1. Upgrade the protein on your plate.
The Healthy Eating Plate encourages you to eat protein-rich foods like
beans, nuts, tofu, fish, chicken, or eggs in place of less-healthy
options like red and processed meats.
For example, try a turkey or black bean burger instead of a
traditional beef burger. Or slice up a fresh-roasted chicken breast or
salmon for your sandwich instead of using processed high-sodium lunch
meat.
2. Don’t stress too much about protein quantity. Most reasonable diets provide plenty of protein for healthy people. Eating a variety of healthy
protein-rich foods—for example an egg with breakfast, some turkey or
beans on your salad for lunch, and a piece of salmon or tofu with a
whole grain side dish for dinner—will ensure that you get all the
protein and protein building-blocks (amino acids) you need. Choose
higher-protein foods instead of bulking up with pricey protein shakes or powders, since some of these are loaded with sugar or other additives.
3. Try a meatless Monday—or more.
Diets high in plant-based proteins and fats can provide health benefits,
so try mixing some vegetarian proteins into your meals. Going meatless
can be good for your wallet as well as your health, since beans, nuts
and seeds, and other minimally-processed vegetarian protein sources are
often less expensive than meat. Eating plant protein in place of meat is
also good for the planet. It takes a lot of energy to raise and process
animals for meat, so going meatless could help reduce pollution and has
the potential to lessen climate change.
4. Eat soy in moderation. Tofu and other soy foods
are an excellent red meat alternative. In some cultures, tofu and soy
foods are a protein staple, and we don’t suggest any change. But if you
haven’t grown up eating lots of soy, there’s no reason to begin eating
it in large quantities. And stay away from supplements that contain
concentrated soy protein or extracts, such as isoflavones, as we just
don’t know their long-term effects.
- Scan the Nutrition Facts label before you buy highly-processed vegetarian “fake meat” foods, since these are often as high in sodium—or higher in sodium—than their processed red meat counterparts.
5. Shift the balance of carbs and protein.
Cutting back on highly processed carbohydrates and increasing protein
improves levels of triglycerides and protective high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) in the bloodstream, and so may reduce your chances of having a
heart attack, stroke, or other type of cardiovascular disease. This
shift may also make you feel full longer, and stave off hunger pangs.
Source: The nutrition source
