Complete & Incomplete Proteins

Unless you are a vegetarian or a vegan, you most likely have not worried your head over complete & incomplete proteins. But if you, like many Americans, have found the belt on your food budget severely tightened, it may be time to get yourself educated. Many have found themselves challenged as they attempt to provide nutritious and varied meals on drastically reduced finances. 

We need protein for healthy bones, skin, hair, nails, muscles, blood, and organs. And ensuring adequate protein in the daily diet is most crucial for growing children and teens. Protein can be found in plants as well as animals. A complete protein has all the amino acids that our bodies need; whereas an incomplete protein does not. However, we can make sure we are getting all of the nutrients we need by pairing up complementary proteins. 

COMPLETE PROTEINS

• EGGS: Not only are eggs a great source of protein they are pretty inexpensive. Purchase small eggs to get the biggest bang for your buck. You can also separate the yolks from the whites and still receive all of the nutrition they pack. 
• SOY BEANS: One of only 2 plants that is a complete protein. Be sure to limit yourself to 2 to 4 servings a week.
• QUINOA: This is the other plant that is a complete protein; and it is a super food due to the vitamins, minerals, fiber, enzymes, phytonutrients, and antioxidants it also provides! It can be expensive but is well worth it for the nutrient punch it packs. I love eating quinoa in place of oatmeal for breakfast with brown sugar, nuts, butter, and dried fruit like golden raisins or dried cherries. One bowl will leave me full all morning and then seems to boost my lunch even further.
• DAIRY: Milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, and whey protein powder are all good sources of complete protein whether it is non-fat or full fat.
• MEAT & POULTRY
• FISH

INCOMPLETE PROTEINS

• GRAINS: Amaranth, Barley, Brown Rice, Brown Rice Bread, Brown Rice Tortilla, Buckwheat, Bulgur (Cracked Wheat), Corn Tortillas, Farro, Flaxseed, Grano, Kamut® Grain, Millet, Oats, Oat Bread, Oat Cereal, Oatmeal, Popcorn, Whole Wheat Cereal Flakes, Muesli, Rolled Oats, Rye, Sorghum, Spelt, Teff, Triticale, Whole Grain Barley, Wheat Berries, Whole Grain Corn Bread, Whole Grain Cornmeal, Whole Rye, Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Wheat Couscous, Whole Wheat Crackers, Whole Wheat Pasta, Whole Wheat Pita Bread, Whole Wheat Sandwich Buns And Rolls, Whole Wheat Tortillas, Wild Rice
• LEGUMES: Alfalfa Sprouts, Beans, Bean Sprouts, Dwarf Peas, English Peas, Garden Peas, Green Beans, Lentils, Peanuts, Snow Peas, Southern Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Wax Beans
• NUTS: Acorns, Almond, Beech, Brazil nut, Cashew, Chestnuts, Coconuts, Filbert, Hickory, Pecan, Hickory Nuts, Hazel, Kola nut, Macadamia, Pistachio, Walnut
• SEEDS: Chia seeds, Flaxseeds, Hemp seeds, Jackfruit, Poppy seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds
• VEGETABLES (HIGH PROTEIN): Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Dandelion Greens, Garlic (raw), Mushrooms, Okra, Potatoes, Spinach, Spring Onions, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

In order to insure you are getting the complete nutrition from incomplete proteins, you must pair them correctly either in a meal or sometime during the day. Pairing a food product from the Grain list with any food product from the Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, or High Protein Vegetables list will assure that you are getting all the nutrition of a complete protein. 

Examples of pairing complementary incomplete proteins to obtain a complete protein:

• barley & mushroom soup
• whole wheat bread & peanut butter
• brown rice & black beans
• bulgur, asparagus & green bean salad
• whole wheat couscous & sauteed spring onions
• potato onion taco on a corn tortilla
• buckwheat pancakes topped w/pecans
• whole wheat crackers & almond butter
• oatmeal & walnuts
• caramel popcorn & peanuts
• whole wheat pasta & pasta sauce
• muesli & hemp seeds
• whole grain corn bread & beans
• polenta & tomato sauce
• whole wheat pita bread & hummus
• grilled veggie sandwich on a whole wheat roll w/portabella mushrooms, spring onions, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, & zucchini drizzled w/tahini sauce
• refried bean taco on a whole wheat tortilla
• wild rice w/pumpkin & sunflower seeds