Tuesday, 04 August 2009
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No cholesterol, no soy, no protein!
I am at a nutritional standstill, and need some help.
Two years ago, at the age of 18, my cholesterol level was at 300 (198 LDL, 65 HDL). This is an insane number for someone so young, and my doctor wanted me to go on Lipitor right away, but I refused, and have been in a two year battle to get my cholesterol down naturally.
With exercise and minor diet changes, I'd gotten my cholesterol down to 250, which is great, but I wanted that final push, so I moved to a vegetarian diet. Along with being lactose intolerant, this meant consuming lots of soy, in every format; soy milk with soy protein powder for breakfast, tempeh with soy cheese for lunch, tofu burger with edamame and another soy-soy protein shake for dinner. I figured that soy was protein, which I needed to help me lose weight and make up for the meat I wasn't eating, right?
It backfired. What I didn't know at the time was how much soy messes with your hormones. I gained 25lbs on this soy diet, became so bloated and irregular that I was diagnosed with IBS, my period became extremely irregular, I was retaining water, and crying at the drop of a dime. I was convinced I was pregnant! But, as about $100 worth of at-home pregnancy tests and a doctors visit told me, I wasn't, and it was all the soy I'd been eating messing with my hormones.
To summarize above, I am lactose intolerant, so no dairy, have very high cholesterol, so no meat, and have had trouble with soy products.My question to you all is this: How can I include protein in my diet? I can only eat so much peanut butter!
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About the Author
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- From: PixelDOT@xanga
- Name: Kristen
- About Me: Silver spoon and paper plate
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Comments (41)
Beans and rice my friend. Pumpkins, potatos, different type of starches. You want to mainly have a healthy amount of fruist and veggies. Soy products are good, but like anything, you can not abuse it and expect off balance in your body.
Maybe you should have researched more on what diet could work. Too much of one thing is not good, even if soy is considered healthy. Vegetarian diet doesn't mean everything you eat should be soy. Ask your doctor or a nutritionist. Try some whole grains, citrus fruits, and real green tea too.
Oh yeah, definitely eat other types of beans.
They're chocked full of protein and fibery starch [which is good for you! helps you poop].
Of course there's other types of nuts... haha.
ALSO!
You should go see a dietitian!
To cut down on the soy try rice alternatives- rice milk, rice cheese, rice ice cream. Even almond milk is pretty good!
Sunflower seeds are packed with protein, as well as other nuts. Beans and rice as mentioned above me.
I'm vegan and not a huge fan of soy... I'm much more into the rice alternatives, and choose seitan over tofu anyday (i only like tofu on a tofu scramble). I do like tempeh for making "tuna" salad sandwiches. Though I've found using garbanzo beans make a pretty good "tuna" salad as well!
Ok, so I guess I didn't offer much help... but you're doing the right thing in investigating this and asking questions. Good luck :)
Oatmeal and oat bran, nuts (walnuts, almonds), fish oil or omega-3 fatty acid supplements, orange juice, yogurt--help lower or regulate cholesterol. Keep the starch and soy products in moderation. Take in more fiber--makes you feel full and helps with digestion. Plus, exercise.
beans and rice combine to make a full protein.
Like neowind said, beans and (brown) rice. Since brown rice is less refined it'll have more protein and fiber. You can eat black bean tostadas or tacos, or brown rice w/peas, that'll give you plenty of protein and fiber. Fiber helps w/colesterol, so you'll want to make sure you're getting enough. Other legumes are good as well, peas, lentils, ect.
When you need fat, try nuts, they'll give you protein and heart healthy fats. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also going to be one of your best friends. EVOO is really heart healthy, so use it instead of butter or vegetable oil (make sure you keep portion control in mind). Good EVOO seems expensive, but if you think abou it, w/o buying cheese and beef you'll have more money in your budget to splurge on a 10.00 bottle of good oil. You may also want to check out some medateranian (sp?) foods, they're s'pose to be heart healthy and waist line friendly. If you're not sensitive to gluten, try seitan.
Flax seed is also great. It has omega 3 fatty acids (that'll help your weight and your heart). If you're going to bake bread, cookies, or anything, replace eggs with a few tbsp of flax seeds mixed with a little water to make a slurry. The flax seed binds like eggs in baked goods w/o the cholesterol and replaces some of the saturated fat w/omega 3 fat.
Last, don't skimp out of the fruits and veggis. Basically fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. The exact same food everyone should be eating.
If you want any recipe ideas just go to my site and ask.
