SWIHA Blog

By Melanie Albert

Protein, alongwith fats and carbohydrates, is an essential macro nutrient which we must eat everyday with every meal. Protein is a building block of our body and helps to buildthe foundation of our bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

No Meat for 25 Years

I stopped eating red meat 30 years ago because my body could not digest it. I was a runner and felt like the meat made me sluggish. Then 18 years ago when my Mom was diagnosedwith breast cancer, I learned about antibiotics in poultry and stopped eating chicken and turkey, which I loved at the time.

My family was worried for years that I was not eating enough protein, but while I was studying nutrition, I learned so much about good plant protein, and now I’m honestly not worriedabout eating enough protein. Today, I love educating people about good sources of plant protein, including beans, whole grains and even vegetables.

Why Protein?

Protein is important because it is a macro-nutrition; it builds and repairs tissues and makes enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals. About 25 percent of our daily diet should come from protein, so we should try to eat it with every meal. The average serving size of protein should fit in the palm of our hand.

Protein Rich Foods

When I first looked at information from the USDA database, I was amazed at the high levels of protein in beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains. As a long-time pescatarian(a vegetarian who also enjoys seafood) I had always been a little concerned that I had not been eating enough, however, learning how much protein is in seeds, nuts and certain meats makes me feel good about the amount of protein I have been eating.

I was happy to learn that pumpkin seeds are extremely high in protein! Turkey also contains 29.3 grams of protein. Some delicious food for thought with Thanksgiving coming up! According to the USDA National Nutrient Database a 3.5 ounce serving of pumpkin seeds contains over 30 grams of protein! Other high in protein foods* include:

• Halibut- 26.7 grams
• Beef Chuck Eye Roast - 26.7 grams
• Lentils,Raw - 25.8 grams
• Kidney Beans, raw - 23.6 grams
• Hemp seeds - 22.5 grams
• *Protein Grams per 100 Gram (3.53 ounce) servings

Whole Food S.O.U.L. Food Wednesday Action: Make Lentil Soup

With our Whole Food S.O.U.L. blog we invite you to take action with your whole foods eating habits. The goal is to incorporate new whole foods eating into your way of eating step-by-step.

Our challenge for you this week is to make your own lentil soup. Be creative in the kitchen and have fun with these simple lentil soup recipes. The EXPERIENCE NUTRITION™ recipe is the foundation process to make the soup, and former NFL player John Bronson added quinoa and anti-inflammatory turmeric to his soup.

EXPERIENCE NUTRITION™ Organic Lentil Soup with Greens

This process of cooking soup gives us the foundation for making any type of bean soup. To make quick, delicious soups you will use amix-and-match of beans, veggies and greens.

• Beans: protein,fiber, vitamins, minerals
• Any roots:Carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnip, and/or turnips
• Whole grains:Brown rice, Quinoa
• Greens: Kale,collards

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils
• 3-4 carrots and/or sweet potatoes
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion or 5-6 green onions
• 3-4 celery stalks
• 2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
• 5" strip of kombu seaweed (Seaweed is high in minerals and improves digestibility of beans)
• 1 cup brown rice
• 4-5 cups water
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 bunch kale

Simple Steps

1. Saute carrots, garlic, onions and celery with organic extra virgin olive oil
2. Add about six cups water to pot
3. Wash lentils and add to pot
4. Add brown rice
5. Add kombu to pot (to tenderize the beans)
6. Add cumin and black pepper
7. Bring to a boil
8. Skim off foam
9. Cook at moderate-low heat for about 30 minutes
10. Sprinkle chopped kale to top of soup and cook five more minutes

Former NFL player, John Bronson’s Lentil and Sweet Potato, Quinoa Soup with Turmeric

Former NFL player,John Bronson loved this lentil soup so much, he is now enjoying it all the time. It’s a perfect meal, with plant-protein lentils and quinoa, sweet veggies and the anti-inflammatory turmeric.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils
• 3-4 carrots and sweet potatoes
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 red onion
• 2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
• 5” strip of kombu seaweed
• 1 cup quinoa
• 4-5 cups water
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper

Simple Steps

1. Saute carrots, garlic, onions with extra virgin olive oil
2. Add about 6 cups water to pot
3. Add sweet potatoes
4. Wash lentils and add to pot
5. Add quinoa
6. Add kombu to pot (to tenderize the beans)
7. Add turmeric, cumin and black pepper
8. Bring to a boil
9. Skim off foam
10. Cook at moderate-low heat for about 30 minutes

Enjoy.

Share your Lentil Soup Experience with us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/SWIHA and www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days

About the Author Melanie Albert

Melanie Albert, nutrition and food expert, author and speaker, has been active in the integrative medicine and nutrition fields for over a decade. She is the founder & CEO of Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, whose mission is to improve the lives health and nutrition of the sports community, kids and corporations through food and lifestyle education.

Melanie is an instructor in Whole Foods Cooking, Holistic Nutrition (Conscious Eating) and Entrepreneurship at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) in Tempe, AZ. She also teaches Intuitive Eating at Spirit of Yoga in Tempe, AZ. Melanie walks her talk and you can always find her at farmers' markets, in the kitchen experimenting, and practicing yoga.

You can get more recipes, nutrition and food tips from Melanie.

Visit her blog: www.9Ways90Days.wordpress.com

Visit her Facebook: www.facebook.com/9Ways90Days