The Casual Vegan

I thought I’d record here what I did this morning: I took a few minutes to examine my breakfast for its nutrient content. I eat the same thing for breakfast everyday. It might have sounded terribly dreary to me 6 months ago to consider eating the same thing everyday, but it really works for both my appetite and my body. I eat a half cup of steel-cut oats with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and about a 1/4 cup of raisins. Today I ate a banana as well while my oats were cooking. Here’s the tally:

15 grams of protein
32% of my daily recommended iron
17 grams of fiber
0 grams of saturated fat
5% calcium
17% vitamin C
2% vitamin A

I will easily pick up the slack in my vitamin intake when I eat a salad later and snack on fruit. But here’s what I was really considering this morning: I am constantly shown concern about my sources of protein as a vegan. What most eaters don’t realize is that standard American fare includes much more protein than our bodies need, and extra protein leads to weight gain, strain on your internal organs, and calcium loss.

If I use the standard RDA formula for determining daily protein needs, (1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg, 2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm) then my daily protein intake should be about 50 grams. According to other research, this number might even be too high. Compared with caloric intake, only 5 or 6% protein is needed to replenish the body of the protein expended. 50 grams, or 200 calories, in a 2000 calorie diet, is 10%.

Regardless of this, I’m on par with egg eaters with my protein levels at this time in the morning. Two eggs for breakfast will provide you with 12 grams of protein. It will also provide you, most generously with 10% of your allowed saturated fat and 70% of your allowed cholesterol.

Related posts:

1. Vegan Oatmeal
2. What Goes in Our Daily Oatmeal
3. Why Do Runners Eat poorly?
4. The Skim Milk Lie
5. Everyone’s talking about Red Meat

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