Hello all food lovers, I hope you have had a great week, saved a few bucks by experimenting with our Super Juices and are feeling amazing!

I could imagine that many of you have heard of Paleo. Paleo this, paleo that – well I have anyway – and boy did I get sucked into that phase. Protein all day – I led myself to believe I was actually being healthy by eating a fry in the morning, 3 egg omelette for lunch and potatoes with pork chops for dinner… I know it is meant to remind us that before agriculture there was very much less obesity – but I felt like an actual 2016 hunter-gatherer. Don’t get me wrong – I am not criticising the diet, it my-pharm-blog.com gets people in shape. But I’m just saying if you are someone who loves protein as much as I do, you can change it up a bit.

I have personally began to eat a lot less meat. Now I’m not saying I’m a veggie – nowhere near enough willpower to give up a roast chicken, grilled salmon or sizzling bloody steak. No way.
But, I do eat less of it and I have found some amazing meat substitutes, giving as much – if not more protein energy!

I have five in particular – Beans, Quinoa, Dairy, Eggs, and Nuts – and they all have something special about them. Let me tell you why:

Beans

Beans might remind you of burritos and upset stomachs, but do not let that stereotype swear you off them. They are an amazing antioxidant and the Vegetarian Society told me “beans are chock full of fibre that keeps you full longer” and gave me the amazing tip of “the trick is to buy beans packaged in water with as little sodium as possible and then rinse rinse rinse under water. The stomach irritating elements are in the liquid that the beans are stored in.” So don’t be afraid of the Beans!

Especially kidney beans – they are the most affordable and the highest in protein

“Two cups hold 26 grams of protein and they are very high in iron, fibre, and magnesium.”

But remember – wash them well!!

Quinoa

Personally I have been going a bit mad with the quinoa. I have replaced my rice, pasta and any other grain with it. I can eat it every day all day. Sometimes I have three servings of a fresh, minty quinoa salad and not feel bloated. But so full and so energized! This is probably because

“One cup of Quinoa holds 8 grams of protein”

which is double the amount a cup of rice would have. It’s amazing. I would also check out dropchef.com for some other hearty protein full salads.

Dairy

Now this is one of my favourite. Which isn’t great because I am lactose intolerant. I know – awful! But I cheat time to time and enjoy some 0% Greek yogurt with honey as a desert. Or breakfast…

Now I don’t feel too guilty about my cheating because after speaking to Glenisk I can confirm that “Yogurt is an excellent source of good fats, vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin B2 and B12. Yogurt is also packed full of good bacteria which has been found to be beneficial for the digestive and immune systems”

But that’s not all! Certain dairy products are also very high in protein.

“Our Authentically Strained Greek Style range is high in protein as it a strained yogurt and requires about 3.5 more the volume of milk than a regular yogurt. That’s what gives it the very thick texture and high protein content”

So yes, you can enjoy a 100% natural Glenisk yogurt guilt free.

Eggs –

Eggs, eggs, eggs. I can’t get enough. Scrambled, poached, fried? Or what I usually do – look inside my fridge, take anything that might be going off soon and create a hopping omelette. So many combinations and just so delicious!

Eggs are an amazing inexpensive high protein content food. Both white and yolk contain nutrients and

“are the source of cholesterol, fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and lecithin”

Nuts

These are unsaturated fats. Again if you are trying to lose weight, they are great as they are so filling! But don’t overeat them. Like I said, they are unsaturated FATS, which are good fats but also calorific.
Every nut contains different nutrients.

• Almonds contain bone building minerals and are great for your skin and heart.
• Cashews are great if you are a veggie as they contain a huge amount of protein, zinc and iron
• Brazil nuts are ideal if you have low thyroid function
• Pistachios contain potassium and fibre and help to keep hormones balanced and healthy – and let’s not forget about the fact that salty pistachios are the best snack ever

Incorporating beans, quinoa, eggs, nuts & dairy is a great way to pack a bit more protein into your day-to-day diet. Small simple changes like substituting quinoa instead of rice, or having a greek style yogurt for dessert will mean you get more protein throughout the day.