Yesterday I'm having drinks with co-workers, talking about nutrition (great way to NOT talk about work) and someone says something that my paleo-centric mind found completely ridiculous. She said: "If you eat beans, rice, and corn in the same meal at the same time, you get the perfect protein with all the amino acids of lean animal protein." I had never heard this before, so I politely nodded, making a mental note to research this later (and not make her completely WRONG J)
Turns out she's onto something. If you go to Nutrition Data and look up various proteins (or foods with protein in them), you'll notice the "Protein Quality/Amino Acid Score" like the one in the picture above. It tells you exactly what amino acids that particular food has in them, and in what quantities. Theoretically, you could take various vegetables, and combine them to create a total amino acid score of 100 or higher to equate to a lean protein.
Unfortunately it's not that simple, however it is possible! There is a particular blog article on NutritionData.com that goes into this in more detail, highlighting the caveats. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, and are looking to maximize the QUALITY of protein intake (this method does not address quantity), I strongly recommend reading this article.
** Cool Nutritionize Moment **
Sometimes in the day-to-day's you're reminded of the positive impact healthy eating has on you. On Tuesday I ran a big conference in San Mateo (not part of my day job, but fun regardless). There were lots of people, speakers, partners, etc. and it was a long day for me. The next day I had a full day team offsite with a cocktail/dinner late at night. So I'm at the dinner, and my co-worker says "I can't believe you're still standing after all you did at the conference yesterday." I was a bit surprised and say "Well, I nutritionize, and exercise, right?" He says "Yea", then we both blow it at the buffet table!
Living a healthy lifestyle rocks!! What's your cool Nutritionize moment? Post to comments.
Latest posts by Ritu Riyat, MPH (see all)
- Go slowly - May 19, 2014
- Press Pause (do it now) - May 12, 2014
- Mindful Monday - May 5, 2014
this is my first come to your blog,and i read agood information that you put in here..good job i like it
keep going thanks.
vitamins information
this is my first come to your blog,and i read agood information that you put in here..good job i like it
keep going thanks.
vitamins information