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This is what we need now:proteins, the invisible powerhouses

This is what we need now:proteins, the invisible powerhouses

Now that we are often at home due to the coronavirus, it is important to keep your health up. Protein is good for your muscles and for hours of satiety. So put them on your menu!

1. Try something other than breakfast cereals

Most breakfast cereals are low in protein. Although oatmeal has more protein than most other grains, it's still only about 6 grams per serving. Alternate and have three large eggs for breakfast:they provide no less than 19 grams of protein. In addition, you feel full for longer after eating eggs, so that you are less likely to succumb to snacks later on.

Read also: '5 questions about proteins and vegetable proteins'

2. Eat Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt contains 9 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is three times as much as regular yogurt. It does contain more fat, but don't let that put you off:after you've empty your bowl, you won't be hungry for a while (and that's different after eating low-fat yogurt). Please note that milk and live cultures are the only ingredients, check the label.

3. Try legumes

Legumes (such as beans, lentils and peas) are packed with vegetable proteins and are therefore widely used as a meat substitute. The protein profile of legumes does look different from that of animal products:they do not supply enough essential amino acids (the components that make up proteins). Therefore, combine them with grains.

4. Taste seaweed

You see it more and more in supermarkets and health food stores:seaweed in all shapes and sizes. Sea vegetables are very healthy (rich in iron, fiber, iodine) and contain a lot of vegetable proteins. No idea what to do with it? Then go to Zeewierwijzer.nl for more than a hundred recipes.

5. Become a quinoa queen

Quinoa is a grain, but it contains more protein than rice. Quinoa is also gluten-free and contains a lot of fiber, magnesium and iron. Use as the basis of your meal, in a salad or in a vegetable burger.

Important building blocks

Proteins form the 'building blocks' for all kinds of tissues and substances in our body. You need them, for example, to make hormones and to keep your muscles and bones healthy. You need at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. So with an average weight of 70 kilos you need 56 grams of protein. Do you train a lot and heavy? Then your body can use some extra, so that your muscles can recover properly after training. How much more exactly depends on various factors, ask your trainer for personal advice.

Source:Santé May 2019, text:Annemiek de Gier