Where's the Protein??

In our "protein is power" society, a vegetarian - and even more so a raw vegetarian - diet seems to push all sorts of panic buttons. "You'll die without protein, you can't get protein from vegetables, you HAVE to eat meat!" I appreciate the concern...

Well, while I do sympathize with the folks who have built their living from raising meat for public consumption, I think the pendulum is starting to swing back. Without going into a meat industry bash, I'll just say the evidence is out there for anyone who is seeking the facts.

I'm very comfortable, mentally and physically, with how my body is handling this raw food adventure. Some information to ponder:

Below is an overview of the (average) percentage of calories from protein:
Sprouts: 55%
Green leafy vegetables: 35-50%
Nuts & Seeds: 12-20%
Other vegetables: 10- 45%
Grains: 8-20%
Fruits: 1-10%

Some of my favorites to top salads or include in recipes are:
Spinach
Kale
Chard
Broccoli
Parsley
Cucumber
Sprouts
Celery
Hemp Seeds
Flax Seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds
Tomatoes
Almonds
Walnuts
Pinenuts
It's hard NOT to get enough protein during the day! Here's a simple recipe that packs a good amount of protein:

SUNNIE PATE' (there are a lot of versions of sunflower seed pate'!)
Put all ingredients into a food processor, process until well blended:
1 cup sunflower seeds (soak a few hours for optimum nutrient release)
3 large carrots
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1/8 c. Bragg Liquid Aminos (proteins!)
1/4 c. raw sesame tahini
1/4 c. chopped green onions
2 slices red onion
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (opt., but yummy!)

Spread on large dark green lettuce or chard leaf, top with sprouts, tomato and avocado slices, roll up or fold up, and enjoy!

"Where do raw and living foodists get their protein?
If you want to do some research, you will find many sites on the internet that will compute nutritional contents of your food. You will see that a lot of protein is available from seeds, nuts, grains, and greens. In fact, greens are an ideal form of protein."

(Green smoothies are one of the most elegant and efficient ways to get an abundance of greens into a diet! Some of our wild "weeds" are exceptionally protein dense - which I explore at EarthHeart http://cstauffer.blogspot.com/)

"One of the purposes of this diet is to help the body become clean from life long impurities. When this takes place, we see that we can assimilate much more nutrients from our foods. As you educate yourselves on the raw diet, you will find that as a society, we consume WAY too much protein and it is the main cause of the breakdown of the human physical body.

Through experiment and education, most raw foodist find they feel better and their bodies function much more efficiently when they are consuming less protein. "

(My body has been telling me for years, that it is not happy with meat and dairy products. Much rejoicing in those cells lately!)

"Again, as we believe in the body's ability to heal itself, we find we no longer break our food down into each individual nutrient. We recognize that when we eat foods as a whole, we will be receiving all the needed nutrients for the body, in exactly the right proportions."

As I continue to explore and refine my way of eating, I'm finding peace in body and spirit. I've been impressed by how forgiving this body is, how quickly it responds to the vibrant energy of living foods.