Dr. Rupy Aujla tries to eat enough protein — but not at the expense of his gut health.
The London-based family doctor with a master’s degree in nutrition medicine told Business Insider he follows what he calls a “plant-focused” or “plant-forward” diet. It features animal products but is 70-75% plant-based.
The 12 foods he always has in his kitchen to make his plant-focused diet easy include kefir and tempeh, both high in protein.
It’s not just avid gym-goers who can benefit from eating more protein. While it does help muscles repair after exercise, it has many other health benefits too, Aujla said.
However, if your approach is to consume large quantities of red and processed meat and ultra-processed supplements like protein shakes and bars, this could backfire as both can disturb the balance of the gut microbiome.
Research suggests that nurturing the right microbes in our digestive system can improve our physical and mental health in a variety of ways. Eating foods that disrupt it can have the inverse effect: both red and processed meats and ultra-processed foods in general have been linked to colon cancer and other conditions.
So Aujla eats animal products, like fish and fermented dairy, as well as plant-based protein sources that are high in fiber, which keep the gut happy, among other health benefits.
“People do actually need to eat more protein but in a healthier way,” Aujla said.
Dr. Aujla always keeps foods including seeds and tofu in his kitchen
- Unflavored fermented dairy like kefir
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Peanut butter
- Lentils
- Tahini
- Edamame beans
- Peas
- Nutritional yeast
- Fish such as sardines, anchovies, and mackerel
Aujla used the example of a fish-based meal to illustrate how plant foods could be used to make it higher in protein.
“It means that you pair that fish with some green lentils, cooked grains, a handful of pumpkin seeds, and maybe a high protein dressing like tahini or something like that,” Aujla said. “You’ve boosted your protein intake by about 10 grams and you’re adding complexity and diversity.”
He suggested adding pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds, which are “super high in protein” at around 25 or 26 grams of protein per 100 grams, to salads or soups.
Aujla also uses tempeh to bulk up stews and curries.
“It’s a fermented soybean, so you’re getting some of those gut health benefits as a result of the fermentation,” Aujla said. “It increases the availability of those proteins in the soy and it can taste delicious as well.”
He added: “I always grate it because it gives you more surface area, which means you can add more flavor.”
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