Protein source.

It seems that every time you turn on the television there is another medical study being released to tell us what we are supposed to eat.  So many times the studies contradict each other. One week they tell you to have a high protein source. The next week you are told that your carbohydrates should be high. The studies even seem to disagree on what is a good source for the varying nutrients in general.

I have been concerned about protein source because my daughter has become a vegetarian. She announced this to the family when she arrived home from her first semester in college. She has always been easily swayed so I was not surprised that she had developed some new habits, however I wanted to make sure that she was getting sound nutrition. As with any person starting a new way of life, she was filled with excitement and new found knowledge about being a vegetarian. 

She explained to me that meat is not the only protein source. There is protein source in several of the vegetarian selections that she included in her daily diet. My first thought was tofu. She admitted that tofu is a good protein source, but there also a number of other choices that can be made. She had not found a way to prepare tofu that she enjoys, so she is using lentils as her main protein source. This did not surprise me because she and my husband love baked beans. I remember times when I would find the two of them eating corn chips with cold baked beans right out of the can as dip. I found this disgusting, but they thought it was a great treat. My daughter is also using soy products as a protein source.  She drinks soy milk and eats soy yogurt. She also eats peanut butter, nuts and rice to round out her diet in regards to protein source. She of course then supplements a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to round out her diet.

When she first made her announcement I thought I was going to have to make a trip to the grocery store to buy multiple special foods for her new diet. After we talked about what she ate for protein source I realized that I could easily include her diet in the dinner that I was making that night. I was making soft shelled tacos and Spanish rice. I had picked this meal because it has always been one of my daughter’s favorite meals. She helped me prepare the vegetables for the tacos. I had a can of refried beans which she used in her taco in place of the seasoned chicken that the rest of the family used. I mentioned to my husband that I felt our daughter seemed to be making wise choices in regards to protein source as well as the rest of the foods she was choosing. He feels I should not get too concerned because he feels this is a phase she is going through and next semester break there will be something new.