what about protein?

image found here

I'm still feeling too lazy to go through the many, many photos I have of our happenings lately, so instead I'll talk more about food.

I'm reading Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Furhman. It's actually a "Diet" book and although I'm not interested in trying to lose weight, it does have really good information and basically prescribes a mostly vegan diet. I just wanted to share one tidbit.

One of the biggest questions people usually have for vegetarians/vegans is "Where do you get your protein?" I wondered the same thing back in the day. Most of us equate protein with meat or dairy. But did you know that per calorie broccoli, kale, and romaine lettuce (!) actually have about twice or more the amount of protein as sirloin steak? Granted you have to eat a lot more greens than steak to get the same calories. But I say... more food! yay! Plus, greens don't have fat or cholesterol and DO have lots of fiber plus TONS of other things that are super good for you too.

I love this paragraph from Dr. Furhman's book:

"The biggest animals-- elephants, gorillas, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, and giraffes-- all eat predominately green vegetation. How did they get the protein to get so big? Obviously, greens pack a powerful protein punch. In fact, all protein on the planet was formed from the effect of sunlight on green plants. The cow didn't eat another cow to form the protein in its muscles, which we call steak. The protein wasn't formed in thin air--the cow ate grass."

Protein is just one thing that our bodies need, but it's often the thing that concerns people most about not eating animal products. Well there is no need to worry. All plants, grains, nuts, and legumes have protein. If you are eating a variety of whole foods, chances are you are getting enough protein.