Well my mom is a doctor in women's health. Cut back a bit on the soy, not completely but keep the soy milk! Peanut butter is good in moderation, about a spoon a day because it has the healthy fats to help with cholesterol. Quaker makes a cereal called oatmeal squares that can help lower cholesterol, also cheerios (there's a battle between them and the drug companies because they are advertising to lower cholesterol!). Don't take the medicine! Going natural is smart! Fish and chicken breast are good for protein sources and healthy fats. Try a morning protein bar! Oats also are heart foods. A few almonds a day also! Just exercise and eat well =)
Is this helpful?@Nina1981@xanga - Do you have a recipe for garbanzo "tuna" salad. It sounds good and the closest store that has tempeh is like 3 hours away from where I live :(
@adept_of_chaos@xanga - Well basically, I take a can of garbanzo beans, drain, mash up (now before mashing you can cook them a lil' bit so they are softer, depends on what kind of consistency you're going for)... I mix it up with vegenaise, pickles, cucumbers, carrots, onions, celery, salt n pepper (use kelp salt to give it that tuna taste). So really you can do it however you want, whatever tastes you're going for.
sometimes I throw in some cilantro too... just depends what you like. But that's what is so great- it's very versatile!
Eggs? I don't know if you're a specific kind of vegetarian.
@InTheThin@xanga - Just the dietary kind of vegetarian.
Eggs are a great suggestion for the whites, but I can't have yolk because it's packed with cholesterol. But thanks, egg whites are another thing I can eat and cook with that I hadn't thought of!
protein's overrated. i am a vegan and i try to steer away from soy and bread and all that nasty stuff.. it's possible, and i'm telling you from experience you will get more strength from this diet.
If you are lactose intolerant, try ADDING some lean animal protein. It could be that your body needs it. When I subtracted gluten from my diet and added meat, my cholesterol dropped below 180 and I lost weight. Vegan is not for everyone, no more than meat is. I gained weight on vegetarian and suffered nutritional deficiencies because my body does not process lactose, legumes, nor gluten. They became poisons in my system. There is research to prove this, Vegan is wonderful for about 3/5 of the population, but not all!
Different types of beans and nuts? I'm also a vegetarian, so I eat a looot of beans, nuts, and veggies/fruits to get all the vitamins and minerals I need. I also take supplements to fill in things I don't get from like not eating seafood/fish, etc.
Lentils! a great source of protein & iron
quinoa! a rice-like grain, it is a complete protein, which is rare for a vegan ingredient! pair it with curry or indian food and you could almost have a day's worth of protein in one meal.
you can also add hemp powder and spirulina to smoothies (possibly made with rice or almond milk) for a vegan, soy-free protein shake!
nature's path "heritage cereal" contains 6 grams of protein per 3/4 cup. not a bad way to start the day, imo :)
finally, never forget that all food contains protein, so just eating a variety of
vegetables and brown rice throughout the day will get tons of protein
in you. easy peezy!
i'm on the P90X diet plan and i eat 5 servings of lean protein every day. i eat either 6 egg whites or 3 ounces of lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey, fish, or shrimp. i also use the trader joe's brand of gluten free, soy free hemp protein powder. it's good with orange juice. good luck! i have ibd and eat gluten free so i know what it's like to be on a restrictive diet.
...and egg whites are good in many ways: boiled then remove the yellow, scrambled, and omelets! omelets are the best! i make them with onions and bell peppers sauteed then chopped up and mixed in the egg batter.
I really like hemp milk it got a nice nutty flavor and it also got omega 3
and nuts, nut butter, whole raw nuts
i eat lots of beans. they are so cheap, you can just get them in the bulk section
make pots of different kind and put them in the freezer
put on stir- fry, salad or simply eat it as a snack
over- roasted chickpeas, black beans and brown rice with guca,
adzuki beans with matcha mix with oatmeal
I don't eat soy every day, and i try to limit my consumption of soy
just because too much of everything is bad for you
always choose whole grain, 2 slices of multi-grain bread already has 12 g of protein
getting protein in vegan diet is easy
You can also use some kind of MRP; lactose/sugar free whey protein powder. Although I agree with the above, egg whites are a terrific way to go...
SEITAN IS AWESOME
mad protein boi
if you are not completely adverse to meats, try venison. Especially if you have a hunter available. Through a locker it is reasonable cost. You cannot buy it over the counter like you do beef or chicken, so you need to find someone who hunts and has their meat processed. Venison is extremely lean, low cholesterol, high protein. I usually lightly fry mine in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is too lean to just cook straight, it will burn before it fries. I like the tenderloins cut into strips, then served with a little 57 sauce...
Let me give you a run down about protein! Protein is made up of Amino Acids. Not every food that contains protein has all of the essential amino acids, these are known as incomplete proteins. Incomplete proteins found in plant
foods can be mixed together to make a complete protein. As a general
rule, grains, cereals, nuts, or seeds can be eaten together with
dried beans, dried peas, lentils, peanuts or peanut butter. Examples
of these combination's include peanut butter on wheat bread, rice and
beans, and split pea soup with corn bread.
Meat and poultry have complete proteins. Since plant products are incomplete, when you mix them together like above, you form what is known as a complimentary protein.
hope that helped!