Quick guide to meat alternatives for protein

Seitan:

Also known as vegetable meat, due to its appearance being so similar to it once prepared, seitan is a food made from wheat flour, specifically from wheat gluten. It is made by kneading the flour and forming balls of dough as when making bread or pizza, and then a washing process is carried out that will end up removing the flour and only leaving the gluten. After that, it is boiled with soy sauce and Kombu seaweed for an increased supply of vitamins and minerals.

This food has a multitude of properties from which we can easily benefit. Simply adding seitan to our diet will improve various aspects of our nutrition. It is a food with a high protein content, almost 24% of its total weight. It is much more digestible and gentler than most protein-rich foods of animal origin such as eggs, meat, milk… Seitan is a recommended food for those who suffer from high cholesterol, as it is low in fat. It is very low in calories. Those with gluten intolerance cannot consume it, as it is composed of gluten. It has nothing to envy from meat foods in terms of proteins, and it has not been treated with antibiotics, hormones, or the like. It is a source of B vitamins and iron. Additionally, it contains more calcium than meat. Its lecithin content is abundant. It is low in sodium, making it advisable for those suffering from hypertension, fluid retention… It contains no sugar.

Tofu:

Tofu is the Japanese name for soy cheese. In the East, it has been consumed for thousands of years; for them, it is an essential food due to the variety of dishes that can be made with it and its high protein content.

This food, widely consumed by Easterners, has a multitude of beneficial properties for our body. It has a very high content of high-quality plant proteins. It also contains all ten essential amino acids in sufficient quantities.

Despite its high protein content, tofu is a more digestible food than other protein-rich foods like eggs, milk, and meat… It contains no preservatives, colorants, or chemicals, and no antibiotics or hormones have been used for its fattening as is done with livestock. Its lecithin levels are high. Due to its calcium content, tofu is recommended for women going through menopause.

It is also recommended for growing children or people with osteoporosis. It even contains more calcium than meat. It is a food with a low caloric contribution. It contains no lactose, gluten, or cholesterol. Tofu is a food that contains lysine abundantly.

Lysine is an essential amino acid that many cereals and derivatives lack. In contrast, they are well-endowed with sulfur-containing amino acids, methionine, and cystine, which are not as abundant in soy, and therefore not in tofu either. For this reason, the proteins of soy and the proteins of cereals complement each other so well, and the net utilization of proteins increases when we combine cereals with tofu and other soy derivatives.

Spirulina:

Spirulina (Spirulina maxima) is a unicellular alga that has a spiral shape (hence its name) and is blue-green in color due to the presence of chlorophyll that gives it the green color and phycocyanin, a pigment that gives it the bluish color.

Spirulina is a superfood that offers more digestible proteins than those from beef and contains a surprising variety of nutrients: vitamins, macrominerals, minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), chlorophyll, and a wide range of phytochemicals.

Quinoa:

Botanically, it is not a cereal, as cereals belong to the grass family. Quinoa belongs to the family of amaranths (like spinach, chard, and beet) but is compared to cereals due to its composition and the way it is consumed.

It is important to highlight its high protein content, higher than that of wheat and corn. Depending on the variety of quinoa, it can contain up to 23% of this nutrient. Its protein is complete, meaning it has a high biological value. Unlike other seeds, it is rich in amino acids such as lysine (important for proper brain development), arginine, and histidine, which are essential for growth during childhood. Likewise, it is a high source of methionine and cystine.

For all those who follow a vegetarian diet, consuming quinoa is essential as it provides a complete protein and does not need to be complemented with any other food. Quinoa also contains iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamin E. It is very good when mixed with other vegetables or fruits or eaten as a cereal for breakfast.

Pumpkin seeds:

Pumpkin seeds have been known for centuries as natural substances with healing properties. They are beneficial for the body, containing up to 24.5% protein, fatty acids, minerals, essential amino acids, cucurbitacin, and cucurbitic acid.

They have anti-inflammatory, emollient, and antiparasitic properties. They contain a good amount of zinc, phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B-5, iron, magnesium, copper, selenium, vitamin K, vitamin E, and manganese. Pumpkin seeds are eaten as a snack or throughout the day.

Almonds:

Almonds are exceptionally rich in protein. In fact, they contain more protein than meat for the same amount of food consumed.

The problem is that we never eat as many almonds as we do meat or eggs (in fact, they would be indigestible), but they are an important source of protein that we should not neglect, especially if we follow a vegetarian diet.

Remember, however, that plant protein is of low biological value, meaning that each plant independently does not contain all the essential amino acids, and therefore it is necessary to combine different types of plants (legumes, cereals, nuts, and seeds) to obtain all the amino acids that our body needs.

Almonds are a good source of the amino acid phenylalanine, which is important for brain function. Almonds contain vitamin B-2, B-3, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium.

Peanuts:

The peanut or groundnut is a nut with many properties and also has a considerable amount of protein. Each 100 grams of peanuts contains 27 grams of protein. Despite its nutrients and properties, peanuts should be eaten in moderation as they are heavy to digest. Peanuts are a good source of niacin and also contain vitamin B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, iron, copper, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.

Oats:

Oats are a popular food among bodybuilders and gym enthusiasts. Whole oats offer both insoluble and soluble fiber, and moreover, oats are also a great source of protein.

The proteins found in oats are of a higher quality than those found in most other cereals. Oats are easy to prepare, mitigate hunger, and mix well with other protein sources to aid in muscle mass development.

The quality of the proteins in oats is equal to those found in soy flour, according to the World Health Organization, although the quality of oat protein is not as high as that of proteins found in meat, fish, eggs, and isolated soy protein powder. The distribution of proteins in oats is similar to that found in legumes, such as lentils and dried beans.

 

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