Summer and I feel my dietary needs changing a bit, can you all relate?
Posted by LadyDragonfly1 on May 27, 2007 · Member since Feb 2003 · 600 posts
I am finding with the heat that I don't much care for vegan sources of protein and no, I don't want flesh. I am tiring of eating tofu as well, the protein in a meal and all my fancy dehydrated soy concentrates too. I find I just want grains and vegetables and some fruits.
Now, I know that living on whole grains, fruits and veggies is just fine, but I am not just sure about doing this properly. If any of you are feeling a similar summer slump, what is healthy? Quinoa and brown rice have to be the best whole cooked grains, but other thoughts?
Getting the recommended DV% of veg protein without eating beans will require a lot of eating. (I don't know how accurate the DV% standards are for a vegan diet, we probably don't need as much.) Broccoli, spinach, and asparagus seem to be the highest rated vegetables in protein content at 10% per serving. My advice is to throw beans, nuts, and seeds into salads (a serving of beans provides 30-50 DV% of protein). I love lima beans and black beans because they are light tasting. A serving of most seeds are about 25% DV for protein. There is always protein powder to supplement whatever you can't get by eating during the day. As far as grains, oats have 10% dv, and rye has 15%, but the rest of the good whole grains have little to no protein (but lots of good stuff otherwise :))
Cold, cooked marinated bean-based salads can be good, and a nice change.
Remember mushrooms are a great source of protien. Raw or grilled they are nice.
I don't know how much protien there is in whole wheat berries but they make a nice change from brown rice.
I'm feeling the same way. It is SO HOT in my apartment without a/c that I can barely move, much less cook. I'm planning on relying on lots of fruit smoothies, cold veggie/bean salads, and spreads with my favorite bread (Easy Vegan Spelt bread on this site). Obviously steamed and fresh veggies too. Here is my current can't-do-without bean salad that is TDF wrapped in whole wheat tortillas with a little tofutti sour supreme! MMMMMMMM
Easy Bean Salad
1 15 oz. can of black beans
1 15 oz. can of pinto beans
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
1 15 oz. can of black eyed peas
1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans
1 15 oz. can of lentils
1 can of artichoke hearts
3 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Drain and rinse all beans. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Admire all of the beautiful colors. Realize your stomach is already growling in anticipation of the healthy fiber-packed goodness in the bowl before you. Drizzle a little of your favorite vinaigrette dressing over the salad (doesn't need much!). I make my own:
Simple Cider Vinaigrette
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 t. sea salt (I put in less than 1/2)
ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
Combine everything except the oil in a blender. Blend then drizzle oil in. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Of course you can use dried beans for the salad, but then it wouldn't be as "easy" or heat free. The bean salad recipe is adapted from "The Survivor's Handbook: eating right for cancer survival" put out by The Cancer Project (founded by Dr. Neal Barnard). They do some awesome free vegan cooking classes (for free download of the cookbook and where the classes are held: www.cancerproject.org). The vinaigrette recipe is from Vive le Vegan by Dreena Burton.
Your salad sounds delicious as does the dressing. How long does it keep in the fridge as it appears to make a lot.
Would it keep up to a week?
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Di
The salad keeps for at least a week in the fridge. It actually tastes better after a few days of marinating in all the different bean-y flavors and the scallions! It does sound like it makes a lot, the recipe says it serves 10, but I don't have a problem finishing off a batch in a week (I'm single and I live alone).
I love it so much I eat it for lunch and snack on it as well.
;D ;D
The salad keeps for at least a week in the fridge. It actually tastes better after a few days of marinating in all the different bean-y flavors and the scallions! It does sound like it makes a lot, the recipe says it serves 10, but I don't have a problem finishing off a batch in a week (I'm single and I live alone).
I love it so much I eat it for lunch and snack on it as well.
;D ;D
Well I will be making it. Thanks! I also live alone so thought I wouldn't get through it.
One of my friends at work and I often bring lunch for each other and we are both trying to eat healthier. I am sure she would enjoy it too.
Thanks again!
Di
I am finding with the heat that I don't much care for vegan sources of protein and no, I don't want flesh. I am tiring of eating tofu as well, the protein in a meal and all my fancy dehydrated soy concentrates too. I find I just want grains and vegetables and some fruits.
Now, I know that living on whole grains, fruits and veggies is just fine, but I am not just sure about doing this properly. If any of you are feeling a similar summer slump, what is healthy? Quinoa and brown rice have to be the best whole cooked grains, but other thoughts?
I do what kylissa was talking about. I start with a salad and layer it with beans, nuts and seeds. I like both plain beans and prepared beans, espcially Delicious Pakistani Dhal (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=4917.15). I'd eat that with a tortilla for the grain.
