Guest guest Posted June 17, 2007 Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 From About.com - I searched 'How vegetarians get their amino acids'. Here's what it said... Proteins provide you with the building blocks called amino acids that we need to make proteins for our muscles, organs, and immune systems. Protein can be used for energy when you don't have enough carbohydrates in your diet. Protein is made up of chains of individual amino acids. When you eat proteins, your body breaks the proteins into the individual amino acids. We absorb the amino acids and the body uses those individual amino acids to build new proteins. Your body can make some amino acids without help from your diet, but there are some amino acids, called essential amino acids, that have to come from directly from your diet. Animal protein sources provide all of the essential amino acids and they are called complete proteins. People who eat meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs get all of the essential amino acids each time they eat any of these protein sources. *** Vegetarians and vegans rely on plant proteins to get their amino acids. Soy contains all of the essential amino acids, but other plant protein sources are incomplete proteins, meaning that they don't provide all of the essential amino acids. If you combine different plant proteins, however, you will get all of the amino acids you need. Vegans and vegetarians who eat a variety of plant proteins throughout the course of the day should get all of their amino acid needs met. Combining your plant proteins at each meal will ensure that you get all of the essential amino acids every day. Here are some combinations of plant proteins that will provide you with all of the amino acids you need: Grains plus legumes. Try black beans and rice. Nuts and seeds plus legumes. Lentil soup with a serving of almonds on the side. Corn plus legumes. Try pinto beans in a corn tortilla. There are lots of possible combinations. Try whole grain pasta tossed with peas, almonds, and your favorite sauce. Whole grain toast with peanut butter will give you a complete protein. Bean soup with whole grain crackers. Corn tortillas with refried beans and rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2007 Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 Great idea! I followed your lead and went out to the Wikipedia. Here is a quote from that online encyclopedia: Main article: Vegetarian nutrition The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada have stated: " Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. " [40] Some studies suggest that vegetarian food helps keep body weight under control [41] and reduces risk of Heart diseases [42] [43]. American vegetarians tend to have lower body mass indices, lower levels of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less incidence of heart disease, hypertension, some forms of cancer, type 2 diabetes, renal disease, osteoporosis, dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease and other disorders that may be diet-related. The health of a group of 27,000 vegetarians is currently being followed at a UK centre of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the largest study of the long-term effects of vegetarian diet. Although potentially diet related, most studies do not control for other lifestyle variables that typically coexist with vegetarianism, for example increased exercise as part of a general concern for physical wellbeing that often accompanies the adoption of a vegetarian lifestyle. On Behalf Of Milli Sunday, June 17, 2007 7:07 PM Amino Acids and Proteins From About.com - I searched 'How vegetarians get their amino acids'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 OOH! Good to know On 6/17/07, Milli <mendomilli wrote: > > From About.com - I searched 'How vegetarians get their amino acids'. > > Here's what it said... > > Proteins provide you with the building blocks called amino acids > that we need to make proteins for our muscles, organs, and immune > systems. Protein can be used for energy when you don't have enough > carbohydrates in your diet. Protein is made up of chains of > individual amino acids. When you eat proteins, your body breaks the > proteins into the individual amino acids. We absorb the amino acids > and the body uses those individual amino acids to build new > proteins. Your body can make some amino acids without help from your > diet, but there are some amino acids, called essential amino acids, > that have to come from directly from your diet. > > Animal protein sources provide all of the essential amino acids and > they are called complete proteins. People who eat meat, fish, dairy > products, or eggs get all of the essential amino acids each time > they eat any of these protein sources. > > *** Vegetarians and vegans rely on plant proteins to get their amino > acids. Soy contains all of the essential amino acids, but other > plant protein sources are incomplete proteins, meaning that they > don't provide all of the essential amino acids. If you combine > different plant proteins, however, you will get all of the amino > acids you need. > > Vegans and vegetarians who eat a variety of plant proteins > throughout the course of the day should get all of their amino acid > needs met. Combining your plant proteins at each meal will ensure > that you get all of the essential amino acids every day. Here are > some combinations of plant proteins that will provide you with all > of the amino acids you need: > > Grains plus legumes. Try black beans and rice. > Nuts and seeds plus legumes. Lentil soup with a serving of almonds > on the side. > Corn plus legumes. Try pinto beans in a corn tortilla. > > There are lots of possible combinations. > > Try whole grain pasta tossed with peas, almonds, and your favorite > sauce. > Whole grain toast with peanut butter will give you a complete > protein. > Bean soup with whole grain crackers. > Corn tortillas with refried beans and rice. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Thank you Milli, I was very interested to read about proteins. I knew we needed them, but this explanation on HOW to get them in a vegetarian diet was very helpful. Barb Mesa, AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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