegetables, nuts, pulses, paneer, milk!”, I reply with surprise.😬
“But that’s not enough?”, I am probed further with sarcasm.
“It is enough for my body!”, I nod in disbelief.
“Don’t mind. You must eat meat, poultry, and eggs for protein.”, I am told curtly.
LIE! ❌
I learned at Stanford vegetarians need not fuss. They get all their protein from plants. Sorry meat eaters.
The science:
➡ Proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids. think of them like the alphabets – a b c d e f - just that there are 20 (we have 26 alphabets).
➡ The 20 different amino acids play different roles in building blocks, they’re enzymes, they’re hormones that control our metabolism.
➡ A combination of these 20 amino acids put together in different sequences and different lengths like words from alphabets that make protein.
➡ Protein cannot be generalized. It is the ‘combination’ of amino acids that makes them.
➡ There are 20 amino acids, 9 essential (which we get from food) and 11 non-essential (which the body makes).
➡ We need to provide the body with only 9 through food.
➡ And there is enough in the food that vegetarians eat.
Busting LIE: Unlike carbohydrates and fats, excess protein cannot be stored by the body. It gets secreted out!
Almost every food – vegetarian and non-vegetarian – has a different amino acid profile (and hence protein).
➡ If you give your body 36 gms of protein, it doesn’t mean it's 4 gms of all 9 essential amino acids.
➡ They vary. Hence diversity of food intake is important.
This is where people misunderstand protein as one macronutrient. Vegetarian foods provide all 9 amino acids required for life.🥗
As a vegetarian, diversity = power. 💪
Chose wisely:
➡ Grain matters: Remove maida and opt for whole wheat or wild rice.
➡ Experiment with other Indian millets like bajra, rajgira, jowar, sattu.
➡ Add lots of leafy green vegetables.
➡ Add one portion of pulses like dal, chana, rajma.
➡ Add Paneer/curd to every meal.
➡ Have nuts every day.
➡ Add a protein shake to your lunch or dinner, irrespective of whether you work out or not.
Vegetarians have elite company: Novak Djokovic, Virat Kohli, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lewis Hamilton, Shahid Kapoor! (Virat does eat eggs but is off meat).
Even Chris Gardner, our Director of Nutrition Studies at Stanford is a vegetarian.
Make no mistake. This post is not AGAINST meat eaters. This is to provide enough comfort to non-meat eaters. They are doing just fine.
Found this useful? Repost ahead. Help more vegetarians.
#health #longevity #vegetarian #diet #healthylifestyle
Limited Idea Entertained (LIE)!
Being a vegetarian, I have been trolled too…. 😪
“Where do you get your protein from?” I am asked often.
“From vegetables, nuts, pulses, paneer, milk!”, I reply with surprise.😬
“But that’s not enough?”, I am probed further with sarcasm.
“It is enough for my body!”, I nod in disbelief.
“Don’t mind. You must eat meat, poultry, and eggs for protein.”, I am told curtly.
LIE! ❌
I learned at Stanford vegetarians need not fuss. They get all their protein from plants. Sorry meat eaters.
The science:
➡ Proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids. think of them like the alphabets – a b c d e f - just that there are 20 (we have 26 alphabets).
➡ The 20 different amino acids play different roles in building blocks, they’re enzymes, they’re hormones that control our metabolism.
➡ A combination of these 20 amino acids put together in different sequences and different lengths like words from alphabets that make protein.
➡ Protein cannot be generalized. It is the ‘combination’ of amino acids that makes them.
➡ There are 20 amino acids, 9 essential (which we get from food) and 11 non-essential (which the body makes).
➡ We need to provide the body with only 9 through food.
➡ And there is enough in the food that vegetarians eat.
Busting LIE: Unlike carbohydrates and fats, excess protein cannot be stored by the body. It gets secreted out!
Almost every food – vegetarian and non-vegetarian – has a different amino acid profile (and hence protein).
➡ If you give your body 36 gms of protein, it doesn’t mean it's 4 gms of all 9 essential amino acids.
➡ They vary. Hence diversity of food intake is important.
This is where people misunderstand protein as one macronutrient. Vegetarian foods provide all 9 amino acids required for life.🥗
As a vegetarian, diversity = power. 💪
Chose wisely:
➡ Grain matters: Remove maida and opt for whole wheat or wild rice.
➡ Experiment with other Indian millets like bajra, rajgira, jowar, sattu.
➡ Add lots of leafy green vegetables.
➡ Add one portion of pulses like dal, chana, rajma.
➡ Add Paneer/curd to every meal.
➡ Have nuts every day.
➡ Add a protein shake to your lunch or dinner, irrespective of whether you work out or not.
Vegetarians have elite company: Novak Djokovic, Virat Kohli, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lewis Hamilton, Shahid Kapoor! (Virat does eat eggs but is off meat).
Even Chris Gardner, our Director of Nutrition Studies at Stanford is a vegetarian.
Make no mistake. This post is not AGAINST meat eaters. This is to provide enough comfort to non-meat eaters. They are doing just fine.
Found this useful? Repost ahead. Help more vegetarians.
#health #longevity #vegetarian #diet #healthylifestyle
