ottawa foodies

I am just now trying to look up tofu and soy in Diet for a Small Planet, and just discovered something that did not stand out to me ever before!

I always knew that beef was an incredibly inefficient way to get protein in terms of total vegetable input for the beef. i.e. what it's fed. What I did not know is that this applies to factory feed lot beef, not range beef! Range beef is apparently 8 times more efficient than feedlot beef!

Calories expended in fossil fuel to get 1 calorie of protein

soy - 2
corn, beans, wheat - 3.5
range beef - 10
eggs - 13
chicken - 22
pork - 35
milk - 36
feed lot beef - 78

All this time I thought I was being 15-fold wasteful, when in fact I was only being about 3-fold wasteful in eating beef! Since I get all mine from local free-range farmers. Woo-hoo!

Now, as for 'quality of protein' or 'usability of protein' as DfaSP calls it, a lot of the foods are higher than I recall them being. In short, it's not terribly difficult to get good non-meat protein. Soy is the highest of the legumes. What I'm really surprised with is that most of the grains (rice, wheat, oats) and some of the legumes including soy are on par with meat (just slightly below meat). Most seeds are in this ballpark as well.

'quality' or 'usability' basically means how much of the present protein is usable by the human body without mixing with other proteins that have complimentary amino acids.

Note that the highest quality proteins are fish and milk (80%), then eggs at 95%. Meats are in the 65% to 75% range. Grains 50% to 75% (corn, polished rice, wheat, oats, then brown rice the highest). Legumes start way down at 30% for lentils, up towards 50% for peas, and soy at the top around 60%.

So I guess I'll eat a small amount of crow and admit that of the legumes, soy is certainly the best when eaten alone. Actually, looking at the other side of the scale (p 176 in the 20th anniversary edition for anyone who has it) I'll take that back, because on the right it lists "usability", while on the left it lists "quantity". On the quantity side, soybeans are way at the bottom - only about 10% protein. Rice, oats and some beans are in the same ballpark. Milk and yoghurt as well. Eggs around 15%. Fish 20%. Nuts 25% to 30%. Meat 20% to 35%.

Combining the two scales for "most bang for the buck", I'd have to say meat, then clearly nuts are your best source of protein. Then grains like oats and brown rice, and just below that soy. But soy, oats and brown rice seem to be very close. (It's guesstimation since they do not provide a 'most bang for the buck' which combines the two).

But again, this only considers each of those in isolation. If you combine grains and legumes, for example, much more of the present protein becomes usable by the body. And this book basically is dedicated to going into great detail on which foods to combine to make 'complete' or 'fully usable' proteins. I guess it also goes into great detail in condemning the meat industry and showing in agonizing detail just how badly you are destroying the planet by eating meat. Yeah, there's that too :-)

Zym - LOL good news about soy (ranking lower), now I won't have to worry myself trying to eat something sold as "healthy" not "favourful".

So, I'll be sticking to my protein as follows: Meat, Fish, Eggs, Grains, Lentils, Nuts (that is indeed the order of quantity I've always eaten them in). So there you have it... NO SOY FOR ME.

Well, my "redemption" was more to do with the fact that the beef I consume personally is actually ecologically fairly friendly, compared to your supermarket beef which is "rape and pillage" :-)

My main protein would be from grain and legumes, I suspect

bump

no soy for me either
at my age, i can't afford any estrogen or estrogen-like precursors in my bloodstream, what with the drop off of Test reported for my age group
but I have been a big fan of DfaSP since the late 70's

I have an ancient edition of DfaSP, from the late seventies, still consult it occasionally. I'm sure there must be a later edition. I just wonder about soy and GMO's today...my family vary from vegan to meat first. For protein my preference is to serve lots of different legumes, nuts and grains with meat, fish, eggs, tofu and cheese as "sides" or flavour--like in a stir-fry, with vegetables constituting the largest portion of any meal. I do believe that soy beans, miso or tempeh (fermented soy products) are better options for soy--tofu can be highly processed. Like all foods, fresh and organic is best. Also the jury is out about how much soy males should consume. I have the advantage of knowing how to eat for best food combining--nutrition education. (BTW--I love all the so-called "bad" stuff-- I just try to eat in moderation!)

Yeah, that was the 25 year anniversary version.

I had the old version originally, but gave it away 6 or 7 years ago to a coworker who was an avid weight lifter and thought he knew everything about protein. He thanked me very much for it, and admitted after reading the first 100 pages that he actually had known very little about protein, in fact.

Just a little note...quinoa (pronounced keenwah) is the grain with the highest quality (more amino acids)protein and less "sensitivity" food--particularly important for vegans. Available at all health food stores and even some supermarkets.

Hmmm, I didn't know that about Quinoa, and I don't think it was in DfaSP was it?

Quinoa rocks! And, it cooks well with rice, imparting a slightly nuttier texture, and can be eaten on its own.

Another seed of S./L. American origin gathering attention for its nutritional density (no gluten, high omega-3) is Salba / Chia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salba

No, it was not included in DfaSP. It is an "ancient grain" (and might be a seed) but is included as a grain. It is the only non-meat food that provides all amino acids--a huge plus for vegetarians (especially when included in a complementary food diet). It is gluten-free for celiacs, wheat sensitivities, but in addition it is a delicious whole grain, high protein option. It originates in South America but is highly available in health food stores. It can be served as a breakfast cereal, cooked like a pilaf or can be ground as a flour. Like I mentioned, expensive, yet very versatile and tasty. When cooked properly (look it up, it needs to be rinsed), it has a nutty, earthy flavour. It is a favourite for hikers, etc. example, in granola--due to the high protein, easily digested protein.

Cripes W.C. my mouth is watering over here!

I've got to look this up in my Mountain Path catalog to see what forms they have it in. I will assume they must have it.

I'm not sure if it can be grown locally; t prefers high altitudes. If they import, surely they will carry it. It is a great food.

Rock on - I was hoping they'd have it flaked so I could mix it into my breakfast (rolled oats, flaked barley, yoghurt) and they do!

They also have flour, and whole. And whole Red Quinoa too.

They also have whole Chia!

EDIT : they have it listed with an "L" beside it which means "Local". That can be as far away as Niagara. I'll email them and ask where it is from.

Forgot to mention that Little Stream Bakery (no, I am not connected!) has an excellent gluten free quinoa/rice, yeast free bread. For those who are gluten intolerant/sensitive it is the best tasting bread I have tried (especially toasted)...and high quality protein to boot. They have their own web site (out of Perth) but they are available throughout ottawa in health stores. My favourite non-wheat (non-gluten) bread.

Zym, re: the quinoa, they sell it in the "health" food section of most of the Loblaws stores and affiliates. We use it 2-3 times a week. My wife has come across many good recipes on the web, my favourites tend to be cold salads (excellent substitute for couscous in any dish) and the quinoa puddings (blueberry!).

It is an incredibly cost effective protein. And it is easy to dress it up for my carb loving 3 yr old.

i have taken to mixing leftover quinoa in my homemade veggie burgers. it bulks them up into a nice patty and is tasty. there was an earlier thread with various veggie burger recipes on it. a great way to get a good protien mix.