Every time someone asks me how hard it is to cut meat out of their diets, I say it’s only hard if you don’t have the right food stocked at home. For me it was trial and error. Without question, the one food I must have in the cupboard, and the one I recommend to everyone, is lentils.
Lentils are inexpensive, they’re quick to prepare, they’re incredibly satisfying, they’re tasty, and they’re loaded with good stuff for you. Let’s compare what’s in a 1/2 cup of lentils vs. what’s in a 1/2 cup of lean ground beef:
1/2 Cup (64 grams) Lentils:
Calories = 140
Calories from fat = 0
Total fat = 0% daily value (based on 2,000 calorie daily diet)
Saturated fat = 0g
Trans fat = 0g
Cholesterol = 0%
Sodium = 10mg
Total carbohydrate = 38g (12% daily value)
Dietary fiber = 18g (72% daily value)
Insoluble fiber = 18g
Sugars = 0g
Protein = 16g
Vitamin A = 0% Vitamin C = 0% Calcium = 0% Iron = 30%
Price Per Pound = $1.59 (based Market Pantry brand lentils price at Target.com)
1/2 Cup (64 grams) Lean Ground Beef:
Calories = 210
Total fat = 15g
Saturated fat = 6g
Trans fat = 1g
Cholesterol – 60mg
Sodium = 65mg
Total carbohydrate = 0g
Dietary fiber = 0g
Sugars = 0g
Protein = 20g
Vitamin A = 0% Vitamin C = 0% Calcium = 0% Iron = 15%
Price Per Pound = $4.98 (based on Walmart.com price for 93% lean/7% fat lean ground beef tray)
The thing about “going vegan” is that your well-meaning friends and family will start to ask where you’re getting your protein. It’s important to know that there’s no such thing as a protein shortage in American diets, or in any other other society for that matter. If there is a problem of malnourishment, it’s usually because a lack of calories…any calories. What is lacking in the diets of most Americans, and in societies where diabetes and obesity have become an epidemic, is fiber.
This is where it gets exciting. Look at all the great stuff you’re getting in a pound of lentils ( such as fiber, protein). Then look at all the bad stuff (especially fat and cholesterol) then you’re getting in a pound in “lean” ground beef. If that’s not enough, compare the prices.
You’re saving over $3/pound by opting for better nutrition!