I don't like tofu, TVP, rice, or analogs - if you combine your proteins you'll be fine. One of my staples is lentils and only when I'm not attentive to what I eat (I tend to go carb heavy), do I need to add a protein supplement, which is usually powdered rice protein with vitamins and minerals I sprinkle over my soy yogurt in the morning.
Speaking of soy yogurt - I like the vanilla yogurt and I add all sorts of things that contains protein into it.
you know, i almost always rely on fresh fruits and veggies during the summer. digestion raises the body's temperature, so with the heat, simpler is always better for me. plus, i usually end up drinking a lot more water, so anything heavy just makes me feel bloated and immobile.
i wish i could help you with the grains, but personally, i tend to ignore most grains in the summer. i don't crave them and don't know that they provide a lot of added nutritional value id on't get elsewhere. i do make more of a conscious effort to get a wider variety of fruits and veggies though, so i can be sure i'm at least touching most vitamins and minerals. like the others suggested, throwing a handful of sunflower seeds, beans, or cubed tofu in a salad a few times a week has always seemed sufficient for my protein needs. plus, i love hummus as a source of summer protein. in salads, wraps, or as a dip for raw veggies. it's cool, satisfying, and never seems to weigh me down.
IMHO, we don't need to be so crazy about getting exact amounts of what-not because a website/piece of paper says we do. I always notice my cravings change in hotter weather, and I think it's perfectly healthy to follow what you crave (so long as it isn't a tub of Purely Decadent...). It seems like people tend to start craving protein sources when they're getting low (or fat, or carbs, or whatever), so I wouldn't force feed myself black beans and tofu if it didn't seem necessary.
For me, it seems like in the winter it's all about grains and beans (and chocolate ::) ), and right now I'd rather just have a good piece of fruit. It makes sense, since we have different dietary needs depending on the time of year (if you live somewhere temperate especially).
Yep, Im already on the hot water and sliced lemon instead of tea with soya milk (usually because I cannot find soya milk where ever I'm holidaying!) but the whether in London has gone wierd lately (we're getting April showers in late May!)
It's still cool enough here that we still have a soup (bean based) once a week but soon it won't be.
DH and I have noticed we're in grazing mode. We try to keep some tabouli in the fridge at all times to snack on as well as hummus and carrot sticks or crackers. since we always seem to be at the fridge between meals! Maybe try sneaking something into your breakfast?
We've been having a "fiesta salad" once a week as well, it's light but beany:
Salad greens
Black beans
corn
sunflower seeds
Dressing:
Organic Salsa
Sour Dressing (from ultimate uncheese... tofu, lemon juice, ground coriander, etc.)
I'm having an issue getting enough protein and iron because of my blood loss. The doctor told me that as a "red-blooded, meat-eating American" I'd still only gain a point on iron a month back... so I have 4 months to go... but I am trying so HARD! it's really frustrating.
you know, i almost always rely on fresh fruits and veggies during the summer. digestion raises the body's temperature, so with the heat, simpler is always better for me. plus, i usually end up drinking a lot more water, so anything heavy just makes me feel bloated and immobile.
i wish i could help you with the grains, but personally, i tend to ignore most grains in the summer. i don't crave them and don't know that they provide a lot of added nutritional value id on't get elsewhere. i do make more of a conscious effort to get a wider variety of fruits and veggies though, so i can be sure i'm at least touching most vitamins and minerals. like the others suggested, throwing a handful of sunflower seeds, beans, or cubed tofu in a salad a few times a week has always seemed sufficient for my protein needs. plus, i love hummus as a source of summer protein. in salads, wraps, or as a dip for raw veggies. it's cool, satisfying, and never seems to weigh me down.
Just_Eat_It:
Do you use store-bough hummus or do you make it yourself? Because I LOVE hummus too, but I've never thought it was a protein source b/c the nutrition info on most store-bought hummuses usually say theres like a wimpy 2 grams of protein MAX. So how do you use it as a protein source?
XXLEXX,
What's the serving size on the store bought hummus? Probably 2 Tablespoons... I eat a cup at least! I'm sure most people eat more than the store bought serving size. :)
This is how I make hummus:
1 (15 oz) can garbanzos drained and rinsed well
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans drained and rinsed well
juice of 1/2 - 1 whole lemon (depending on taste and how juicy the lemon is)
1/4 cup tahini
dash of red pepper flakes (we like it spicy!)
dash of cumin
olive oil if needed (we leave it out most of the time ;))
We've gone through many versions and liked this one best. I like the mix of white beans and garbanzos it make it mild and gives it depth at the same time.