Beef cake

So my husband has started to go to the gym again. He has been lifting weights since he came out of the womb! Since we have had children there has been as much time to go and work out. After a hard work out and slinging heavy objects around he was tired and hungry. He said that he "needed" meat. I was curious about this "need". We train our bodies from a young age about what we "need". These "needs" become so ingrained in our lives that we don't think about them and accept them as normal patterns. I took the opportunity to educate my husband about meat and possible alternatives. Animal protein provides a full spectrum of amino acids. Amino acids help us to build muscle. It also contains heme iron. Heme iron is more readily absorbed by the body. Non-heme iron is found in dark leaf greens. Animal protein is also considered a higher grade of protein. Having said all of this, there is a dark side to animal protein. It takes a lot more work for the body to digest meat, which may make us feel tired and lethargic. In the book China Study, the most extensive study done around nutrition and its affects, the researchers found over 8000 correlations between diseases that we attribute to aging and eating animal proteins. Lastly, producing animal protein requires lots of resources that can contribute to environmental distress. Obviously ones decision to eat meat is a personal one, but we have learnt that we "need" meat and haven't questioned the reasoning behind it. I personally don't believe that we "need" meat. I instead look to plant based foods for my protein. Granted I have to eat more food and I like the idea of that! Quinoa has all of the amino acids that one needs and also provides quite a bit of protein. We don't need to eat all of the necessary amino acids in one meal. It is suggested that we eat them within the same day. Nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, sprouted seeds and beans, mushrooms and tofu all contain muscle building fuel. Eating these things can aid us in keeping up our energy levels, being kind to the environment and other animals, respecting our bodies and aid in general feeling of aliveness. So the next time you feel the "need" to eat meat think about what is behind that "need". I would invite you to think about other choices that maybe healthier for our bodies and the environment.

What Kate Ate 3/16/10

Orange
Oatmeal
Spaghetti with sauce
Celery and pita with hummus
Steamed bok choy and carrots with spicy tahini sauce