TOP 9 GRAINS THAT CONTAIN PROTEIN Being fit isnt just about hitting the gym; you need to feed your body what it needs in order to recover and build new muscle. That means protein! The first thing that you associate protein with is most likely meat but there are other quality sources, too. A major difference is that lean meats and fish are nearly always complete proteins but plant sources typically arent. This means that meats have all nine of the essential amino acids that your body needs but cant synthesize in order to function while many plants are lacking some of them. There are some grains that ARE complete proteins, and those are the ones that well discuss first. - Amaranth This grain is just starting to gain popularity, especially among the health-conscious and the gluten-free set. It has a taste similar to quinoa, sort of, but stronger. It has that ancient-grain nuttiness and maltiness that youll get hooked on once you develop the taste for it. Its the hands-down winner for protein content at 26 grams per cup, and its a COMPLETE protein! Its vitamin and mineral profile is off the chain too, with more than 100% of your RDA of manganese, magnesium and phosphorus plus respectable amounts of several others. You can use it as a flour, as a hot cereal but be careful not to overcook or it gets gummy. You can add it to rice or other grains to offset the gumminess, or you can use it to thicken soups and sauces. Or, pop the seeds sort of like you would popcorn and eat it as a snack. - Buckwheat Also known as kasha, this complete-protein food is more closely related to rhubarb than it is to wheat and is a completely gluten-free food. You can grind it into flour to make pancakes or other baked goods or you can eat it as a cereal similar to oatmeal. Sprinkle it raw into your granola or add it to your cereal. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and are quite good. Per cup, buckwheat delivers a whopping 23 grams of protein along with a respectable amount of all of the B vitamins except B12. Thats not all, though. Its an extremely good source of at least 8 minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. Oh and did we mention that its a great source of omega-3 and omega-6, too? - Quinoa Another wonderful grain is quinoa. Its gained quite a bit of popularity because of its use on food shows as a side or breakfast dish and because it makes a nice gluten-free flour. It offers 24 grams of protein per cup along with several different vitamins and minerals, though not nearly as much as buckwheat or amaranth. Still, its a complete protein, its gluten-free and its delicious. Use it!
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 01:30:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015