The Vegetarian

Protein for Vegetarians

 Protein is essential for growth, healing and every day bodily function. It is relatively easy to acquire your necessary protein requirements if you think of essential amino acids rather than protein.

Protein is made of amino acids. If you eat protein, the body breaks it down to amino acids first, and then rebuilds from these amino acids the proteins that you require.

What you do need to focus on are Essential Amino Acids. Essential amino acids are the amino acids which your body cannot make, and therefore you need to acquire these through food.

Animal foods - meat, eggs etc have "complete protein" which essentially means that all the amino acids are present. A food with "incomplete protein" is essentially a food which does not contain all the essential amino acids.

The good news for vegetarians is -

1. some foods such as soy beans, spirulina and quinoa are complete proteins, that is - they do contain all the essential amino acids.
   
2. a combination of foods eaten together or during the week can supply all the essential amino acids.

As long as you eat a variety of different foods, there is no reason why you should be lacking in protein! However, if you are trying to build muscle for whatever reason, you may want to focus on foods with a high protein(amino acid) content.

The 8 essential amino acids are:
isoleucine
leucine
lysine
methionine
tryptophan
threonine
phenylalanine
valine

The aim is to eat foods that have a high proportion of protein, and most of the essential amino acids listed. If a certain food is missing one of the essential amino acids, then make sure you match it up with another food that has a high proportion of that particular amino acid.

Here is a table I've compiled from a couple of different websites comparing different legumes as well as meats:

	protein in grams		per calories		ratio
peanuts	35		773		0.045278
lentils	17.9		230		0.077826
chickpeas, garbanzo, bengal gram	14.5		269		0.053903
lima beans	14.6		229		0.063755
kidney beans	15.3		225		0.068
split peas	16.3		231		0.070563
mung beans	14.2		212		0.066981
egg	6.3		77		0.081818
milk	8		120		0.066667
chicken	35.1		196		0.179082
pork	31		358		0.086592
turkey	34		178		0.191011
tuna	14		60		0.233333

This table shows that legumes can have quite a high ratio of protein to calories. In fact the legumes are comparable to milk, eggs and pork!!
"Unhealthy" meats with more fat content are not included in the table.

A half cup of cooked brown rice with a 30g serve of cooked lentils gives 5.2g of protein. A salad sandwich on wholegrain bread will provide 7.5g of protein. 30g of mixed nuts 5g of protein. A small serve of breakfast cereal from 3 to 6 g of protein. Half a cup of baked beans gives 7.5 g of protein. Some vegetarian meat alternatives such as soy sausages can have up to 19g of protein in a serve. A glass of soy milk is pretty comparable to regular milk - 6 to 8g of protein. 200g of yoghurt gives 8g of protein.

Now that you know how much protein you can get from legumes, you need to fill in the missing amino acids. Most legumes are missing methionine, the good news is that most cereals contain methionine but are low in lysine. Therefore if you consume both cereals and legumes in your diet then you have made a complete protein from your combination meal - with methionine from the cereals, and lysine from the legumes.

Meal combinations to consider include - rice with lentils, rice with beans, tortillas with beans. Remember you can consume different amino acids on different days and consume your complete protein over a whole week, you do not have to consume all the amino acids in one sitting!

The easiest way to calculate how much protein you require is to aim for 1gram per kg of ideal body weight (you only need 75% of this, but the 1g is easier to calculate than 0.75g). If you want to be heavier or lighter use the ideal weight you are aiming for. For example if you want to weigh 50kg then aim for 50g of protein intake, if you want to weigh 80kg, then aim for 80g of protein intake... but keeping in mind that if you are just under the requirement that is actually closer to the real requirement. If you are not an athlete, not trying to grow or build muscle and want to be more accurate you can use the 0.75g per kg.

Remember that eating excess protein does not lead to more muscle... it is converted to energy by the body, and the waste nitrogen can cause injury to the kidneys.

Try these websites for some quite thorough lists of protein contents of foods:

http://www.highproteinfoods.net/legumes

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/beans-legumes-highest-protein.php http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/

Interesting reading... Good Luck :-)

 

 Iron for Vegetarians

Iron is important for the production of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around in the blood stream, and also a variety of other physiological functions. Is it possible for a vegetarian to achieve their full dietary iron intake without supplements?

