This isn't one of your typical "dietary" articles on the woes of carbs and/or fat, nor on balancing them with protein. It's a very simple, short testimony to the power of protein, regardless of what form it comes in. At the end, I'll list the most common sources of protein to vegetarians. Here's some info on complete proteins.
I'm focusing on protein because of two major positive affects it's directly had on me personally. First, I was, at age 24, while on a life-long high carb, low fat, and low protein diet, diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Disease/Syndrome). Essentially, I was told, due to my blood tests, that I couldn't have kids. When hormone treatments made me so sick that I was literally slowly dying after a year of them, I just outright stopped taking them and opted to live, even if that meant I couldn't have kids. Irony is, I now no longer even want to be a parent. Waisted time and money. I had been told at the same time to increase my protein in my diet and lower my carbs, which meant also increasing the fat. I wasn't comfortable with the later, due to twice the calories per gram and twice the body fat storage likelihood as well, so I just upped the protein beyond belief. For awhile. I got lax after a few years, slipped back into old high carb ways, and again was tested, this time not to be positive for PCOS, but instead, it's sibling, Insulin Resistance (the opposite of diabetes, but also the precursor to diabetes type II). I was put on more pills that just made life worse, I quit taking them, and took that second Dr.'s advice, and upped the protein again. A couple years of this later, I tested negative for both PCOS and IR. Lesson learned: protein is worth the cost. They just shouldn't charge so much for it.
The other positive affect that an increase in protein in my diet has had on me is one that you just don't appreciate until it's gone. There was a point in my life not long ago when I couldn't afford ANY protein. Literally. I could afford rice, dried beans, lentils, split peas and noodles, and that was all. The dried beans, split peas and lentils are said to be "high" in protein... But not compared to their carb content. Anyway, the main things I noticed? Within 2 weeks, my nails were almost literally falling off. Chipping, breaking below the "line," peeling off practically. I took to carrying around a bottle of "second skin" that I could brush on them to seal the cracks below that line and try to hold them together: I could afford a single purchase that would last months. But not protein, of really any kind. I still have that bottle in my purse, but don't need it anymore. Why? Thank God for food stamps. I can have protein in my diet again. The other day, one of my nails should have broken off below that line. It should have snapped off, really. I won't gross you out with the details, but it was bad. Instead? Eh, whatever, it just snapped back down where it belonged, and I just wound up with a little tissue damage below the nail which is now healing. Finally, my nails are doing what they're supposed to.
You've probably noticed that I've been sneaking in a good bit of soy protein isolate into a lot of recipes. I get it in the bulk foods section of one of the local stores. It's not flavorless, but it's finely powdered and goes well with a lot of different foods, particularly baked goods. It's pure protein, and definitely increases the overall protein content of those foods, and of my diet. For those who don't like it, eh, no biggy, just replace it with flour. Maybe use some egg whites (replace 3 tablespoons liquid for each egg white used in recipes) instead. Anyway, another option is to use canned veggie-meats (Worthington, Loma Linda, Cedar Lake, Vibrant Life, Yves) if you don't mind precooked/blenderized protein options. And there's always tofu or gluten, if you prefer that instead and are vegetarian. There's more info in the above linked WikiPedia article on complete proteins.
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