Adequate protein intake is important to support immune response. Chicken and eggs play a vital role in enriching the protein content for our body. The need of the hour is to build immunity because protein deficiencies can cause poor muscle functioning and lower energy levels resulting in a bigger impact on the quality of life.
India is a highly protein deficient country. The most common diet in the country includes carbs and fats while the protein levels of the same in each meal are ignored. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of protein is 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight.The consumption of egg and chicken a day contributes to 15-20% of proteins, vitamins and minerals that are required for the body. Additionally they are rich in Vitamin D and amino acid that helps in muscle functioning and strengthening. Adequate protein consumption would mean that the stomach stays full for longer, leaving no scope for binge eating.
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Chicken:
Chicken can be consumed in boiled, steamed, and fully-cooked form for better health benefits.Chicken feet can be made into a refreshing broth or soup. The chicken legs contain a tasty and nutritious connective tissue and cartilage. All the nutrients such as protein, collagen, chondroitin and Glucosamine will be dissolved when cooked into soup. This helps in improving the digestion in our system.
Eggs:
Egg whites tend to get all the credit when it comes to protein, but in reality check, the yolks also contain a significant amount of protein in an egg. In a large sized egg, there is a total of 7grams of protein. So ideally, 2 to 3 eggs can be consumed in a day to enrich the protein levels in the diet.Eating eggs for breakfast helps people eat significantly less for the next 24 hours than other types of breakfasts, without actively restricting the calories.
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Plant based foods:
• Soy products are rich in protein. Tofu is a great option for food lovers as it can be included in salads, sandwich,soup and even part of the main course. The higher degrees of calcium and iron makes it a substitute for dairy products as well
• Almonds have nearly 16.5grams or protein for half a cup. It can be included as part of a meal everyday or can be an evening snack along with dry fruits which is less in calories and also healthy option. Soaked almonds when had after waking up helps in improving metabolism.
• Chickpeas cooked can be used in gravies, rice, curries and contains over 7 grams for half a cup. The hummus cooked out of chickpeas can be used as a paste is sandwiches as a substitute for butter.
• Peanuts help in improving the health of the heart. Peanut butter sandwich is a complete protein snack. Alternatively peanuts can be used in salads, gravies, part of Indian breakfast options like poha.
• Lentils- A bowl of soup is packed with good amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
(The author is a nutritionist and founder of Nutrizone)
