DAY TWENTY ALKALINE YEAR Enough Protein? You Bet!

October 17, 2009  Today a friend asked if I was  getting enough protein during this time of eating fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, and almonds.  It’s a fair question, although my perception is that most of us eat far too much protein.  I came home and consulted the two important Internet resources:  the Recommended Dietary  Allowances (RDAs) and the U.S. Nutrient Database.  Both are compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Both are easily accessible online.

As a woman over 50, the RDAs say I need 50 grams of protein a day.   Today, I came in way over the wire at 61.95 grams, according to the  database, which breaks down its estimates according to size, weight, whether the food is cooked or uncooked, with or without salt.   Here’s what I ate, with the grams of protein in each item:  avocado (4.02); whole grapefruit (1.22); 2 large apples (1.16); a medium banana, (1.29); ½ baked yam (1.02); a medium tomato, 2.28; half of a red pepper (.85); a medium artichoke (3.47); a cup and a half  of raw almonds (45.34) and a half cup of Savoy cabbage (1.30).

I probably snack too much on almonds!  But if I weren’t eating them, and wanted to make that 50 grams of protein, there would be many choices, including, by grams: ½ cup cooked quinoa (4.07); ½ cup dried sunflower seeds (14); ½ cup cooked eggplant .41); a medium raw carrot (.57); a cup of cooked beet greens (3.70), ½ cup cooked beets (1.43).