number of serious health problems:
• Kidney Disease: When people eat too much protein, they take in more nitrogen than they need. This places a strain on the kidneys, which must expel the extra nitrogen through urine. People with kidney disease are encouraged to eat low-protein diets. Such a diet reduces the excess levels of nitrogen and can also help prevent kidney disease.
• Cancer: Although fat is the dietary substance most often singled out for increasing cancer risk, protein also plays a role. Populations who eat meat regularly are at increased risk for colon cancer, and researchers believe that the fat, protein, natural carcinogens, and absence of fiber in meat all play roles. The 1997 report of the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer, noted that meaty, high-protein diets were linked with some types of cancer.
• Osteoporosis and Kidney Stones: Diets that are rich in animal protein cause people to excrete more calcium than
Breakfast
3 oatmeal pancakes with applesauce topping, calciumfortified orange juice, fresh fruit
Lunch
Bean burritos: black beans in corn tortillas, topped with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa, spinach salad with tahini-lemon dressing
Dinner
Chinese stir-fry over brown rice: tofu chunks, broccoli, pea pods, water chestnuts, and Chinese cabbage( bok choy), cantaloupe chunks drizzled with fresh lime juice
Snack
Dried figs sample menus
normal through their kidneys. Worth noting, countries with lower-protein diets have lower rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures.
Increased calcium excretion increases risk for kidney stones. Researchers in England found that when people added about 5 ounces of fish( about 34 grams of protein) to a normal diet, the risk of forming urinary tract stones increased by as much as 250 percent.
For a long time it was thought that athletes needed much more protein than other people. The truth is that athletes, even those who strength-train, need only slightly more protein, which is easily obtained in the larger servings athletes require for their higher caloric intake. Vegetarian diets are great for athletes.
To consume a diet that contains enough, but not too much, protein, simply replace animal products with grains, vegetables, legumes( peas, beans, and lentils), and fruits. As long as one is eating a variety of plant foods in sufficient quantity to maintain one’ s weight, the body gets plenty of protein.
Breakfast
1 cup oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, ½ cup fortified soymilk, 1 slice toast with 1 tablespoon almond butter, ½ grapefruit
Lunch
Whole wheat pita stuffed with hummus( see recipe on page 14), sliced tomatoes, and lettuce, carrot sticks
Dinner
1 cup baked beans, baked sweet potato, 1 cup steamed collard greens drizzled with lemon juice, baked apple
Snack Banana soymilk shake whew!
Cooking without
Eggs
Many people choose not to use eggs in their diet. About 70 percent of the calories in eggs are from fat, and a big portion of that fat is saturated. They are also loaded with cholesterol— about 213 milligrams for an average-sized egg. Because egg shells are fragile and porous and conditions on egg farms are crowded, eggs are the perfect host for salmonella— the bacteria that is the leading cause of food poisoning in this country.
Eggs are often used in baked products because of their binding and leavening properties. But smart cooks have found good substitutes for eggs. Try one of the following the next time you prepare a recipe that calls for eggs:
• If a recipe calls for just one or two eggs, you can often skip them. Add a couple of extra tablespoons of water for each egg eliminated to balance out the moisture content of the product.
• Eggless egg replacers are available in many natural food stores. These are different from reduced-cholesterol egg products, which do contain eggs. Egg replacers are egg-free and are usually in a powdered form. Replace eggs in baking with a mixture of the powdered egg replacer and water according to package directions.
• Use 1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour or cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons of water to replace each egg in a baked product.
• Use 1 ounce of mashed tofu in place of an egg.
• In muffins and cookies, half of a mashed banana can be used instead of an egg, although it will change the flavor of the recipe somewhat.
• For vegetarian loaves and burgers, use any of the following to bind ingredients together: tomato paste, mashed potato, moistened bread crumbs, or rolled oats.
PCRM 5