Tag: protein

Counting on 2026 … day 16

30th January 

This last week the radio programme Farming Today has been reporting on the difficulties livestock farmers have been facing with insufficient supplies of winter feed. Last year’s hot dry summer reduced crop yields meaning there has been a shortage of things such as hay, silage, maize, sunflower seeds, rape seed etc. Farmers have had to buy in extra feed including more imported soya beans. The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) said that “the UK needs a national protein strategy to safeguard feed security because that impacts food security.” 

This bemuses me. Would it not be more logical, if we are wanting to increase national protein security, to focus on growing more plant based proteins that can be fed directly to humans rather than feeding us indirectly via livestock? Gaining our protein needs from livestock rather than plants is much more inefficient in the use of land, water, fertiliser etc and generates far more pollution costs too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002q29g
https://www.agindustries.org.uk/resource/aic-on-bbc-farming-today-programme-uk-feed-security.html

Counting on … day 1.159

28th August 2023

What often worries people when swopping to a plant-based diet is getting enough protein. We have been brought up understanding that we need protein and that meat, fish and dairy are all good sources of protein. The recommended daily protein consumption is 55.5 grams per person for adult men and 45 grams per person for adult women which ideally would be spread throughout the day. 100g of chicken or beef equates to about 30g of protein, 100g salmon about 25g, 1/2 litre of milk about 15g and 50g of cheese about 12g. As in addition a couple of slices of bread can contain 6g of protein, 100g  of rice 10g it is not surprising that many people consume more than the recommended amount.  https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthy-sustainable-diets/protein/?level=Consumer

As well as bread and rice, protein can be found in beans, pulses and tofu  – about 8g per 100g (cooked weight); nuts and seeds about 5g per 25g (a tablespoon of peanut butter is about 4g); in green vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli about 3g per 100g. Combining beans/ pulses/ peanut butter  with grains such as rice/bread/pasta provides an optimal mix of amino acids present in protein.  This makes simple dishes such as beans on toast, a peanut butter sandwich, hummus and pitta bread, rice and dhal an excellent source of nutrition.