I'm Nuts About You

One of the first things people ask vegetarians is, "if you don't eat meat, how do you get your protein?"  Well, first of all, we don't need as much protein as people think.  Too much is harmful, as is too little.  It's obviously necessary in our diets, but not in the quantities that the majority of Americans consume.  Nutritionists say humans only need about 10% of our diets to be from protein.  Athletes and pregnant women need a little more.  Regardless, meat is not the only source of protein.  Plant-based foods are abundant in protein-- like certain vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.

Nuts are a staple in most vegetarian/vegan diets-- or at least mine.  Whenever I'm feeling sluggish, I reach for a handful of almonds.  I'm a huge fan of cashews, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and peanuts, but I have no willpower when it comes to them, and could eat an entire jar.  So instead, I go for raw or sea-salted almonds.  They're still good, but not as addicting as cashews.  And apparently, they are the most nutritious of them all!  Almonds are a great source of protein, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium and folic acid!  They really are the wonder nut.  But don't let the health benefits fool you-- they also contain a lot of fat.  Although it is healthy fat, they still have a lot of calories.  So eat in moderation.  And try to avoid any that are coated in sugar.

For mixed nuts, go for Planters Nut-rition South Beach Diet Mix.  Ignore the South Beach part and dig into this wonderful mix of lightly salted cashews, almonds and macadamias.