Forty years ago, when I was a kid (and a vegetarian
newbie), vegetarianism was not common. The statement "I am
a vegetarian" was met with a simple "Oh". Then came the
1980s when it became fashionable to be vegetarian for
health reasons. With this fashion came confusion...
If you are a long term vegetarian like me, you will no
doubt have been asked "do you eat chicken and fish?"
Answer: polite yet emphatic "No, I am a vegetarian". This
question is usually followed by "how do you get enough
protein?" Answer: polite yet emphatic "Easy!"
For those that are confused, here's a brief description of
the types of vegetarianism. Basically, there are those who
either eat dairy (lacto vegetarian), eggs (ovo vegetarian)
or both (ovo-lacto vegetarian). Vegans are vegetarians that
consume no animal products at all. Among us vegetarians, if
we say we are vegetarian it is taken to mean we eat dairy
and or eggs. Vegans usually use the word vegan, which
sounds to me like terminology invented by the producers of
the original Star Trek episodes ?. A feeble attempt at
humor, I know.
This article is about vegetarian and vegan eating, either
as a lifestyle or the occasional meal. This article is
about eating for muscle development. Is it possible to do
both? Yes it is... with simple foods and a bit of knowledge
about the composition of proteins.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. To build or
maintain muscle (and most other body functions), the human
body requires some amino acids that it must take from food.
These are called the Essential Amino Acids. There are other
amino acids that the body manufactures on its own ' called
Non-essential Amino Acids. However, it requires the
essential ones to manufacture the non-essential ones.
A protein is referred to as "complete" or "useable" when it
contains all of the essential amino acids. Animal protein
is complete. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds all
contain protein, but they usually are not complete and
therefore need to be "complemented" with foods that have
the missing amino acids. The exception to this is soybeans.
The protein in soybeans is complete and needs no complement.
In a nutshell: for vegetarians, getting enough protein is
simple as eggs, dairy products and soybean products (except
soy sauce) are good sources of high quality "useable"
protein. For vegans, dried beans and soy are the main
source of protein. Dried beans need to be complemented with
nuts, grains, corn, eggs, dairy or soy (except eggs and
dairy for vegans). For Non-vegetarians, a small amount of
meat, fish or chicken in a meal will also complete the
protein in beans or nuts for an extra protein punch that's
also packed with phytochemicals and anti-oxidants!
Live long and prosper.
----------------------------------------------------
About the Author:
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years
and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds
certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and
Personal Fitness Training. She is also a professional
engineer and mom. To see more articles by Ainsley visit
http://www.bodyformind.com or the blog at
http://www.bodyformind.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment