Here is a little food for thought....
Not all protein is created the same. There are two types - complete and incomplete. Complete proteins contain all of the building blocks that your body needs to build and maintain muscle tissue; incomplete proteins are missing some of those building blocks.
Why is this important? If you remember from the last Food for Thought, muscle is where you metabolize calories. If you aren't getting enough COMPLETE proteins in your diet, you will not maintain your fat-burning machinery.
COMPLETE PROTEINS are your meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, and whey and egg supplements. These all have everything that your body needs to maintain and build muscle and keep your motor running.
INCOMPLETE PROTEINS are foods such as grains, beans, and nuts. They alone do not help build and maintain your muscle. Why again? Because they are missing some essential building blocks.
COMPLETE YOUR INCOMPLETES by mixing them together. By mixing your incomplete proteins with each other, you can fill the voids and make a complete protein. Then they will act just as a complete protein.
Do this by mixing these combos: Grains and Legumes, Grains and Nuts, or Legumes and Nuts.
Here are some good combinations to complete your incompletes:
- Beans mixed with rice (just be careful of the carb overload!)
- Whole-grain bread with peanut butter
- Lentil soup with whole-grain bread or crackers
- tofu with whole-grain pasta or rice
- Humus (has chickpeas and sesame paste)
- Trail mix that has nuts and seeds
- Twinkies and Oreos.....okay not really! I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
You don't want to be incomplete do you? The choice is yours,
Mike Thornton
