Posted by kathryn in Protein

Next on Q & A Thursday Chloe wants to know about the biological value of protein – what it is and how to use this information. This is a tricky concepts. It’s hard to explain and an important nutritional principle. But (thankfully) it can also be translated into simple dietary guidelines. Stuff you can follow, without tracking numbers and doing complex calculations. I’m mostly going to answer this question by linking back to a previous post. In a previous …

Read more 03 July, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Protein

As I blogged about yesterday, no matter what you eat the majority of your food is made up of protein, fats, carbohydrates, water and fibre. These are the bulk of our diets. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve listed fifteen foods and asked which of them contain these five components. To finish off this series, I thought I’d list them again and give all the results together. h3. Bread * White bread is 9% protein, 2.5 % fat, 47 …

Read more 30 April, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve posted a series of questions on Limes & Lycopene. Given a list of foods – do you know which contain fat, fibre, protein, carbohydrates and water? How did you go in the quiz? I posted the questions, because I find it’s common for foods to be discussed in terms of single nutrients. Rice is referred to as a carbohydrate, meat is a protein, butter is a fat. Each food is put in its …

Read more 29 April, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Protein

The final question – which of the foods contain protein? # bread # milk # pumpkin # lamb # tofu # broccoli # apples # olive oil # butter # salmon # bananas # rice # hazelnuts # chickpeas # sultanas Leave your thoughts in the comments below and I’ll post the answers tomorrow.

Read more 24 April, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Today’s task in 31 Days to Better Energy is very, very easy – it’s simply to make a cup of tea. h3. How does tea help your energy levels? There are many benefits to drinking tea, both normal and herbal. Herbal teas like peppermint and chamomille can calm and soothe your digestion, while black tea and green tea are full of antioxidants. As I’ve noted before during the 31 Days, you will have more energy if you are well hydrated. ...

Read more 27 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Kicking off this week’s Q & A Thursday is a question from Kylie: bq. Are carbs that consist primarily of white flour something to be avoided, particularly for vegetarians? I’ve recently had a massage therapist recommend that I eat meat. I’m wondering if it’s more of a case that I need to cut back on the carbs (pasta, basmati rice, soy + linseed bread) and replace with quinoa, rolled oats, and wholegrain breads like pumpernickel. what do you think? h3. ...

Read more 23 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

The first question in this week’s Q & A Thursday is about gaining muscle mass: bq. I’m a person of slight build, but do a reasonable amount of physical exercise, including some moderate weight training. I am looking to increase my muscle mass but I think my diet may be keeping me back. I was wondering if you could suggest some good foods to promote muscle growth. To a certain extent your build is dictated by your genes – blame …

Read more 19 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Vanessa has also asked whether drinking water during a meal makes the food more difficult to digest ? This is a common idea in health circles and particularly relates to protein digestion. Your stomach contains hydrochloric acid, which is needed for the first stage of breaking down protein. Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. These curl, twist and clump together to form all different shapes and configurations. Hydrochloric acid is needed to uncurl and untwist the …

Read more 12 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Next question is from Paul: bq. I seem to recall that rice and lentils together are even better than on their own. Is that right? Do you know why? Yes Paul, lentils and rice are an important combination and it’s all about the protein they contain. Legumes, like lentils are wonderful foods. Highly nutritious and full of fibre, people who include legumes in their diet have a reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease. However, in isolation, the protein in grains and …

Read more 05 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

I stuffed up during this week’s Q&A Thursday. I was asked what would happen if you lived on pasta – no sauce, no cheese, just pasta alone. In my answer I stated, this diet would leave you malnourished and would ultimately lead to death. I also said that, along with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the individual would suffer from a protein deficiency . It’s this bit I’m wrong on. As one reader pointed out, pasta does contain some protein, enough …

Read more 30 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Following up on my last post about protein, I now want to get down to the specifics of Keltie’s question – how do you get enough protein when breastfeeding? h3. Do you need more protein when breastfeeding? When you’re breastfeeding you do need more protein. Your diet is not only providing your own nutrition, but you’re also making milk to satisty your baby’s nutritional needs. At this time you need 1.1g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Therefore a …

Read more 28 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Protein

Question number one, for this week’s Q&A Thursday is from Keltie: bq. Our family is vegetarian and I’m currently breastfeeding. I’m worried about my protein intake and also protein for my baby once he starts on solids. how do I ensure we are getting enough? Protein is important for all of us. While it’s one of the nutrients vegetarians need to be careful about, in clinic I also see many omnivores who are not eating enough protein. Keltie, I’m going …

Read more 28 June, 2007