How Much Protein? Take a Look

Vegetarian or not, there are several vegetables, nuts and dairy products loaded with proteins that you can include in your family's diet. Unfortunately, it is hard to figure out how much protein you can get from those ingredients. Well, not anymore. Here is a quite useful list:

Protein Sources and How Much You Are Actually Getting, by the Numbers

Beans, Nuts, Seeds

• 1 cup garbanzo beans 14.5 grams
• 1 cup pinto beans 12 grams
• 1 cup refried beans 15.5 grams
• 1 cup soybeans 28 grams
• 1 oz. cashews 4.4 grams
• 1 oz. peanuts 6.5 grams
• 1 oz. sesame seeds 6.5 grams
• 1 oz. pistachios 5.8 grams
• 1 cup tofu 22 grams
• 1 cup lentils 18 grams

Dairy

• 1 cup yogurt 13 grams
• 1 oz cheddar cheese 7.1 grams
• 1 egg 6 grams
• 1 cup cottage cheese 10 grams

Fruits and Vegetables

• 1 avocado 10 grams
• 1 cup broccoli 5 grams
• 1 cup spinach 5 grams
• 1 cup peas 9 grams
• 1 medium artichoke 4 grams
• 1 cup asparagus 5 grams
• 1 cup beet greens 3 grams

The require daily amount of protein intake varies by gender, size and age. According to Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center "As a general rule, between 10 percent and 15 percent of your total calories should come from protein. So, if you consume 2,000 calories per day, at least 200 should come from protein, or about 50 grams. You should try to eat around one gram of protein per one kilogram of body weight, or around 0.4 grams per pound. An easier way to figure this out in your head is to take your weight, divide it in half, and subtract 10. The total will be the number of grams of protein you should consume each day. So, if you weigh 120 pounds, you should eat about 50 grams of protein."

Sources: yahoo and msnbc

Healthier Thanksgiving Classics: Root Vegetables Puree

Root vegetables puree is a great substitute for mashed potatoes, just for a Thanksgiving healthier twist. Check out this recipe. Enjoy on their own or use to thicken your favorite vegetable soup.

Thanksgiving Root Vegetables Puree

Servings: 12 portions

• 2 pounds celery root (celeriac), trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lemon
• 1 orange
• 4 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

In covered 4-quart saucepan, place celery root, carrots, parsnips, garlic, and enough water to cover; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 to 18 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Drain vegetables in colander.
Meanwhile, from lemon, squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. From orange, with zester, remove as many slivers of peel as possible for garnish; squeeze 2 tablespoons juice.
In batches, transfer vegetables to food processor with knife blade attached; puree until smooth. Return puree to same saucepan. Stir in lemon and orange juices, margarine, and salt; reheat. (If you prefer a chunky texture, return vegetables to same saucepan after draining and mash with potato masher until desired consistency.)
To serve, spoon puree into serving bowl; garnish with orange-peel slivers.

NUTRITION
(based on individual servings)
Calories: 100
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 325 mg
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Protein: 2 g

Source: Good Housekeeping, Daily green

Is It Really Non-Toxic?

Check out this interesting report from Discovery News about "Non-Toxic" scented products that emit toxic chemicals.
"In an analysis of 25 of the most commonly used scented products -- including ones labeled "organic," "natural" or "non-toxic" -- scientists identified at least 133 chemicals wafting off of them. A quarter of those chemicals were classified as hazardous or toxic. Virtually none were listed on product labels.
Along with prior evidence that nearly a third of Americans develop headaches, breathing problems and other symptoms when exposed to scented products, the new findings suggest that efforts to smell nice threaten both your health and the health of people around you.
In sealed glass containers, the researchers meticulously measured all of the gaseous chemicals, called volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), that came out of each product. They recorded only emissions that appeared in significant amounts.
In total, the products emitted 133 different chemicals, the team reported in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review, with an average of 17 chemicals off-gassing from each one.
Twenty-four of the VOCs were classified as toxic or hazardous under at least one federal law. Eleven of the products emitted chemicals that are known carcinogens. Some of the chemicals are not safe at any level of exposure.
Results were exactly the same for both traditional and green products. In fact, all of the natural products emitted at least two VOCs that were hazardous or toxic. A third of them emitted at least one carcinogen.
Only one of the 133 identified chemicals appeared on any label anywhere. Just two chemicals appeared on safety data sheets. Some labels offered vague references to "cleaning agents," "softeners," "fragrances" or "essential oils." But many listed none at all, which by law, is OK.


Babies and children are especially vulnerable. And repeated low-level exposures appear able to trigger problems in people who were previously not bothered by smells."

Source: Discovery News

Healthier Thanksgiving Classics: Green Bean Casserole

There is still plenty of time to rethink our Thanksgiving menu, opting for healthier ingredients. Here is the first of a series of healthier Thanksgiving classics we are posting this and next week..
This green bean casserole skips the canned soup (the fat and sodium). The white sauce with sliced fresh mushrooms, sweet onions and low-fat milk makes a creamy, rich casserole.

Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Servings: 6 portions

* 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
* 1 medium sweet onion, (half diced, half thinly sliced), divided
* 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
* 1 cup low-fat milk
* 3 tablespoons dry sherry
* 1 pound frozen French-cut green beans, (about 4 cups)
* 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 3 tablespoons buttermilk powder
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and slightly translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the mushroom juices are almost evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Add milk and sherry and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in green beans and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in sour cream and buttermilk powder. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Whisk the remaining 1/3 cup flour, paprika, garlic powder and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Add sliced onion; toss to coat. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion along with any remaining flour mixture and cook, turning once or twice, until golden and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Spread the onion topping over the casserole.
Bake the casserole until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 212 calories; 10 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 10 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber; 533 mg sodium; 259 mg potassium.

Source: Eating Well