Protein, you hear it everywhere nowadays. Protein is found throughout the body—in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. It makes up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions and the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. At least 10,000 different proteins make you what you are and keep you that way.
Even though protein seems to be somewhat hyped, it is important for your body and well being. Apart from taking these fancy protein powders and bars, protein can of course also be found in our normal food... below you can find several foods that contain good protein!
Spinach: remember Popeye? You know, that guy with the huge muscles? He wasn't a fan of spinach for no reason... One portion of spinach is not only giving 5 gram of protein, but also iron and lutein which helps your body to recover from a good workout! Can imagine that you're not always in favour of eating spinach for dinner, but there are other ways to incorporate more spinach in your diet. You can add it to your breakfast smoothie. If you're not a huge fan of the flavour of raw spinach in your smoothie, combine it with banana to balance the taste. Also I have been promoting it before, use spinach as a base for your lunch salad. I love to use spinach as a base, because it also stays more fresh and crunchy for a longer time than lettuce. For dinner time, spinach is working great in a curry or a stew, not only good for you, but also super yummy!
Beans, beans, beans: all beans are a good source of protein, quite a cheap ingredient and very versatile yet often underestimated. Beans can be used in so many ways, again here comes the salad and adding them to a curry, or like black beans can be used as a base ingredient for home made brownies... so also a great choice for vegetarians and vegans, or when you like to cut on your meat intake in general.
Quinoa: I like to use quinoa as an alternative for carbs like rice, pasta and noodles. Quinoa is one of the foods with very high protein levels. Quinoa contains the 11 amino acids that are required to make a protein "complete". Therefore again a great source as basic ingredient for vegetarians, vegans an meat lover, who'd like to balance their meat intake. Besides, quinoa also has loads of vitamins, minerals and fibers, so your tummy will be happy too!
Green peas: green peas contain about 8 gram of protein per portion, but that's not all. Green peas are also stuffed with vitamin C and K. I'd say more than reason enough to serve them for tonight's supper!
Pomegranate: Can imagine that for a good source of protein you're not immediately thinking of a fruit, but don't be fooled, fruit can also have protein. The seeds of pomegranate do have protein. Of course, not as much as eggs or chicken, but still every little bits can help. And it brings some nice variety in your meals, like your lunch salad. Why not combine them with spinach and quinoa and you'll well on the way! Besides pomegranate, other fruit also contain protein, such as banana and kiwi.
Hemp seed: I really like to add hemp seed to my meals, mostly to my salad or my breakfast yoghurt, or adding to your granola to have the extra nutty taste of hemp seeds to it. They're not only bringing a nice crunch, they also have a slightly nutty flavour. And they have loads of protein, 9,5 gram for one full tablespoon, I'm impressed! Also good to know, hemp seed also have omega-3, which makes it extra healthy.
Pistachio: all nuts are actually a great protein source, but pistachio are relative low in calorie, but do contain lots of good stuff for you. Excellent as a snack, adding to your salad, or topping for your yoghurt, or oven stew.
Peanut butter: I'm a huge fan of peanut butter. Love a fresh baked slice of white bread that is still a bit warm with peanut butter. I know, I know, we should go for brown bread, but every now and then an exception is perfectly fine, right? All nut butters are a good protein source, even though they also have a bit higher fat percentage. Then again, we need fat too, so why not from peanut butter? I do pay attention to buy the plain (pea)nut butter, so without any added sugars or God knows what else...
Cacao: Let's have a nice hot cup of choco, yummy and also full of protein. Pure cacao has about 20 gram of protein per 100 gram. Sounds great, right? Lovely as a snack, but can also be added to your smoothie or oatmeal. I wouldn’t try it in a salad though...
Interested in quick and tasty recipes that contain good protein? Check out more @irisfoodforthought... as shared below to try!
Comments