This food group includes poultry, pulses,
beans, nuts, seeds, soya products and vegetable
protein foods such as quorn and seitan.
They're grouped together because they're
all rich in protein.
Protein plays
an essential role in building and repairing your
body. But whether it helps a fingernail to grow
or heals a sore muscle, for example, depends on
the make-up of the protein.
Proteins consist
of smaller units called amino acids, which can
link together in many combinations to form chains.
Some amino acid chains are created by your body,
but those called essential amino acids must come
from your diet. Although all animal and plant
cells contain some protein, the amount and the
quality of the protein varies a lot.
High
biological value foods contain
enough indispensable amino acids for an adult
diet and are considered to be good quality protein.
Meat, fish and eggs sit in this category.
Low
biological value foods don't contain
enough indispensable amino acids. Plant foods,
such as pulses, nuts and seeds, are in this group.
This means
that if you're vegetarian or vegan, you need to
do some clever combining of proteins at meal times
to ensure that the amino acid of one protein (eg,
soya milk) can compensate for the deficiencies
of another (eg, muesli with nuts and seeds).
Advice
for vegans and vegetarians
Because plant
foods only contain some but not all the protein
elements needed by your body, they need to be
mixed together to ensure your good health.
Vegetarians
Foods such
as eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, pulses, vegetable
protein foods and soya products all contain protein.
There are also small amounts in grains and dairy
products. It's quite easy to combine two or three
of these to make sure you're getting enough protein.
Here are some ideas for tasty combinations:
Bran
flakes with milk and sunflower seeds (grain
+ dairy product + seed).
Grated
cheese and baked beans on toast (dairy product
+ bean + grain).
Yoghurt
dip with aubergine curry and naan (dairy
product + grain).
Vegans
If you're
vegan and don't eat dairy products or eggs, there's
no reason to feel limited. Here are some ideas:
Muesli with nuts,
seeds and soya milk (nut + grain + seed +
soya).
Tomato and lentil soup with
bread (pulse + grain).
Stir-fried tofu, vegetables
and rice (tofu + grain).
How
much is enough?
Health professionals recommend that protein
makes up 10 to 15 per cent of your diet.
They suggest that adult males eat 55.5g
protein every day and adult females eat
45g. In real terms, eating a moderate amount
of protein - in one or two meals every day
- should give you all the protein you need.
Did
you know...?
Eggs
contain all eight essential
amino acids, making them a perfect
source of protein. However,
you'd have to eat at least eight
eggs a day to get all the protein
you need. Be sensible; include
them as part of a balanced and
varied diet.
The
need to eat protein daily is worth emphasising
because your body can't store it - you can't
stock up on it by bingeing on protein once
a week, for example.
