12 Steps to Whole Foods

Making Plant-Based Main Dishes
Americans have been falsely educated into thinking they won’t get enough protein if they don’t eat meat. In the
1900s, prevailing wisdom was that people needed 120 grams of protein daily. In this century, nutritionists
recommended about 80 grams a day. Newer research shows we need only about 25 grams, as recommended by
the World Health Organization.
A clinical study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association compared amino acids (the building blocks
of proteins) in the diets of meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. They used a high standard that would cover the
needs of pregnant women and growing children. All three diets provided more than enough protein, by double
or more! 3
Other studies document that Americans are getting 150-400% more protein than they need. You can certainly
eat plenty of dairy products (high in calcium) and have a calcium deficiency or absorption problem. How else
are we the highest dairy-consuming nation in the world (by double the next-highest country) and also have the
highest rate of osteoporosis—fully half of us over the age of 60? (I believe that this already high number will
grow dramatically as our soda-drinking youth age.) The massive amount of animal protein we eat causes such
an acidic state in the body that calcium from the bones is robbed in order to bring the blood and tissues into
alkaline balance.
Many “main dishes” in this chapter are rich in plant protein: remember from Chapter 1 that broccoli and
spinach are nearly 50% protein! But for some who have spent a lifetime thinking of meat as a main dish, a
mental shift will be required to recognize a dish with high-protein grains, beans, nuts, and/or whole-grain pasta
as a main dish. Keep in mind that if you feel you need meat, you can always add tuna, grilled fish, chicken or
turkey to these dishes, or serve a small side portion of meat on your plate. Eventually, you may find this no
longer necessary.
For those who cannot be dissuaded from maximizing protein, I like a few vegan protein powders that do not
use highly processed whey, or highly estrogenic soy. (See the GreenSmoothieGirl.com for store for my two
favorite options for both taste and nutrition.) This can be added to virtually any breakfast (from Chapter 10)
every day. I don’t think anyone needs more protein than what whole vegetables, grains, nuts, and legumes
provide. People who say they feel poorly when they don’t eat lots of meat are generally just experiencing
cleansing symptoms when they decrease heavy, acidic foods. The uncomfortable reactions make some want to
return to eating meat, and they mistake that desire for dietary “need.”
But for those who want more protein because they’ve been accustomed to a meat-heavy diet, who are
attempting to put on muscle mass, or who feel better with higher levels of protein, hempseed, split-pea, brownrice,
or another plant-based (but not soy) protein is the safest supplementary option. These are much better
nutritionally than soy or whey protein powders.
Most of the main dishes in this chapter are high in protein because I have designed the recipes to contain both a
whole grain and a legume. Together, their amino acids complete each other to make a “perfect protein.”
Recipes in this chapter that contain a grain/legume combination are identified with an asterisk (*) before their
titles, indicating that they qualify as a “perfect protein.” I include the “perfect protein” designations not
because I think such food combining is necessary, but because others do and they feel better knowing they have
it in their main dish.
No wonder indigenous people used legumes and grains together for thousands of years—millions of people on
this planet have subsisted primarily on the combination of beans and rice. At dinner, everyone wants energysustaining
food, and that’s a good way to get it. However, don’t obsess about the “perfect protein,” feeling that
the only true meal must qualify under this banner. Many experts, including Dr. Robert O. Young, say that if you
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 159