Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet (49 page)

Perhaps no two people have done more to bring the Eastern art of cooking with legumes to the West than William and Akiko Shurtleff. Authors of
The Book of Tofu, The Book of Miso
(Ballantine Books, New York) and
The Book of Tempeh
(Harper/Colophon Books, New York), they offer hundreds of mouth-watering recipes. For more information on soy foods cookery (and these books), write directly to Bill and Akiko at the Soyfoods Center, Box 234, Lafayette, CA 94549. (Send long, self-addressed envelope.)

N
UTS AND
S
EEDS

Nuts and seeds follow legumes in their ability to meet your daily protein need. They rank behind legumes only because we tend to eat them in much smaller quantities and they therefore contribute less to our dietary needs. Actually, they are as rich in protein as the legumes, and they often have higher NPU values.

First let’s compare the two seeds, sesame and sunflower. Sunflower seed is definitely richer in protein than is sesame—24 percent as compared to 19 percent. The usability of sunflower protein is also better than sesame protein; this is probably the result of the lower lysine and isoleucine content of sesame seed. Experimentally, sunflower seeds show even greater ability to promote growth than meat. Both types of seed have higher NPU scores than most legumes.

You might also wish to note that sesame seeds lose most of their calcium, iron, thiamine, and all of their sodium, potassium, and Vitamin A when they are decorticated. To avoid this loss you can purchase the “unhulled” variety. However, some studies have shown that in order for the body to digest the sesame seed it must be ground. This can be done in any good blender or with a mortar and pestle.

Now look at the nuts. The quantity and usability of their protein is generally lower than the seed meals. A surprise is cashew nuts, whose NPU matches sunflower seeds (and nearly equals soybeans). If you find that your favorite nuts (such as pecans or English walnuts) are not listed here, it’s because they are too calorific! To illustrate: if you (a woman) wanted to get your daily protein allowance solely from pecans (hypothetical, of course), you would have to consume almost 1½ pounds of pecans, which contain over 4,000 calories—or about twice what you should consume. This illustrates the rationale I have used for including only those items that can provide protein without exceeding caloric needs. The one exception here is Brazil nuts, which have been included because of their unusual strength in the sulfur-containing amino acids (rare in plant protein). For a complete analysis of the calorie “cost” of the foods given here, see
Figure 17
.

Finally, notice that the portions given here are quite conservative. A 1-ounce serving of peanuts provides 7 to 8 percent of your daily protein needs. But if you ate a small package of peanuts (1½ ounces), you would actually be fulfilling 10 to 12 percent of your daily allowance.

G
RAINS
, C
EREALS, AND
T
HEIR
P
RODUCTS

Cereals provide almost half the protein in the world’s diet. This might surprise you, since the percent of protein in cereals is not high. Someone must be eating a lot of grain. Not us, of course, but other people in the world.

Let’s take a look at grains from several points of view. First, as to the
quantity
of
protein they contain. Among the various grains we find wide differences. In first place is triticale, a newly developed cross between rye and wheat which is reported to have 16–17 percent protein. Wheat, rye, and oats have from 30 to 35 percent
more
protein by weight than rice, corn, barley, and millet. The protein content of one type of grain can also vary significantly: wheat, for example, ranges between 9 and 14 percent protein. The values you find for wheat in Protein
Tables V
and
VI
are based on the highest-protein wheat: hard red spring wheat. You may wish to check the labeling on wheat products to see what type of wheat is used. Durum wheat, often used in pasta, has the second-highest protein content, 13 percent.

These differences may suggest to you that if rice is a staple in your diet, you may wish to increase the protein content by adding some whole wheat, rye, or oats. Did you know that you can cook whole-grain wheat, oats, and rye in the same way that you do rice? The mix has a nutty, rich flavor, which you may prefer to rice alone.

Oatmeal is low (#9) on
Table V
only because we usually eat it in a rolled form that is much lighter than the whole grains. (Less weight: therefore, less protein.)

