Flexitarian Protein
Weigh to Wellness Denver is an avid supporter of a flexitarian lifestyle. Flexitarian eating means that you add in vegetarian and/or vegan meals into your weekly meal plan. If you have been curious about how to prepare some plant based proteins, we are hosting a flexitarian cooking class in February. Call us to sign up.
The benefits of a flexitarian lifestyle:
Can improve heart health by lowering your saturated fat intake.
Can help you increase your intake of healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains
Can reduce your carbon footprint.
May reduce risk of cancer.
Reduced risk of diabetes.
Protein is an important part of a well balanced diet. Below are a few plant based foods that provide a good amount of protein.
Tofu:
Tofu is made from compressed soy milk. We recommend you buy organic tofu to avoid GMO soy products. Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever herbs, spices or sauces you cook it in. Tofu can be baked, grilled, air fried and sautéed. It can be blended into sauces or desserts without being cooked. Tofu contains bout 20 gms of protein in 4 ounces. This makes tofu a wonderful addition to your weekly meal plan.
Beans/legumes:
There are a variety of healthy legumes to add to your diet. Legumes can be bought dried or canned. Buying these items dry involves soaking them for an extended period of time before cooking. Lentils do contain the most protein for 1/2 cup portion, around 10 gms. Beans have around 7gms of protein per half cup. Beans can be your protein source for many meals: sprinkle them on a salad, put them in a burrito, add them to some rice.
Seitan:
Seitan is made from wheat gluten. It is used in many vegan products since it mimics chicken very well. Seitan contains around 30 gms of protein in 4 ounces. This is not a good protein source if you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
Try implementing these couple of vegetarian/vegan protein sources into your meal plan this next week. If you are interested in learning how to cook some of these foods please sign up for our cooking class!