Olwen Anderson's Blog

These conferences are rich in information - but also rich in disputes, as scientists continue to disagree about what is the best therapy for what. As I sat there taking it all in, I realised again why an untrained person would find this vast amount of sometimes conflicting information quite overwhelming. No wonder people tell me that they often feel confused about the 'right' thing to do.

Lets go back to basics. 

For most conditions there are a handful of universal health practices that will make a difference. Today I'd like to tell you (again, probably!) about the importance of protein in your diet. Not just once a day, but at every meal.

Why every meal? 

Because the presence of protein in your stomach stimulates the formation of gastrin, a hormone that brings on more gastric secretions and the right motility (movement) further down your gastrointestinal tract. It also stimulates growth of the mucosal cells that line your stomach and produce digestive enzymes. In short, eating protein regularly will help keep your stomach working well.

Stress and aging diminishes the amount of digestive enzymes you produce.

That's why many people, particularly those who suffer from burping or reflux, or who feel food just 'sits' in their stomach for hours, will benefit from taking digestive enzymes, at least for a few months until their stomach lining heals. (Note: do not self prescribe digestive enzymes if you have a stomach or duodenal ulcer).

Now you know, its time to plan your meals: 

Enjoy a protein based breakfast, but remember to enjoy some protein with your lunch and dinner as well. Animal protein is ideal: A variety of eggs, fish, chicken, meat. Your portion sizes don't have to be huge, around 80g of meat/fish or an egg will be enough to stimulate your stomach gastrin. An ideal between-meal snack would be fresh fruit with a handful of raw nuts, or a celery stick filled with nut butter.

I'll pass on some more gems of nutrition information from the conference in the coming days and weeks. Anything in particular you'd like me to write about? Feel free to add your comment below.

A normal healthy person needs 0.8g of protein per kilogram of their ideal body weight. E.g for a 70kg person, that's 56g of protein every day.

If you're an athlete, you will need more protein: Check with your health professional as your requirements will vary with the intensity and type of your training.

If you're recovering from illness or surgery, you need to increase your protein intake to 1.5g per kg: That 70kg person now needs 105g of protein every day. (Note: if you have kidney disease or a history of kidney disease in your family you should always check with your health professional before altering your protein intake.)

Our requirements for protein increase as we age, to help maintain muscle mass. If you're elderly, make sure you get at least 1.1g of protein per kilogram per day. For example, if you're 70kg and over and elderly, make sure you eat 77g of protein every day.

So where can you get protein? Here are some common sources:

- 100g of chicken or red meat will supply 20-25g of protein

- 100g of seafood will supply 15-20g of protein

- 1 cup of milk or yoghourt will supply 8g of protein

- 1 egg will supply 6g of protein

- 30g of hard yellow cheese will supply 6-8g of protein

- 100g of white cheese will supply 11g of protein

- 1 cup of dried legumes will supply 8-15g of protein*

- 120g of tofu will supply 9g protein*

- 1 cup of soy milk will supply 6g of protein*

- 1 cup of whole grains will supply 5-12g of protein*

- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter will supppy 5g of protein

- 30g of sunflower seeds will supply 6g of protein*

- 1 tablespoon of tahini will supply 2g of protein*

- 30g of nuts will supply 5g of protein*

- 1 cup of fruit or vegetables will supply 2-4g of protein

*Vegetarians and vegans should combine non-animal protein sources to obtain complete proteins: Grains with dairy, legumes with grains, or nuts with grains

Not sure if you're getting enough protein? For one day, write down everything that you eat. Then at the end of the day go back and count your protein intake. Adjust your diet tomorrow depending on the results.

After last week’s column where we focussed purely on meats, it seems only fair to devote this week’s column to the joys of vegan eating. If you’re a meat eater, your meal planning probably revolves around selecting the meat first, then the vegetables or salad to go with it. You might want to step occasionally into a whole new food world – vegan cookery.

Here’s an idea – try making one family dinner during the week ‘vegan night’ and prepare a healthy vegan meal. This has lots of health benefits for you – 

- More variety: You’ll be trying out some different foods, increasing the variety in your diet.

- More nutrients: Vegan food is high in fibre, legumes, vegetables and fruit – all great sources of vital nutrients.

- Less fat: A vegan diet is naturally low in saturated fat.

- Something new: You can experience some different non-animal protein sources. Often these are exotic foods from different cultures where vegan food is a natural part of their culture. 

Vegan food excludes all animal protein sources, obtaining all protein from plants. (Vegetarian food excludes animal meat and fish, but usually includes animal protein from egg and dairy sources.)

Everyone needs protein, so vegetarians have to be careful to obtain enough protein in their diet to stay healthy. Vegans need to be particularly vigilant to ensure they reach the target of 0.8g of protein per kg of their ideal weight. (For example, a person with an ideal weight of 70kg needs 56g of protein every day). But if you’re eating vegetarian/vegan only one or two times a week, you don’t need to be quite so vigilant.

Animal protein sources already contain complete proteins. To form ‘complete’ protein, a vegan meal should include legumes with nuts or seeds, or legumes with grains. Or all three – legumes, grains and nuts/seeds. Each food type contributes some of the essential amino acids. Put together they form ‘complete’ protein. 

Here are some ideas to help you get started with interesting vegan food:

- asian stir fry of marinated tofu (legume), vegetables and noodles (grain)

- curry of chick peas (legume) and vegetables served with rice (grain). Sprinkle with some toasted cashews to serve

- eggplant and bean (legume) and vegetable stew served on a bed of cous cous (grain)

- Indian Dahl (legume) and rice (grain) with vegetables or salad on the side.

- Spicy laksa soup of tofu (legume), vegetables and soft hokkein noodles (grain).

You can find vegan recipe books at the local library or bookstores for some more ideas. Indian and asian recipe books will naturally include many vegan recipes. Add some variety and spice to your diet this week with a vegan meal or two!