But what about the usability of cereal protein? Their NPU values generally range from the low 50s to the low 60s, but there are some important exceptions. The NPU, of whole rice, 70, is probably the highest of any of the whole grains and equal to the NPU of beef! Wheat germ and rice germ (not listed) come next, with NPUs of 67. Oatmeal and buckwheat follow, with NPUs of 66 and 65 respectively. These values are higher than most vegetable protein and are comparable to the quality of beef. On the other hand, the lowest NPU of cereal products is that of wheat gluten (#2 under “Flour,” Protein
Table VI
). Although gluten flour is 41 percent protein, its NPU of 39 means that only about
one-third
of its protein is available to the body. A deficiency of lysine (D rating) appears to be the culprit. These differences in usability and quantity among the grains mean that the price you pay and the calories you have to eat to get a given amount of protein also vary significantly. You may wish to take careful note of these differences in
Figures 17
and
18
.

Cereal products such as bulgur (#5 on
Table V
) may stump you if you’ve only read traditional cookbooks. Bulgur is partially cooked, usually cracked wheat. Its processing is both an asset and a liability. Thus, while the lysine in bulgur is more available than that in whole wheat, from 2 to 28 percent of its B vitamins are destroyed.

V
EGETABLES

A glance at Protein
Table VII
will show you that vegetables, in general, will not be large contributors to your daily protein intake. On a moisture-free basis, some green vegetables have a protein content equivalent to nuts, seeds, and beans. But their water content gives them bulk that limits their usefulness in our diets—as protein suppliers, that is. However, don’t forget their valuable role in providing essential vitamins and minerals. So if you enjoy these vegetables, eat lots of them. Whereas I have given ½ cup of cooked greens as an average serving, you may enjoy twice this amount. With the exception of potato, all these vegetables are low in calories; so there is no need to limit your intake on this account.

The NPU scores of these vegetables provide some interesting surprises. Among the legumes in
Table III
, we saw that mung beans had an NPU of 57. But here, as mung bean sprouts, their NPU is only 36. Soybean sprouts also take a slight dip in NPU, with 56 as compared to 61 for the dried bean.

To increase the protein content and taste interest of vegetable dishes, experiment with milk- and cheese-based sauces. I have discovered that buttermilk makes an excellent sauce base. Since it is already somewhat thick, one needn’t add as much flour. In addition, its tartness highlights many green vegetables.

Also, sliced or crumbled hard-boiled egg is very tasty on green vegetables such as spinach or asparagus. Adding nuts is another way to increase the protein value of vegetable dishes. Your favorite vegetable dishes in Chinese restaurants probably include walnuts or cashews. Why not do the same? Broccoli, peas, and cauliflower are especially good with nuts.

N
UTRITIONAL
A
DDITIVES

If you have doubts about the adequacy of your protein intake, even a small amount of the first two items in the nutritional additives protein table (VIII) can give you a real protein boost. Only one tablespoon of dried egg white or one-fourth cup of “Tiger’s Milk” mixed into your favorite drink can fill 14 to 17 percent of your daily protein need.

The other two nutritional additives (#3 and #4 in the table) are used by most people because of their high vitamin and mineral content. (Yeast is from two to ten times richer than wheat germ in these nutrients.) I have included them because a very small amount (1 or 2 tablespoons) can meet 5 percent of your protein allowance and, second, because of their amino acid strengths.

F
OR
C
OMPARISON
: M
EAT AND
P
OULTRY

Notice, on Protein
Table IX
, that only 3½ ounces of meat contribute from 30 to 61 percent of your daily protein allowance. These figures make very clear that the enormous quantities of meat we now consume are hardly needed! In Eastern cuisine, small amounts of meat supplement staple vegetable dishes. This dietary tradition, although perhaps determined by the limited availability of meat, more correctly reflects the body’s actual needs.

Gelatin, an animal protein, is often recommended as a protein supplement. Actually, it should be your last choice. Several important amino acids are virtually lacking in gelatin. It has an NPU of 2! Moreover, gelatin can
reduce
the usability of the protein in food eaten with it.

^*
Except for meat and poultry, placed last, because they are included primarily for the sake of comparison with nonmeat protein sources.

^*
The amino acid content of egg protein used by scientists as the model is that established by the U.N. Expert Group, reported in
Protein Requirements
(WHO, FAO), 1965.

Appendix E. Cost of One Day’s Protein Allowance

Appendix F. Whole Wheat Flour Compared to White Flour

Appendix G. Brown Rice Compared to Other Types of Rice