Dietary protein comes from animal and vegetable sources. This essential nutrient is a part of all cells, tissues and organs in your body, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. People in the United States eating a healthy diet rarely suffer from a protein deficiency, the CDC adds, and recommends women ages 19 and older eat 46 grams of protein a day, while men 19 and older should consume 56 grams daily.
Complete Proteins
Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids --- the building blocks of protein --- and come from animal-based foods, including meat, eggs, milk and cheese according to the CDC. Choose lean meats and low-fat dairy products as sources of protein to reduce your consumption of saturated fats. For a breakfast rich in animal protein, eat eggs with two slices of turkey bacon. For lunch, order a sandwich made with lean deli meat and sliced cheese. Eat a complete protein with dinner by following a recipe that lists fish, chicken, beef, venison or any other meat as an ingredient. Vegetarians can order pasta dishes with cheese, such as fettuccine alfredo and or creamy spinach lasagna. (Ref 2)
Incomplete Proteins
Vegetable sources offer incomplete proteins to your diet. Incomplete proteins do not contain all the essential amino acids. Form complete proteins by eating two complimentary proteins. Mexican and Chinese cuisines, for example generally provide complimentary vegetable proteins --- beans and tortillas or tofu with rice form complete proteins. The CDC advises that, although it recommended eating complimentary proteins during the same meal in the past, it now recommends eating complimentary proteins within the same day.
Soy
Soybeans offer a valuable source of protein for vegetarians, vegans and omnivores. MedlinePlus, a National Institutes of Health website, reports that soy in your diet can lower cholesterol levels and may reduce the risk of heart disease if you eat 25 grams per day as part of a diet low in saturated fat. Use soy protein at breakfast alike tempeh bacon, soy sausage, and whole-grain soy cereal and soy milk. For lunch, eat a sandwich made from baked tofu or mock-meat soy deli slices and soy cheese. Add chunks of plain, firm tofu to your salad instead of cheese. At dinner, add crumbled textured vegetable protein, made with defatted soy flour, to soups and sauces at the end of the cooking process. You can also replace up to half the amount of ground beef with re-hydrated textured vegetable protein in many recipes including tacos, hamburgers and meatloaf.
Member Comments