Put some plant protein on your plate

Eating more plant protein can help keep your heart healthy, control blood sugars and manage weight. Plant proteins include beans, split peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy foods, nuts and seeds. These foods are highlighted in the Mediterranean diet and the revised Canada’s Food Guide. These meal time superstars are lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre than animal protein. They are also easy on your wallet.

Adding plant protein to meals doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach. Start by replacing some of the meat in your meals with a plant protein. Try these simple food solutions:

• Replace half of the ground meat in a pasta sauce with red lentils.

• Add white kidney beans to a chicken stir-fry or pasta.

• Top your salad with nuts and lower fat cheese.

• Make a hearty vegetable soup with canned black beans. Convenience in the kitchen

• Stock your cupboard with a variety of dried and canned beans and lentils.

• Canned beans and lentils are ready to use. Simply drain, rinse and add to your meals.

• Dried lentils cook faster than dried beans. There is no need to soak lentils before cooking.

• Keep a variety of nuts and seeds on hand to snack on or add to recipes.

• Spreads like peanut, almond and soy butter are a quick protein to use in sandwiches or as a dip with fruit.

GOT GAS?

The key to reducing the gas associated with beans is to eat a little more, a little more often. Gradually add more beans and lentils to your meals. The more you eat beans and lentils, the less gas is produced. Try lentils instead of beans to reduce gas.

WHAT ABOUT SOY FOODS?

There is a lot of confusion around soy. The latest research shows that eating soy foods may help lower your cholesterol. Soy foods include soybeans, edamame, soy beverage, tofu, textured vegetable protein (TVP) and soy butter. Tofu and TVP both have a very mild taste. They will take on the flavour of other ingredients in the recipe.

Try these ideas to include more soy foods in your diet:

• Cut firm tofu into cubes. Add to stir-fries or soups.

• Purée silken tofu into dips, puddings or smoothies.

• Rehydrate TVP in a lower sodium broth. Use to replace some or all of the ground meat in recipes like pasta sauce and chili.

• Enjoy fortified soy beverage on cereal or in smoothies.

• Steam frozen edamame beans in the shell, flavour with your favourite dried herb or spice.

PLANT-POWERED MEALS AND SNACKS

Think about your meals to see where you can easily slip some plant proteins onto you plate. It’s easier than you might think.

• Top your oatmeal with walnuts or pecans.

• Pack a peanut butter sandwich for lunch or a snack for after the gym.

• Use hummus as a sandwich spread. There are many different flavours to explore.

• Make a wrap with mashed lentils, peppers, salsa and cheese.

• Top a noodle dish with chopped peanuts or cashews.

• Add cooked chickpeas or black beans to your salad.

• Make minestrone soup with red and white kidney beans.

• Try Mexican pizza with salsa, black beans, peppers and cheese.

• Snack on a handful of nuts, seeds or homemade trail mix.

• Add black beans to salsa for a more filling dip.

• Top salad with roasted chickpeas or soybeans for crunch. What’s old is new again

Dig out your grandmother’s recipe for bean salad. It’s a familiar way to use more plant proteins, and by using canned beans, it’s a whole lot easier and faster than it was when grandma made it.

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NUTRITION EVENTS

Taste and Learn: Bean burgers. Join Sobeys Dietitian Jennifer Ferguson for a class sponsored by Graves Beans to explore unique ways to add beans to your meals. Thursday, June 6, noon to 1 p.m. Register for this free session at 902-895-7382.

Jennifer Ferguson is a registered dietitian

with Sobeys in Truro.