Iron absorption is improved if you have Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) at the same time (upto 100mg of ascorbate with the meal has been shown to improve iron absorption -even 6 fold improvement).
Iron absorption decreases if you have high calcium foods, phytate containing foods, or polyphenols (tea and coffee).

The recommended daily intake for iron is approximately 12mg; a little lower if you are male, a little higher if you are a female or if you are growing, pregnant or breastfeeding. Pregnancy is when you need the most iron, aiming for twice the usual amount is about right. However, the iron ingested in a vegetarian diet tends to be less well-absorbed than the iron in a mixed diet, so a vegetarian needs to aim for a higher intake.

Phytates have been shown to be the main inhibitors to the absorption of iron from grains and seeds. Phytates are found in the bran or husk component of grains. Therefore eating wholegrains, though nutritious in other ways, is likely to be decreasing your iron absorption.

This website - http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=351 has a thorough examination of iron metabolism and explains in depth how it all works. They show the following daily intake recommendations -
RDA for men and post menstrual women = 8mg/day -> vegetarian men = 14.4mg/day
RDA for women during menstrual years = 18mg -> vegetarian women = 32.4mg/day
This calculation accounts for the decreased iron absorption in a vegetarian diet - multiply the usual recommendation by 1.8 to account for the phytates and the non-heam iron.

So... how can we get there...

Vegetarian foods with the highest amount of iron:
Breakfast cereals - approx 10mg in 100g in many well-known brands - but take care if it is made with "whole grains" - more fibre and other nutrients but also more phytates
Tahini - 1.8mg in a tablespoon
Dark rye bread - 1.2mg per slice
Dried apricots - 1.3mg in 30g serve
Baked beans - 3mg in 1/2cup(150g)
Beans on average - 2.5mg per 100g
Lentils - 1mg in 30g of cooked lentils
spinach - 3.2mg in 100g
soybeans - 2.5mg in 100g
wild rice - depends on variety
some protein/energy/nutrition supplement drinks  e.g. sustagen, milo

Is this amount of iron intake possible on a daily basis?
I'll try a meal plan:
Breakfast - Average cereal at 30g (small serving) = 3mg iron
250ml soy milk = 1mg
Lunch - 2 slices of wholegrain bread = 1.2mg iron.  + salad in the sandwich = 0.5mg iron
5 dried apricots =1.3mg
glass of orange juice
Dinner - 1/2 cup cooked brown rice=0.4mg; 30g of cooked lentils=1mg; 100g of green leafy vegetables(spinach or silverbeet)=3.2mg; small serve other vegies = 0.6mg
glass of orange juice 0.5mg
Total so far: 13.2mg
-note that I have not avoided phytates as this is accounted for in the raised RDAs for vegetarians... however, I have included plenty of orange juice to assist with iron absorption.

So if you are male or post menopausal you have almost reached the recommended vegetarian intake... have a glass of milo before bed and you will reach 16.2mg of iron for the day.

If you are female the above meal plan is only giving you 50% of your daily requirement. So time to beef it up... you could add some milo to your morning cereal as well as that glass at night -->19.2mg. Legumes and spinach in your sandwich at lunch, or as a separate salad rather than the sandwich--> 22mg; an extra slice of dark rye bread slathered with tahini-->25mg; increase the legumes at dinner and possibly decrease the rice -->26mg; maybe a chocolate bar 'cos by now you are tired of all the maths-->26.5mg!
I don't think I could possible fit any more food into my day! - which means that I am still 6mg short of the daily requirement for a vegetarian woman. 

This diet plan falls short by 6mg a day, but note a supplement such as Fefol contains 87mg of iron. So you need to fall short for 2 weeks before you need a supplement like Fefol.

Finally, I think I had better check the caloric value of this menu - The initial meal plan has a total of only 801Calories, the ammended meal plan (minus the chocolate bar) with all the additions still reaches only 1320Calories!!  - That's about right for a bedridden 50kg female!
As most of us are not bedridden, I guess we can afford that chocolate bar afterall - but instead of the chocolate bar you probably want to use the allowance to use a bit of oil in your cooking, and the occasional dessert... and we can actually afford to drink another couple of glasses of milo with milk or soy each day.

