Protein
Are you getting enough? What if you could have both protein and fibre in one dish? Well, you can, amino acids, the building blocks for proteins are found in lots of plant-based sources - nuts, seeds, whole grains and pulses. So if you are not eating meat, you don't need to worry.
Complete Proteins
Dan Buettner of Blue Zones’ Research fame found that two thirds of the calories in the people living in the blue zones came from whole grains, vegetables, tubers, nuts and all important beans. In Okinawa, it’s mostly rice, in Costa Rica mostly corn, in the Mediterranean it’s mostly wheat, but there’s always a grain and a bean. Although neither are complete proteins, put them together and you get a complete protein profile, with the added bonus of being very high in fibre.
Plant-based Proteins
are Gut & Planet-friendly
Planet-friendly
These plant-based proteins are also planet-friendly:
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- It takes 11 kilos of grain to produce one kilo of meat. This grain may be treated with pesticides that concentrate in the flesh that may also be treated with hormones and contains saturated fat. Meat can be a small part of a healthy diet but it should be sourced with care and we now know just how much protein we can get from plant sources.
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- According to recipe books Bold Beans, beans produce 200x less CO2 emissions per 100g of protein.
Live to a 100
Dan Buettner's recipe book 'The Blue Zones Kitchen', 100 recipes to live to 100, focuses on whole-food, plant-based eating. Many of his recipes combine grains and beans to make complete protein dishes. A favourite is his Sardinian minestrone it contains three beans, eight or so other vegetables and extra virgin olive oil. Or there's pasta e fagioli from Sardinia, beans and rice, a staple in the southern United States; further south it's corn tortillas and beans
​are all delicious, cheap and easy to prepare while packed with fibre and protein.
​Our recipes
You can find other bean and rice based recipes right here on Wine & 2veg - Moi Moi served with Jollof rice from Nigeria.
Moudardara from Lebanon and of course Sally’s famous humous.
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The protein in these dishes makes them a perfect match for even bold red wines, but it's the seasoning, spices and sauces that drive the wine choice. The spices in the Jollof rice match beautifully with a lighter red or even a rosé, a dry white pairs so well with Moi Moi and humous especially served with veggies as an aperitif and Youmna suggests a Château Biac with her Moudardara.