Meals loaded with plant amino acids and protein keep you full longer

You don’t have to be a vegetarian (more than seven million folks in America are) to want to increase your intake of plant-based protein — it’s a great idea for everyone. In fact, more than 22 million of your fellow citizens follow what they call a “vegetarian-inclined diet,” as Dr. Mike does. So if you’re wondering about adding more plant protein to your diet, ask yourself:

Would you like to dodge the health risks associated with eating red and processed meats and saturated fats — heart disease, bodywide inflammation and a lousy sex life, to name a few?

How about helping fight the environmental and public-health problems associated with mega-livestock production?

BENEFITS

When you focus on eating plant-derived proteins and amino acids, chances are you’ll reduce your intake of processed, sugar-added foods and cut way down on saturated fats. Plus, eating meals loaded with plant amino acids and protein keeps you full longer and helps reduce what you eat during your next meal.

WHAT TO EAT?

Top-10 sources of plantbased protein include quinoa, soy, buckwheat, nuts, all legumes, all 100-per-cent whole grains, seitan, hempseed, chia seeds and mycoprotein (a meat-substitute fungus). And you haven’t even had broccoli, tomatoes, collards or beets yet.

Plus, fruits such as avocados, dates, apples, blueberries, kiwis and, yes, cacao, contribute a lot of amino acids.

So if you want to go vegetarian or just lean that way, it’s easy to get sufficient high-quality protein.