How to Handle Protein Deficiency in a Vegetarian Diet?
Remember that one time when you got really inspired and wanted to lead a healthy lifestyle? C’mon we have all tried doing that at least once in our lives. It’s all fun and games in the beginning but eventually, we all succumb to the realities of our nerve-wrecking lifestyles.
In other words, we end up hogging on a lot of carbohydrates and fats. Proteins and fibers usually get a go-by in this thread.
Legit, eating healthy never really works out.
Even though you eat sabzi-roti and daal-chaawal every day, it is highly likely that you’re not in taking the right amount of macronutrients as well as micronutrients that are vital for your body. It is a known fact that the Indian Vegetarian Diet is quite deficient in Protein, Vitamins, and Fibres. As a matter of fact, according to research conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition, 9 out of 10 people in India are protein deficient.
Protein Deficiency will have an ugly impact on all the biological aspects of our body. Be it immunity, height, weight, regenerative capacities or repair, it will cause damage to the body sooner or later. Proteins are called Macronutrients for a reason!
Contrary to popular beliefs, you can easily get the right portions of nutrients in your body despite the fact that you avoid meat altogether. All you need to do is, devote a teeny part of your day for the well-being of your body.
But, keeping a track of everything that goes into our bodies is, quite a task, innit?
Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, here is a list of items that we all should incorporate into our breakfast to get the right amount of everything. Keeping a balance in everything we eat is one of the most essential factors for leading a healthy life.
None of these preparations take up a lot of time and are very easy to prepare.
1. Quinoa Flakes with Milk:
Quinoa is a super grain which is gluten-free and rich in proteins. This plant-based food consists of all the nine essential amino acids important for our body. As an added benefit, it is also high in vitamins, potassium, calcium, and Iron. It is rich in fiber and antioxidants too. So, you can imagine how good these must be for your body.
One cup of Quinoa contains almost 8g of Protein. These flakes coupled with milk should be your go-to breakfast option. Take 2 Tbsp Quinoa Flakes in a bowl and add half a cup milk to it. You can either add Turmeric as a topping or, fruits and nuts. There you go! One of the healthiest meals of the day ready to eat in 2 minutes.
2. Sauteed Vegetables with Tofu:
It’s not necessary for you to be a vegan to indulge in this bean curd prepared by coagulating soy milk. It is a good source of protein, calcium, Iron and Vitamin B1.
Dice vegetables like Bell Peppers, French Beans, Carrots, Onions etc. You can use boiled mushrooms and Broccoli too. Sautee these vegetables in olive oil with caramelized garlic cloves. Add black pepper and salt to taste. Add Tofu cubes to the pan and mix everything properly. ( You can use either Paneer or Tofu).
This preparation is rich in Fibres, Protein, Calcium, Vitamins, and Iron.
3. Greek Yogurt :
Greek Yogurt is an extremely healthy option as and when you feel peckish in between your meals. You can even have Greek Yogurt as a part of your breakfast or a quick evening snack. It is an excellent source of proteins as well as calcium. It contains all essential amino acids required by your body.
You can add extra Vitamins and Fiber to your Yogurt by mixing Fruits and Nuts ( Almonds, Walnuts and Brazil Nuts).
100g of Greek Yogurt contains approximately 10g of Protein and 100-150 mg of Calcium.
4. Broccoli-Corn Salad:
Salad gets really boring at times, eh?
So, it is time to let go of your mainstream cucumber-tomato salad and indulge in this really tasty Broccoli-Corn Salad. It is rich in fiber and way more rich in protein than a normal salad. Simply mix Boiled\sauteed Broccoli and Corn together and add salt to taste. Add a bit of lemon juice to add zing to the food.
But, it is important to keep in mind that a normal salad is also a good source of Vitamins and Fibers. So you mustn’t completely cut that off either.
5. Boiled Pulses and Lentils:
A bowl of Boiled Lentils and\or Pulses is one of the healthiest options that you can possibly think of. Lentils and Pulses provide vegetarians with the essential amount of macronutrients required by their bodies. In fact, certain quantities of these seeds have more protein than meat.
So, you can either boil mixed lentils\pulses or boil specific lentils\pulses. Whichever way you decide to go, it is easy to prepare and extremely healthy with the right amount of Protein essential for your body. Ex: Chickpeas and Toor\Moong Daal are readily available in almost any Indian household.
6. Sprouts:
Sprouts are an excellent source of Proteins, Fibers, Vitamin A, C, K, Iron and other micronutrients vital for the functioning of our body. These nutrients generate benefits for each part of our body. They are extremely easy to prepare and clearly, very healthy.
I’d suggest you make it a point to always have some or the other type of sprouts in your kitchen.
7. Regular Indian Food:
Clearly, we underestimate Indian food items. There are a lot of healthy food items that you can include in your breakfast: Dosa, Idli, Dalwada, Dhokla, Poha, Thepla, Appam, Uttapam, Upma etc. All these options are rich in Proteins and Fibers.
8. Oats:
It’s been told a million times before and I don’t wanna sound redundant but, how can I possibly not include oats in a list of healthy food items?
Chop a few vegetables like carrots, onions, french beans, and add frozen peas and boiled corn to the portion. There you have it.
It is time we realize that there’s more to a healthy breakfast than packaged fruit juices and cereals. It’s not possible to suddenly start eating healthy and most of us flip our lids out of frustration when it doesn’t happen.
But we need to start somewhere and I need you to realize that doing the bare minimum is not the way to go when it comes to health.
Read Also: The Secret to Glowing Skin Unveiled: It’s in your own kitchen!