In conclusion:

It is easily possible for a vegetarian male to achieve their daily iron requirements; it is much more difficult for a female. In general males and females should

• choose breakfast cereals that are high in iron, 
• include plenty of legumes and dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, silverbeet), 
• snack on nuts or dried fruit such as apricots, 
• drink orange juice or other vitamin C sources with meals, and 
• consider additional glasses of nutritional drinks such as milo and sustagen

Vegetarian females need to consider an iron supplement such as Fefol every 2 weeks, or drink 3-4 supplementary drinks each day.



For a thorough examination of the science of iron in human physiology try -
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10026&page=312

For a great list of iron contents of foods try Allan Borushek's Pocket Calorie and fat counter

 Calcium for Vegetarians

A good calcium intake is very important to maintain strong, healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis. Maximum bone strength is reached at approximately age 30, and 80% of this by mid to late teens. After age 30 your bones only get weaker, as the body uses the bones as a calcium store and dissolves some bone whenever it needs calcium in the blood stream.

Therefore, you must maintain your calcium intake in childhood and teen years to build up your bone reserves; after age 30 you must maintain your calcium intake to prevent your body from leaching calcium out of your bones.

Vitamin D is also important in the calcium cycle, as without adequate vitamin D levels you will not be able to absorb the calcium in your diet, and your bones will still get leached of their calcium.

The recommended intake of dietary calcium is approximately 1000mg, though this does vary with age. For most vegetarians it is not difficult to achieve this intake, but it is more difficult for vegans.

High calcium vegetarian foods:
Dairy -
Most milk 250ml - 300mg calcium
extra calcium milk varieties 250ml - up to 510mg
cheddar cheese 30g - 240mg calcium
-note soft cheeses tend to have much less calcium
ice cream  - 1 scoop - 65mg
yoghurt 200g - 310mg

Egg -large - 35mg

Calcium enriched soy milks - 300mg
30g of almonds - 70mg
30g of brazil nuts - 55mg
30g of pistachio - 40mg
1 tbsp tahini - 80mg

Kale 1/2 cup - 65mg
Silverbeet 1/2 cup - 100mg
Spinach 1/2 cup - 100mg
broccoli 1/2 cup - 35mg

baked beans 150g - 60mg
soy beans 150g - 90mg
chick peas 1/2 cup - 75mg

Firm tofu 100g - 160mg

To achieve a calcium intake 0f 1000mg is not too difficult, even without fortified foods.
Meal plan
Breakfast - milk or soymilk with cereal = 330mg calcium average
Lunch - salad sandwich  = 60mg
Dinner - of brown rice, legumes and dark green leafy vegetables = 150mg approx
Snacks - yoghurt = 210mg; 1 serve of fruit = 20mg
Milo and milk or soymilk = 360mg
Total -1130mg

For a vegan meal plan - simply exclude the yoghurt, and try a high calcium cereal at breakfast - a small serve (30g) of some cereals contain 200mg of calcium!

As seen from the above meal plan, it is easily possible to reach adequate calcium intake on a vegetarian diet, however, it would be difficult without an intake of some sort of milk (regular or soymilk).

 Vitamin B12

Is the most difficult nutrient to obtain as a vegetarian!
Vitamin B12 is necessary for healthy red blood cells, and also other cells. The first symptoms of a deficiency are often anaemia, but a long term deficiency can also cause neuropathy.

Vitamin B12 is only found in animal products, and in fortified foods. Do not believe the hype about mushrooms, the vitamin B12 is contained in the soil/manure on the surface of the mushroom - which most of us wash off when preparing the mushrooms.

As a lacto-ovo vegetarian it is possible to have plenty of vitamin B12 from eggs and dairy. But if you are a vegan, or planning to cut down on eggs and dairy then you need to be careful.

The best way to ensure you are getting adequate vitamin B12 from fortified sources such as soy milk, nutritional yeast flakes or even supplement tablets is to read the label! Don't ever assume that any particular food has vitamin B12 in it... remember that any food that has to be fortified in some way (common examples are vitamin B12 and vitamin D) will have generic "similar brands" which do not have the fortified vitamins. Some soy milk varieties will have plenty of B12, others want.

Try to use a variety of sources... so that even if one source is not working well, you will not sink quickly into a deficiency!

Be careful how you store your vitamin B12, you may need to be careful to keep it in a cool, dark cupboard.

