Key Points Omnivorous diets: meat alternatives SEVERAL times a week eat legume/soy/nut/egg based dishes several times a week (in place of meat-based dishes if desired) Vegetarian diets: meat alternatives DAILY eat legume/soy/nut/egg based dishes daily; spaghetti with vegetables is an incomplete meal without the addition of a meat alternative. 100g red meat = 1 cup cooked dried beans/lentils/chickpeas/tofu OR 1/2 cup nuts OR 2 eggs e.g. 1 cup baked beans is almost equivalent in nutrients to a 100g steak Eggs - around 4 small eggs per week is great, however, if you have a cholesterol level less than 5mmol/l and if you have a low intake of animal fats you can have 1-2 eggs daily if you wish. If your cholesterol level is >7mmol/l or if you have diabetes or other heart disease risk factors (like hypertension or smoking) it is advisable to limit intake to 1-2 a week. Also, remember that eggs are a 'meat alternative' - this means that when you have an egg meal it counts as a 'serving of red meat' - which is great news for vegetarians. More info... A complete (high quality) protein has all the essential amino acids e.g. soy and all animal foods Incomplete (poorer quality) plant proteins are lacking one or more amino acids: - dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts are low in amino acids methione or cysteine - pasta, rice, corn, bread are low in amino acid lysine Can incomplete proteins be made complete? YES legumes/nuts + wheat/rice/corn = complete protein Do we need to have complete proteins at every meal? NO New evidence suggests that there is no need to have complete proteins at each meal, as long as you have a variety of protein containing foods throughout the day Include a serving of 'whole' soy foods as often as possible avoid supplements or foods containing soy compounds/isolates ONE serving = 2 slices Soy-enriched bread 2 Hi-Bran soy linseed breakfast biscuits 1 cup soy milk (also has 5 grams of fibre) 70g firm tofu or 40g tempeh 1/3 cup cooked soy beans Handful of a variety of NUTS several times a week (in meals) Because nuts are high in kilojoules they are energy dense. But, they are high in nutrients so they are also nutrient dense. When they are consumed with low energy dense plant food dishes their overall energy density is reduced.

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Audio Transcripts

Omnivorous Diets

So if you eat meat twice a week, chicken once a week and fish once or twice a week, what is recommended on the remaining 2 days of the week ? Vegetarian style dishes high in plant protein, also known as meat alternatives, are recommended at least once a week in place of meat dishes, such as baked beans, bean, lentil or chickpea soups, chickpea curry, lentil or tofu burgers, fried tofu, vegetable and nut stir fry, omelette, spinach,cheese and egg pie and the list of dishes goes on and on.

 

Incomplete Proteins

Legumes and nuts are incomplete proteins lacking in the amino acids methionine or cysteine (but they contain the amino acid lysine). However, when these foods are combined with rice, pasta, bread or corn that are high in methionine/cysteine they form complete proteins - i.e protein quality is equivalent to that of animal foods. Rice is also low in the amino acid threonine and corn is also low in the amino acid tryptophan.

Soy/tofu contains all the essential amino acids and is therefore a complete protein.

Soy

1-2 serves of soy containing foods per day may assist in protecting from cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis and 2-3 serves per day may help lower blood lipids and control menopausal symptoms; it is thought to be due to soy protein and phytoestrogens in soy.

Until further research is conducted it is probably premature to recommend specific amounts of intakes for soy protein and phytoestrogens (isoflavones). Studies show benefits for menopausal symptoms and blood cholesterol levels with >25g soy protein and 40-50mg isoflavones.

However, these effects are seen with intact soy and not with isolated phytoestrogens. This strongly suggests that other components of soy, including the vegetable proteins may be contributing to the observed effects.

In other words - prefer WHOLE SOY foods rather than supplements or foods containing soy compounds/isolates.

Please read this on-line article on SOY

Nuts

Nuts have been shown to protect against heart disease and cancer. It is recommended to have a handful (9-15 nuts=30g) of a variety of nuts 2-5 times a week, especially walnuts and almonds. Having more than this weekly frequency is recommended for vegetarians or for people who avoid red meat. If you are worried about your weight, combining nuts/seeds with low calorie foods (e.g. vegetables/ salads/Asian dishes) in meals is a good way to eat them. When nuts are consumed as a snack - the temptation to consume more than a handful is probably greater. Instead of having that energy dense biscuit or piece of cake, one can have a handful of plain unroasted nuts (nuts are sometimes roasted in saturated fat). This advice also applies to people trying to lose weight. Nuts are also energy dense, but unlike other energy dense snack foods, nuts are also very nutrient dense and high in antioxidant phytochemicals. Remember nuts are a good substitute for meat (meat alternative), so a vegetable meal with nuts counts as a 'serving of red meat'.

A study showed that in 30,000 people, a handful of nuts consumed twice per week was associated with 20% less heart disease incidence; people in the study consuming nuts about 5 times/week had 50% less fatal and non-fatal heart attacks. Nuts can also help lower blood lipids and reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which in turn decreases the chance that they will be deposited in the blood vessel wall. This antioxidant effects of nuts is probably due to their high content of vitamin E and other phytochemicals, including phytoestrogens. The amino acid arginine which is mainly found in nuts increases the levels of a blood vessel substance called nitric oxide which helps to dilate blood vessels helping to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of blood clots.

Please read this short article on NUTS

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