Got vegan on my mind...

Dear Margaret,
       Thanks for the Mother's Day gift guide part 2..although you have now made it hard for me to chose what to buy for my mom (and myself haha) with all the amazing options.

       So, when I was in L.A. last market I saw my sweet and beautiful god-mother Cynthia who just recently transitioned from vegetarian to vegan.. which of course sparked my curiosity:) When I started asking her a million questions, she told me to watch "Forks over Knives" because it had a big influence on her decision. Seeing as she is in her early 50's and looks ten+ years younger, I immediately watched it on my Netflix:)... and I highly recommend it to anyone who cares about their health! I'm not sure I could just switch to vegetarian or vegan overnight but I'm definitely flirting with the idea and have cut back significantly on my meat and dairy intake... and I feel so much better.  It also got me curious how vegans get their protein, since it primarily is a fruit and vegetable based diet. I was surprised to find out how many options there really are (see charts below). I'm not going to do anything drastic but am consciously going to make more of an effort to chose the vegetarian options over meat... we'll see how it goes:) I've def got vegan on my mind.. watch it stat!
xo,
Kara

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Table 1: Sample Menus Showing How Easy It Is To Meet Protein Needs Protein (grams) Breakfast: 1 cup Oatmeal 6 1 cup Soy milk 7 1 Bagel 9 Lunch: 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread 5 1 cup Vegetarian Baked Beans 12 Dinner: 5 oz firm Tofu 11 1 cup cooked Broccoli 4 1 cup cooked Brown Rice 5 2 Tbsp Almonds 4 Snack: 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter 8 6 Crackers 2 TOTAL73 grams Protein Recommendation for Male Vegan [based on 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight for 70 kilogram (154 pound) male]56-70 grams Breakfast: 2 slices Whole Wheat Toast 5 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter 8 Lunch: 6 oz. Soy Yogurt 6 2 Tbsp Almonds 4 1 Baked Potato 4 Dinner: 1 cup cooked Lentils 18 1 cup cooked Bulgur 6 Snack: 1 cup Soy milk 7 TOTAL 58 grams Protein Recommendation for Female Vegan [based on 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight for 57.5 kilogram (126 pound) female]46-58 grams Additional food should be added to these menus to provide adequate calories and to meet requirements for nutrients besides protein. Table 2: Protein Content of Selected Vegan Foods
FOOD	AMOUNT	PROTEIN(gm)	PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh	1 cup	41	9.3
Seitan	3 ounces	31	22.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	29	9.6
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	18	7.8
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	15	6.7
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	13	6.4
Veggie burger	1 patty	13	13.0
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	12	4.2
Veggie baked beans	1 cup	12	5.0
Pinto beans, cooked	1 cup	12	5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked	1 cup	11	6.2
Tofu, firm	4 ounces	11	11.7
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	10	5.7
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	9	3.5
Tofu, regular	4 ounces	9	10.6
Bagel	1 med. (3 oz)	9	3.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	9	6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked	1/2 cup	8	8.4
Peanut butter	2 Tbsp	8	4.3
Veggie dog	1 link	8	13.3
Spaghetti, cooked	1 cup	8	3.7
Almonds	1/4 cup	8	3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain	1 cup	7	7.0
Soy yogurt, plain	6 ounces	6	4.0
Bulgur, cooked	1 cup	6	3.7
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	6	3.3
Whole wheat bread	2 slices	5	3.9
Cashews	1/4 cup	5	2.7
Almond butter	2 Tbsp	5	2.4
Brown rice, cooked	1 cup	5	2.1
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	5	13.0
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4	6.8
Potato	1 med. (6 oz)	4	2.7

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm