Fuel-up Fridays: Protein, the Building Blocks of Life

Here's an interesting thought experiment to start your weekend off right: close your eyes for a moment and think about the word protein.  What do you see?  Is it the third tier on the '90s food pyramid, a cartoonishly simplified array of chicken legs, whole dead fish, assorted nuts and legumes?  Is it a pumped-up beefcake sweaty from his lateral-raise reps and downing creatine?  Or maybe, if you've spent more time with your nose in a chemistry book than staring on the back of cereal boxes in your lifetime, it looks a little bit like a long chain of these babies:

And if you're really the hotshot labgeek, you might be thinking of something similar to this: 

Whoa there, easy with the ribbon there Ms. Raisman!

Whatever happens to come to mind when you think about protein, chances are that what you're envisioning is very real, in a tangible, comprehendible way.  Protein looks like a molecule, or a complex ribbon-y compound, or a bulging bicep, or the hunk of chicken in your sandwich.  Protein isn't just stuff; it's the stuff that helps make other stuff.  It's literally the building blocks of stuff, or at least alive stuff.  But funnily enough, the word protein existed far before anyone knew that it could actually be defined by a specific chemical formula. Coming form the Greek root protos-, meaning first, all 19th-century chemist Gerhard Johan Mulder really knew about the thing was that it was in some way essential to life - it was the initial ingredient necessary to help everything else build from the ground up.  Protein was part of every living thing in the observable world, so Mulder figured it must be something really special - at least, theoretically.  

And it is.  It so is.  Protein gives your body its shape and integrity, not to mention its ability to move, dance, pick up things, blink, drive, and just about everything else you do in the physical world.  Protein repairs your tissues when they're damaged.  Protein is a vital part of your immune system - it helps your immune cells divide and conquer dangerous microbial invaders.  And proteins help make the body's hormones, or chemical messengers, and enzymes, which provide the integral service of transforming some molecules in the body to other molecules that you need to function (like the ones that provide energy to your cells, or help you break down the food you eat, or perhaps most importantly, help process and correctly dispose of consumed alcohol).  

Needless to say, it's vitally important to get enough protein in your diet.  And while the omnivores among us tend to have a pretty easy time getting their daily recommended amount (about 56 grams a day for males and 46 grams daily for females - more if you're an extremely active athlete), vegetarians need to be super-conscious that every meal includes at least a decent amount of protein, on the order of 15-20 grams in or so, to keep bodily functioning at its prime.  The less processed sources of protein for vegetarians include nuts, legumes, dairy products, quinoa, and soybeans (edamame).  For foods a little higher from the ground, try vegetarian meat analogues like seitan, textured vegetable protein, and my personal favorite, tempeh.  Although moderate consumption of soy products can't hurt you, tempeh is especially great because the way it is fermented gets rid of the pseudo-estrogens that naturally occur in soy and may disrupt the hormone systems of those who are sensitive (and if anything's gonna make you more sensitive, its estrogen.  Am I right, ladies?  ...No?)

Enough of that.  Let's get down to business.  I present to you four scrumptious recipes that are sure to pack a vegetarian protein punch without laying on the calories or refined carbs.  Cheers all around!

Banilla Protein Pancakes

Serves 2 (about 3 medium pancakes each)

Adapted from Julie's recipe here

Whirrrrrrr...

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 very ripe banana

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Good to the very...

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend.  Heat up a skillet with 1 tbsp of your oil of choice, and pour batter onto griddle.  Cook for approximately 2 minutes per side.  Top with your choice of syrup, butter, or fresh fruits!

...last bite.

The low-down: 360 calories per serving (not including toppings), 50 net carbs, 8 g fiber, and 20 g protein (43% of recommended daily intake for women; 36% for men).

Totally Metal Power Biscuits

Makes 10 fist-sized rolls

Adapted from Kelly M's recipe here

6 eggs (or 3 tbsp egg replacer with 12tbsp water)

1/3 cup applesauce (I used Musselman's Lite, at only 50 calories per serving)

1 cup soy flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

several pinches of rosemary or herbs of choice

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Mix together all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Divide the dough into ten pieces, and place on a lightly greased and floured cookie tray.  Bake the rolls for 17 minutes in the oven.  The results are dense, eggy, and really stick to your sides.  Enjoy with the next two delectable meals, or as part of a small protein-packed sandwich...  or on their own!

The low-down: 82 calories per roll, 3 net carbs, 2 grams fiber, and 9 grams protein.

Spaggity-Squash with Spicy Mockinara

Serves 2

Adapted from Carole Raymond's recipe in Student's Go Vegan Cookbook

1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) - I recommend Lightlife Smart Ground, which can be found in the vegetarian section of almost any supermarket.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 cups water

One 6oz can tomato paste

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup pitted, sliced black olives

1 medium spaghetti squash

Pre-heat your oven at 375˚F.  Take the squash and pierce it several times all around with a sharp knife.  Place in a glass baking dish that has been filled with about 1 inch of water.  Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about an hour.

While the spaghetti squash is baking, take 1 tbsp olive oil and fry the onion and garlic in a saucepan until the onion is translucent.  Add to a large pot, along with water, tomato paste, soy sauce, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and olives.  Bring the mixture slowly to a boil, and use the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to fry up the TVP.  When the mock-meat is done, add it to the boiling sauce mixture.  Cook the sauce uncovered for 15 minutes at a steady boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 3 more minutes.  

While the sauce simmers down, take out your fully cooked spaghetti squash, being careful while it's piping hot, and cut with a sharp knife straight down the middle, navel to navel.  Gut the squash and take out the seeds.  Place each half of the spaghetti squash on a dinner plate, and cover with the delicious spicy sauce.  

The low-down for spaghetti alone/with two fist-sized power biscuits: 290/424 calories, 39/45 net carbs, 28g/32g fiber, and 23g/41g protein (50%-89% recommended daily intake for women; 41%-72% for men).

That's Some Sweet Pot...of Chili

Serves 3

Adapted from milkfreemom's recipe here

One 29oz can black beans

One 6oz tomato paste

1 cup vegetable broth

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 cup TVP crumbles

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat.  Add onions and cook until they are translucent.  Add the garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the black beans, broth, and sweet potato chunks.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  While the sauce is beginning to cook, use the remaining tbsp of olive oil to cook the TVP in a frying pan.  Add the TVP to the chili and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft and the chili has thickened.

Metal Power Biscuits: everything they touch turns to rock.

The low-down for chili alone/with 2 fist-sized power biscuits: 337/500 calories, 37/43 net carbs, 14g/18g fiber, and 23g/41g protein (50%-90% of daily recommended intake for women; 41%-73% for men).

Keep on growing.

La Bell Vie: The Crucial Importance of Strength Training for Women

Fifteen years ago, the state-of-the art women's-only gym I now work for faced a lawsuit that could have easily put them, and all other women's gyms in the state, out of business forever.  Specifically, the gym faced a civil rights charge headed by a male lawyer who walked in one day inquiring about a membership.  (Mmmmm - don't you love the smell of court bait in the morning?)

In any case, the gym's single-sex membership policy was found to be in conflict with a state Accommodations law, but the outpouring of support from the gym's dedicated members overwhelmed the owner to work hard to pass a new law in the state that would allow single-sex facilities under reasonable guidelines.  Since then, 10 or more states have passed similar laws allowing such facilities.  The number one reason that drove the company to make a policy change came form the voices of the members themselves: "Yes," most of them answered in a survey taken during the heat of the lawsuit, they would continue to be members even if the gym became co-ed.  But they most likely never would have joined the gym in the first place if it hadn't been women-only.

I can see the shining truth and impact of this statement every day at my new place of work, where there exists no "weight room/cardio room" dichotomy all-too-prevalent in so many fitness centers nation-wide.  Cardio, you see, whether in the form of a group stepaerobics class or a solo run on the treadmill to CNN and the latest episode of Ace of Cakes, is a "woman's thing;" shouldn't their main concern, after all, be to find the quickest way to burn the most calories possible and finally achieve the level of waifiness only known to New York socialites so they can wear all those to-die-for outfits they've been Pinning since last November?  The weight room, conversely, is the haven of sweat and phosphagens where dudes and bros and dads and men go to get their pump going - working 'til failure, always ramping up the pounds, and scoring the bicep bulk and core definition that would make Tony Horton run away crying.  Right.  Right...?

But at my gym, the women crowd the free weights and the hydraulic strength machines as eagerly - even more so, as was evidenced by the utter disruption of routine many felt while we had only part of the strength-line machines removed and updated - as the treadmills and the ellipticals and the Urban Rebounders.  They can pick a weight that's right for them, curl their biceps and back-ward lunge until they're sore but somehow exhilarated and ready to take whatever the rest of the day hurls at them.  

The sad fact about the dominant views of each gender's respective "place" in the fitness center is that individual men and women are not to blame.  Most men would likely be happy to show an interested woman her way around the bells and whistles and machines of the strength center.  Like so many mechanisms of oppression prevalent in society, the forces of privilege, access and advantage are beyond the best intentions of most individuals; these forces live in a Gestaltist world of social influence and cultural hegemony.  What keeps most women from the weight room isn't the actual men in the room at all, but the different expectations of ability and access that society places on men and women apart.  On a similar note of disclaim, not all of us have the privilege of a membership at a gym like mine, and not all of us would want one - indeed, a proud feminist like myself can only dream of the day when gender is simply not a consideration when admitting a member to a gym.  But until that day, many women might miss out on a crucial aspect of their health and fitness routine and will be deprived of the myriad benefits, physical and emotional, of strength training.  

Let this post stand as a manifesto for female-bodied citizens everywhere to be up in arms (dumbells raised in correct form, with your arms extending straight past your ear to the ceiling) and stop and nothing to make strength training a priority.  Your bones and your spirit and your newfound popping triceps will thank you.

1. Strength training makes everything in life easier.  According to about.com fitness editor Elizabeth Quinn, "[i]f your maximum strength is increased, daily tasks and routine exercise will be far less likely to cause injury.  Research studies conclude that even moderate weight training can increase a woman's strength by 30 to 50 percent."  Who needs a cute neighbor when you can lift two weeks of groceries up seven flights of stairs all by yourself?

2. Get a lean, mean, disease-fighting machine.  The average woman can gain two pounds of muscle simply by strength training a few times a week for two months.  We all know muscle is responsible for the sleek, toned look a lot of you are going for after watching the Olympics gymnastics finals, but vanity aside, muscle burns fat - and a body with a lower percentage of fat and more lean muscle mass is one that's better at using food for energy and less prone to diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and all other Scary Disease Words, not to mention ramping up your metabolism to make room for an extra delightful dessert every now an then.  In fact, weight training can improve glucose utilization, a major risk factor in Type II diabetes, by 23% over just four months; it has also shown to help levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol) rise while lowering LDL ("bad" cholesterol).

3. Shatter-free, pain-free bones.  Regular weight training has been shown to increase spinal bone density by 13% in just six months.  It also works wonders for the stuff around your bones - namely, the ligaments and tendons.  Low-back pain, a huge contributor to lost work days and overall unhappiness among the American public, can be quelled by up to 80% with a strength training regimen.  Especially if you, like many women, have a family history of osteoporosis, arthritis, or other related issues, take strength training seriously and enjoy your golden years without a lifetime subscription to LifeAlert services.  (Unless you're only really in it for the cool, chunky necklace).

4. A strong woman is a happy woman.  One Harvard study found that a 10-week strength training regimen was more effective at fighting symptoms of clinical depression than traditional treatment. 

Convinced?  Good.  If you're a lucky owner of a gym membership but a first-time strength trainer, check with your current schedule to see if your center offers any group classes that incorporate strength training.  Some, like the internationally known BodyPump, focus solely on weight training for a full hour.  If you're a cardio addict and only have limited time each day to devote to a work-out, see if there are any current classes that utilize circuit training, or a system of cycling through sets of cardio intervals with weight training to keep your heart rate elevated as well as your muscles pumping.

If your wallet or your personal preference keeps you at home for a work-out, check out some strength-oriented Beach Body programs like Les Mills PUMP, a home-video version of internationally renowned BODYPUMP classes, or the classic and deservedly popular P90X.  If you've only got so much time in the day and love to feel your heart rate busting through the roof, try one of fitness superstar and all-around certified badass Jillian Michaels' DVD programs, "30-Day Shred," "Ripped in 30" or her new release, "Body Revolution." 

Women and weights: truly a thing of beauty.

Fuel-up Fridays: Why Fiber?

My now octogenarian grandmother was the one to impart my first bit of wisdom on the subject of fiber and the wonder it does for the body: "I eat prunes every day.  They keep ya regular."

Apart from the admittedly stunning imagery, the woman is right.  Fiber is best explained as a class of carbohydrates that your body cannot easily break down.  It comes from cellulose in the plant walls of veggies and legumes; hemicellulose in the seed walls of whole grains; pectins found in apples, strawberries and citrus fruits; and the resistant starches of bananas and whole potatoes.  The best way to describe fiber's allure is that it acts as a work-out for your digestive system.  It ups the resistance to your bowels' strength training routine, shouting in the proverbial ears of your intestines like a starched-up drill sergeant: "Work that peristalsis!  Keep it movin', ya maggots, we're burnin' daylight here!"


And just like actual exercise keeps our cholesterol levels down, fiber reduces the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from the diet.  Similarly, just like during actual exercise you can only do so many burpees before slowing down a bit to pant and curse your Booty Boot Camp instructor, the workout that fiber puts your digestive system through slows down its ability to process other carbohydrates, keeping blood sugar levels from spiking and keeping your feeling full and satiated hours after a meal.

And if you really want to get down to brass tacks here, the more fiber your body takes in, the better the digestive system becomes at doing its job - namely, digesting things.  Like that dude from high school after two rounds of P90X, it's faster, stronger, more efficient, and damn good-looking.  That means it's got the pull and the power to help your body complete Mission: Bowl-to-Bowl every day.

So while you may not feel like getting off the couch for some cardio at the moment, the least you can do is put your GI tract through the work-out it deserves.  Here are some fabulously fiber-full recipes to try.

Nutty Cinna-Toast with Blueberries and Nectarine

Serves 1

Two slices lite bread
2 tbsp peanut butter, almond butter, or nut butter of choice
1 nectarine, sliced
1/3 cup blueberries
2 tsp cinnamon
sweetener of choice, to taste

Toast the slices of light bread, and then spread 1 tbsp of nut butter on each slice.  Then, sprinkle cinnamon and sweetener on each slice.  Place blueberries and nectarine slices in an artsy-fartsy (pun intended) fashion and enjoy each spicy, sweet and succulent fiber-full bite!

Nutrition facts: 363 calories, 33 net carbs (total carb-fiber), 13 g fiber (50% of recommended daily intake for women; 34% for men), 14 g protein

Triple-C Power Punch: Chickpea, Chard and Cauliflower Bowl

Serves 4

Adapted from Jacquelyn Scoggin's recipe here

1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized bits

2 cups chickpeas (canned or pre-cooked)

1 bunch white or rainbow chard

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 tsp olive oil

A pinch of salt

4 tbsp of favorite dressing

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Toss the cauliflower and chickpeas in 2 tsp of the olive oil and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes (a sure sign is when the cauliflower becomes golden brown on its edges).  Slice the chard into thin strips and begin to fry the finely chopped garlic in a pan, using the last tsp of olive oil, for 1 minute.  Then, add in the greens and add just a pinch of salt.  Continue to sauté until the chard has wilted and turned a rich color.  

When the baking is done, place them all in a bowl and garnish with a tbsp of your favorite dressing.  Mine is always Newman's Own Creamy Caesar!

Nutrition facts per serving: 304 calories, 23 g net carbs, 10 g fiber (40% of recommended intake for women; 26% for men), 12 g protein

Black Bean Burger in Paradise

Serves 3

Adapted from Vegangela's recipe here 

3 black bean burger patties (I recommend Morningstar's Spicy Chipotle version)

1 tbsp olive oil for frying the patties

1/2 red onion, diced

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 large red pepper, chopped

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup wasabi peas

6 cups spinach

Dried cilantro, to taste

Dressing: 

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Nutrition facts: 550 calories, 36 g net carbs, 15 g fiber (60% of recommended daily intake for women; 40% for men), 15 g protein

First, combine the garlic, lime juice, and 1/4 cup olive oil in a mixing bowl and whisk together.  This will be the dressing for the veggies.  Add the onion, tomatoes, red pepper, avocado, mango and wasabi peas into the bowl and mix together.  As the veggies (+1 fruit) get a chance to marinate in the bowl, fry up the black bean burgers in the remaining tbsp of olive oil.  While the patties grill, sprinkle dried cilantro into the salad to your own taste.

Add two cups of spinach into an individual bowl, and spoon the paradise salad onto the bed of spinach.  Lastly, cut up one black bean burger length-wise and add this to the top of your bowl.  Enjoy!

Exercise style. Explore health. Exist well.

I have several long, meandering years of post-teenage self-exploration, a new job working front desk at a fitness center, and one recipe for healthful cookie dough dip to thank for finally getting me here.  I'm here, world, I have zero talent at feigning gusto or confidence (even in the written language across infinite threads of cyberspace), and I advise you to protect your small children, dogs, and 15-year-old bottles of finely aged Chianti because I'm about to start a blog.  A blog about living as a found self in the midst of confusion and winding paths - a blog about living well and loving how you're living when you're really only learning to do just that.

I was never one easily accept my fate as a wandering dilettante.  For years in elementary and middle school, spelling bees and Sailor Moon constituted "my thing."  With the former, I worked hard every early spring staring at words like chiaroscuro, Kierkegaardian and shamateurism ("Not a word," you say?  Try telling that to whoever compiled the Paideia word list for the 2003 Alaska State Spelling Bee).  The closest I got to winning was when I took second place in my state during my last eligible year of competition.  Luckily, I was privileged enough to receive a brand new PlayStation2 and then-all-the-rage Dance Dance Revolution to make up for my shocking loss with cantatrice after spending several rounds toe-to-toe with the eventual winner.

Somewhere along the way, I picked up the oboe and I kept with it, enjoying it (for the most part) all through high school and college.  I also spent hundreds of my family's hard-earned money at Brass Plum and Wet Seal (yes, it's possible to do so) and for this I was ultimately rewarded with my long-sought Best Dressed superlative my senior year of high school in small-town Alaska.  I also cultivated a penchant for making time-trial-worthy cookie dough to quench my preadolescent sweet tooth after school.  Later, I developed a knack for exercise and healthful eating, in part thanks to all of those afternoons brushing up my pit-stop chocolate chip installation skills.

Ruing among these small-time personal trophies, it becomes clear that while I'm good at some things, I've ever been truly great at anything.  Luckily, I am saved by the crushing defeat that near-greatness can bring - because I've recently realized that greatness has never truly been a goal of mine.  In its most simple form, the thing I've longed for most is passion.  What does it feel like to have something that is all yours?  Is it an encyclopedic knowledge of antique Belgian tapestry?  Is it being able to fix any car, bike or plane that comes your way with a piece of floss and an old coat rack?  Is it closing all of your sales agreements (because you never don't close) with a firm handshake and an internal fist-pump?  Is it the ostensibly simple yet truly rare gift of always knowing what to say to turn someone's world back into the sunshine?

My developed love for healthful, active living recently culminated in being offered a job I've dreamt of for years - spending hours every day smiling and welcoming latté-fueled women into their safe haven of barbells, treadmills and interval circuits.  At this dream job, a new colleague of mine lured me into Pinterest (though let's not pretend I didn't have it coming) and revealed the blogosphere's best-kept, not-so-secret secret: Chocolate-Covered Katie.  This inspiring young woman promised to finally reconcile my insatiable sweet tooth with my commitment to healthful eating habits, and first on the list was a jaw-dropping, mouth-watering masterpiece.

I've found that I love to adorn by body in a funky, personalized style bought on the budget of the 99%; I have a talent for tolerating heavy earrings, cacophonous bangles and rings that turn my fingers a mysterious shade of jungle (gangrene?) green; and that I can't stop talking to my friends, family, classmates, plumbers and DVD machine repairmen about important issues that affect human health and wellness.  Of course, my spelling-bee credentials also render me quite the sesquipedalian, and I find I'm always mentally marinating a new piece of prose for future consumption of my Facebook community.

I am Madelin.  I tend to eat too much peanut butter before bed, I can't keep from checking myself out when I pass by a darkened window, and I'm trying to find myself and my place in this world through cultivating the seedlings that have already sprouted.  


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