Eating Well - Beaming with Health

44 The Commonsense Guide to Eating Well
contained more protein, Michelle's energy levels had lifted
to 8 or 9. It is often this simple.
Part of the problem was that Michelle simply did not know
what foods contain protein. When I suggested that protein
may be the answer, she agreed to try this novel approach but
was worried about putting on weight. (Those thighs again.)
So I gave her a list of protein foods that were relatively low
in fat and asked Michelle to have one serve with each meal.
The list of high proteinllow fat foods was tuna in brine,
sardines in brine, egg, low-fat humus, low-fat ricotta, cottage
cheese, lean red meat, chicken without the skin, 10 almonds,
kidney beans, tofu, low fat yoghurt.
Clever vegetarianism: protein combining
Animal-made protein more closely reflects the human requirements
of essential amino acids, with eggs carrying the
prize for the most 'complete' protein. (Remember, the total
amount of protein in the average egg is 8 grams, which would
mean you would need to eat eight eggs a day if you were
only getting protein from this source.)
Generally if you are happy to eat some animal products -
for example, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, fish, chicken, beef, lamb
and so on - you don't need to be too conscious of worrying
about the essential amino acids.
Nearly 30 years on, the landmark book Diet for a SmaN
Planet by France Moore Lappe (first published in 1971) is
still the best book on the subject of protein in vegetarian
food. Lappe was a card-carrying member of the flower-power
generation who were vegetarian for various political and
ethical reasons. Fed up with people saying she would die of
protein deficiency if she didn't eat meat, Lappe did her
homework and found that by combining certain plant foods