[Power V] Protein Eye for the Vegetarian Guys~

One of the concerns for many guys when they are switching to vegetarian diet is the myth that the diet lacks sources of protein used to built up muscle. 


During one of our recent potluck gatherings, a friend asked us about daily sources of protein for vegetarians. We rarely think about boosting specific type of nutrient sources, so out of curiosity, we did a little investigation and decided to share it with the Bees. 



Here are some few things that our research suggest eating along with some of our personal comments:


Whole Grains

Examples: Barley, buckwheat, corn (eg. whole cornmeal and popcorn), millet, Oats (eg. oatmeal), Quinoa, rice (eg brown rice and colored rice), rye, wheat, and wild rice.

WasaBees' Comments: We eat ALOT of grains in our house. Our consumption on grain variety is so high that we don't really even know what half the grains we eat are called in English. However out of the spectrum of our culture, our staple grain is Quinoa. Quinoa is the best "grain" for protein. This is mainly because they contain all 9 essential amino acid in the right proportions, which is uncommon in non-animal products.




Beans, Lentil and Peas 

(or Legumes if you want to be technical)
Examples: Black bean, chickpeas, chili bean, coco bean, green beans, green and yellow peas, kidney beans, lima bean, mung bean, pinto bean, red bean, white bean, and soy.
WasaBees' Comments: We love eating beans! However using the bean as a good source of protein is questionable. Most beans that we eat in our diet are very starchy, hence they contain quite a bit of carbohydrates. Also compare to alot of other foods that provide proteins, beans by itself just simply doesn't stand up. For example, from the USDA Nutrient database, 100 grams of kidney bean provides 24 grams of protein, however it also provides 60 grams of carbohydrates. It is doing WAY MORE HARM than good!






Soy Products & Mock Meats

Examples: Tofu (including mock meats), tempeh, and soymilk (including dairy substitues). 
WasaBees' Comments: Soy is a great source of protein! It is probably the only plant that can be almost on par with Quinoa. Though soy is not considered as complete protein, due to their proportion of each amino acids. However, they do provide a all 9 essential amino acids in great amounts. Note that many soy products, including mock meats are heavily processed. 

In the WasaBee family, we have a rule of thumb where we eat such products sparingly. The reason for this is because these overly processed products tend to contain preservatives. For soy products we go for tofu, but not just any tofu. The tofu have to have one or all of the following 3 qualities:

• Organic - Soy beans are one of the 4 major plants that had been commonly genetically modified. Not completely trusting genetics engineering technology, we insist on trying organic.
• Traditionally made - This ensures none or very minimal preservatives added. 
• Firm consistency - This is due to the protein content. The softer the tofu, the lower soy concentration, resulting less protein content. 

According to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, silken soft tofu contains around 1 gram of protein per ounce, in comparison to 5 gram per ounce for cooked tempeh. 




Nuts and Seeds

Examples: Chestnut, hazelnut, cashew, pistachio, peanut, pine nut, macadamia, pecan, sunflower, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, sesame seeds, and poppy seed.
WasaBees' Comments: Nuts and seeds are great! We often complain we don't eat enough of them! They are rich in protein as well as many other minerals. However there are things to consider when consuming and purchasing nuts. Nuts are high in various oils and fats, some are good and some are bad. When Jie Jie buy nuts, she almost never buy anything with peanuts in it. The main reason is because, in our culture they are considered to be very fatty and high in calories, and can make people grow acne easily. However another reason to consume less peanuts is because they are a common allergen. 

Some people have allergic reactions to them because peanuts naturally emits a poison. Even if you are not allergic to peanuts, the fact that it secretes poison probably is a sign for us not to eat them. A seed that we do endorse eating though is flaxseed. Not only are they rich in protein, but also flaxseed is one of the very few non-animal product out there that is rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids. 




Protein Suppliments
Examples: Too many to list
WasaBees' Comments: Protein suppliments are similar to vitamins that comes in the form of powder, drinks, or snack bars. They are designed so that they are able to provide the highest amount of protein possible and still have the product be easily absorbed into the body. These are highly processed products so we don't really encourage taking them on a normal bases unless you are an athelete or is interested in intense body building. The most organic and natural out of these supplements is probably Whey powder.

[Restaurants] Birthday Celebration - Thaibodia @ Santa Clara

Happy Birthday Will! Wish you healthy and accident free for the rest of the year!


Today Wasabees celebrated our good buddy's 27th birthday! Wanting to reflect our sweet and spicy friendship with Will, we decided to eat at a Thai restaurant. It is not easy to find a good Thai restaurant with nice ambiance in San Jose area. As a result, we had to put some extra effort on Yelp this morning to find a suitable restaurant for the birthday dinner. With a 4-star rating on Yelp and some nice pictures taken by other yelpers, "ThaiBodi" was the winner for the day.

By it's name, "ThaiBodi" is a Thai-Cambodian fusion restaurant located on El Camino Real near San Thomas Express way. When we first arrived, we were somewhat taken back by the cheap looking plaza and the restaurant building. To our surprise, the interior design of the restaurant immediately changed our first impression by 180 degrees.

[WaSai] Cage Free Vegetarian Eggs

Look what I found from Mitsuwa Japanese market today! Golden fertile eggs from cage free vegetarian hens.

We normally buy "cage free" eggs, but was never aware of "vegetarian" hens. The color of the egg shell is dark brown and the size is fairly larger than the organic eggs you buy from farmer's markets.

Here is an interesting description shown on the back of the carton.

"GOLDEN EAGLE SERVICE

You have just chosen nature's best food. GOLDEN FERTILE EGGS are from hens living in open houses, laying their eggs in nests. They have freedom to scratch, fly, and run with their mates. They are provided a nutritious vegetarian diet that is unsurpassed. The eggs are hand gathered daily, washed, and packaged under a strict quality control program. YOU WILL OVE THE FLAVOR AND THE COOR OR OUR GOLDEN DARK YOLK EGGS, WHERE THE NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS ARE PASSED ON TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
Golden Eagle Service thanks you for purchasing our eggs."

hmm... It does make us feel even better for purchasing such eggs. Can't wait to try them out soon! What do you think? :)