Protein Epiphanies

By: Nikki Nies

The last couple of weeks, a small epiphany hit me.  I’m not a carb person, at all.  I always leave the bread basket untouched at restaurants, I don’t eat the crust on pizza and only eat FiberOne bread for sandwiches since I might as well eat the most fibrous kind if I have to eat bread.  So I started to wonder, what kind of person am I?

I’m a protein person! Peanut butter has a been a life saver, but I’m not going to lie, I’m started to get sick of it.  I’ve recently started making tuna melts, however, I’m usually out all day and tuna tends to start to smell if out for a long period of time.  I don’t want to rely too much on deli meats as they can be high in sodium.  So, my need for extra protein as caused me to find more out of the box ideas for protein.

As many, I’m on the go and I don’t always have access to “heating” things up, but I still want to get my nutrients in daily.  After some research, items that you might not think contain protein are definitely foods I’m going to incorporate into my daily diet.  Here’s a list of protein rich foods I didn’t think about.

1. bulgur: 10 g of protein

2. avocado: 4 g per avocado

3. hemp: Seeds, 6 g per ounce; Milk, 2 g per cup

Hemp’s a dairy alternative, supply one with all necessary essential amino acids and helps boost immune system.

4. pseudograins–buckwheat, amaranth, wild rice: 5-7 g per cup

I’ve learned so much by being a part of this blog.  I can’t thank Dana enough for including me on this blog.  Learning never really ends.  There’s always more to investigate, learning not only the what, but the why and how.  This blog makes me do my homework on what’s currently trending as well as how I can best contribute in the field of nutrition.

I’m heading to the grocery store tom.  Wish me luck!

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitnessResource/super-healthy-vegetarian-protein-sources/story?id=16477525&page=2#.UVpMj6tAT1U