Beans, nuts and seeds meet the need for protein handily

Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountian News

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Question: The older I get (I'm 57), the less meat, poultry and fish I eat because I like them less and care less to prepare them. Can you recommend classes or books where I can learn about alternative ways to get sufficient protein and basically build a healthy diet?

Answer: When it comes to protein, there are lots of choices besides meat, fish and poultry. Suzanne Farrell, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and owner of Cherry Creek Nutrition, recommends beans, nuts and seeds for a protein boost.

"A general guideline for a female in your age group would be to aim for five 1-ounce equivalents from the meat-and-beans group per day," she says.

"So if you had one tablespoon of peanut butter on toast at breakfast, one cup of bean soup with lunch and a veggie burger patty at dinner, you would meet this recommendation."

Farrell says the following are equivalent to an ounce of meat, fish or poultry: one tablespoon of peanut butter, a quarter-cup of cooked dry beans, a quarter-cup of tofu, an ounce of tempeh, two tablespoons of hummus, an egg, or a half-ounce of nuts (12 almonds, seven walnut halves, 24 pistachios). A cup of bean soup such as lentil or split pea or one soy burger patty is equivalent to 2 ounces.

"Dairy foods are also high in protein, and a general recommendation is to aim for three cups per day," Farrell says.

For further reading, she recommends The Way To Eat, by David L. Katz and Maura Gonzalez.

She also suggests consulting a registered dietitian for a complete nutrition assessment that would take into account your physical activity and individual needs and give you some practical tools for reaching your goals every day.

For more information, go to www.eatright.org or www.mypyramid.gov, where you can receive individualized recommendations based on your height, weight, age and activity level.

Here's a recipe featuring tempeh, which is made through the controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans.

Lemon-Grilled Tempeh

Yield: 4 servings

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

16 ounces tempeh

1 large onion, sliced into rings

4 whole-wheat hamburger rolls

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, thyme and black pepper for a marinade; set aside.

• Cut the tempeh into pieces. Steam the tempeh pieces in a steamer or metal sieve over boiling water for 15 minutes.

• In a 2-quart casserole dish, combine the tempeh and the onions; pour the marinade over them. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

• Bake the tempeh, onions and marinade, covered, for 30 minutes, or cook the tempeh and onions over a grill until heated through, basting with the marinade.

• To serve, place the tempeh and onions on the hamburger rolls. Garnish with lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

- From The Simple Soybean and Your Health, by Mark and Virginia Messina

Nutritional information per serving: 373 cal., 18 g fat (3 g sat.), 0 chol., 33 g carb., 222 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 22 g pro.