For more information try these sites:

A great site to look at:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12#h3

 Omega 3 and Omega 6

-coming soon

this article is going to require a lot of research... but for now check out the links i've listed.

microalgae oil
DHA EPA versus ALA from flax

http://www.vegetarian-dha-epa.co.uk/
http://www.source-omega.com/files/uploads/52074C10-70F2-4FD1-9118-02565498EF25.pdf
http://hinessight.blogs.com/hinessight/2006/12/omega3_from_vpu.html
http://vnv.org.au/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2336&sid=415854b8dc20774d2f03f2f3f9fc1ddb
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm

Vpure: EPA – Eicosapentaenoic - 10mg
DHA – Docosahexaenoic – 400mg
buy at
http://www.nuique.com/omega3/

Omega Zen 3 capsules - 300mg DHA
http://www.detoxyourworld.com/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww.detoxyourworld.com%2f&WD=dha&SHOP=%20&PN=omega_zen.html%23aS0001#aS0001

deva
green edge online store


General Vegan DHA Supplements

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is a long chain omega-3 fatty acid. DHA supplements are usually derived from fish but the following products are free of animal-derived ingredients:
     - Opti3 Complete Omega-3 (available from www.opti3omega.com)
     - Vegan-Vegetarian Omega-3 DHA (available from www.devanutrition.com)
     - Dr. Fuhrman's DHA Purity (available from www.drfuhrman.com)
     - O-Mega-Zen-3 (available from www.detoxyourworld.com)
     - V-PURE (contains EPA & DHA) (available from www.water4.net).

Opti3 appears to have the highest levels - ordered some from the website.

$65 for 3 bottles - 60 capsules per bottle. 200mg EPA, 400mg DHA per 2 capsule daily dose


hmmm... just waiting for algae oil to be available as a cooking oil.

 Meal plans - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Finally, here are some meal plans for a 50kg, adult female, adjusted to provide adequate protein, iron and calcium. This can be a simple way to start - if you use this plan as a guide and adjust it for your own requirements.

Variety is always important, not only so that you can stick to a diet plan, but also so that your body receives a variety of phytochemicals and micronutrients.

Total Calories required: 1600 Calories
Calcium required: 1000mg
Iron required: 32.4mg
Protein required: 37.5g

Breakfast:
Option 1: High calcium high iron cereal with milk= 30g of Special K with 250ml of reduced fat Rev milk and 1/2 serve of fruit
=16.9g protein; 3.5mg iron; 570mg calcium; 285 Calories.

Option 2: 2 slices of wholegrain toast with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. 5 dried apricots.
14.5gprotein, 3mg iron; 85mg calcium; 330Calories

Option 3:150g baked beans in tomato sauce, 2 slices of whole grain toast, one boiled egg, 2 vegetarian sausages.
 37.5g protein;   5.1mg iron; 195mg calcium; 454Calories

Option 4: Yoghurt with fruit and muesli Option 5: Up & Go Sanitarium breakfast drink

+glass orange juice every day 250ml = 0.5g protein, 0.5mg iron, 25mg calcium, 73 Calories. - to help with iron absorption.

-the average
protein: 23.5g ; Iron: 4.4mg; Calcium: 308mg; Calories:429.
If you rotated these 3 breakfast meal options, you would consume the above quantities of protein, iron, calcium and calories on average.
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Lunch: -is often the toughest meal as it may be from a take-away or cafe.
Option 1: Wholegrain salad sandwich, with cheese.
protein 15, iron 1.7mg, calcium 180, Calories227.


Option 2: 2 tubes of Cannelloni
protein 8.3 , iron 1.7, calcium 270mg, 380Calories. - estimates


Option 3: Vegetable lasagna 295g
protein 7.4g; iron 1mg; calcium 250mg; 336 Calories

Option 4: 1/2 cup of rice and mixed vegetables. (likely with lots of oil thrown in if it is take-away)
protein 3.4 , iron 1, calcium 22, 300Calories.


Option 5: 3 sushi handrolls and 1 cup miso soup(90Calories)
protein , iron , calcium, 195 Calories. (4.5g of sushinori)


-the average
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Dinner
Option 1:
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Option 2:
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Option 3:
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Option 4:
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-the average
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Snacks
Option 1:
protein , iron , calcium, Calories.

Option 2:
protein , iron , calcium, Calories.

Option 3:
protein , iron , calcium, Calories.

Option 4:
protein , iron , calcium, Calories.

-the average
protein: ; Iron: ; Calcium: ; Calories: .