Vegetarian Balance

“Am I eating enough protein, especially as I want to move towards becoming a vegetarian?”

According to the World Health Organization we need a maximum of 10-15% protein in our daily diet. (This is, for example, the equivalent of 27 – 45 grams for a woman weighing 60 kg). This is not a large amount and most of us in the West easily take in more on a daily basis. 

And since we are able to store protein, as long as we are eating a varied whole-food diet every day, we’ll be getting enough protein, even if we decide to take it in plant form. 

In Ayurveda we are not told that we have to be vegetarian. What is important is to be conscious about what we are eating in relation to our activity or intended activity. Meat is intrinsically heavy and requires a lot of energy to digest. It is a very concentrated source of energy at all levels.

Traditional nutritional systems, like the Chinese and Ayurveda, sometimes suggest small amounts of meat as a quick way to build strength in tissues. However, questions are often raised nowadays about the quality of the meat because of how animals are kept and meat processed.

Simply put I have always found it much easier to get hold of quality plant-based protein sources. As a lacto-vegetarian, I eat dairy products occasionally but no red meat, fowl, fish or eggs. My diet consists mainly of whole-foods including nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, vegetables and fruits, all of which contain enough protein for me to cover my protein needs very well and consciously.

Moreover, a plant-based diet offers a lighter alternative to one that is meat-based. It can support those recovering from illness because less energy is used for digestion and more is left for the body to use in healing processes.

(c) 2009 Janet Gomez

About the author:  Janet Gomez, nutritional consultant, produces the “Nutri-Jyoti News”, a free bi-monthly e-newsletter for busy professionals. Feel ready to learn how to use nutritional strategies to manage your energy levels? Then sign up for her FREE e-course “5 Nutritional Keys to Vitality in your Life” at http://www.nutrijyoti.com

Those who come to see me for nutritional guidance or sign up for my newsletter, Nutri-Jyoti News, lead busy lives. And I’ve noticed a trend in the questions my private clients, in particular, ask me in their first consultation. These questions also sometimes come up in direct enquiries I receive.

The first of the top three questions I get asked is:

Should I be having dairy products, especially milk, and, if I don’t, how do I get enough calcium?

Ok – that’s actually two questions but they are very much related.

Many clients, especially those approaching the menopause ask me this question. Very often they have increased their intake of dairy products because this is the well-known traditional source of calcium and they want to avoid the issue of osteoporosis. However, they read that dairy products are not such a good option because they can cause digestive problems (e.g. bloating, feeling heavy, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, bloating, even undue fatigue). Add to that the facts that pasteurisation and homogenisation create changes to milk proteins, which are then harder to digest and many modern-day commercial dairy products contain hormones and antibiotics given to animals in their food and injections, which we, in turn, ingest.

In Ayurveda, milk is considered to be a complete food. However, modern-day practices of milk processing mean that depending on the particular imbalance you are currently experiencing you may need to exercise caution in how you use it. Also it’s important to use raw milk if you can.

It is known, for example, that milk promotes sleep but you need to heat it up beforehand and add a pinch of nutmeg and a little cardamom. These spices help to reduce the heavy and cooling quality milk has which causes many digestive complaints associated with this food.

Other dairy products, for example, yogurt, cheese are fine if you have a good digestive fire but are heavy and should only be eaten at lunchtime.

If a client has digestive problems with dairy products made from cow’s milk, I frequently suggest they use products made of goat’s or sheep’s milk, depending on their imbalance. Goat’s milk, for example, has astringent properties (astringent is one of the 6 tastes in Ayurvedic nutrition) and may be appropriate for someone who has slow digestion, for example.

For those clients who cannot (because of their health issues) or want to stop or reduce eating dairy products there are other excellent options for sources of calcium.

* dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli

* sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (e.g. pumpkin and sunflower mix, trail mix and/or make the seed spread recipe from Plans for Dinner? to add to your salads, or use as a spread on bread)

* sesame seeds – they deserve a special mention because they are one of the most abundant sources of calcium, way ahead of dairy in terms of bio-availability

At the end of the day, you have the final say what you put in your mouth and how you nourish your body. So, to support you in your goal to achieve balance in your busy life with Ayurvedic Nutritio, I’ll just leave you with this thought: think before you drink!

About the author:  Janet Gomez, nutritional consultant, produces the “Nutri-Jyoti News”, a free bi-monthly e-newsletter for busy professionals. Feel ready to learn how to use nutritional strategies to manage your energy levels? Then sign up for her FREE e-course “5 Nutritional Keys to Vitality in your Life” at http://keystovitality.nutrijyoti.com

I recently received an enquiry from a potential client who also sent me a diet sheet. It looked really very complete but one thing I spotted straightaway was the inclusion of fruit with the meal – usually after as a dessert.

Another enquirer complained about bloating in the mornings after eating  “about 3 spoons of bifidus organic plain yoghurt … on fruit”

In Ayurvedic nutrition – based on a system over 5000 years old – it is considered better to eat fruit alone or leave it alone. There are scientific reasons for this.

Fruit digests much more quickly than other food and should be free to leave the stomach quickly. If you mix it with other foods it tends to ferment because digestion is delayed. So it’s better to eat fruit away from food. If you do have it served with a meal, (I know this happens a lot with airline meals) either eat it first and then wait for a few minutes before starting to eat the  rest of the food or keep it for eating later.

As regards the bloating  I suggested experimenting having the fruit in the morning without the yogurt for at least a week and observing how the body feels. Though there may be other factors at work, the digestive system can only benefit from having a lighter load to deal with.