AGESTRONG BY BENEFITNESSNOW

Are you getting enough protein?

People lose muscle mass as we age unless we engage in strength training to prevent it. We also have to make sure we’re ingesting enough protein, the building block of muscle, to maintain our strength.

Without strength, we are more prone to lose balance, fall, and lose functional ability.

Plus experts say that younger people typically need 0.8 grams of protein per body weight to keep what they have.

But older people need 1.2g.

The best protein has all the essential amino acids and is largely animal based, like meat, fish,poultry, eggs, soy, beans and legumes. Make sure you’re getting plenty of these regularly as part of your balanced diet.

Inside, you’ll find protein-packed snacks and entrees to make it a pleasure to get enough protein.

Switch to These Snacks

Nibble on these instead of candy or high-carb junk food to keep your protein intake up where it belongs.

• Peanuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds

• Cottage cheese

• Broccoli, peas, chickpeas, asparagus

• Greek yogurt

• String cheese

• Hard-boiled eggs

• Jerky

Healthy Recipe, Soba Noodle Salad

Soba noodles are Japanese noodles made entirely or partially of buckwheat flour, a nutty-tasting gluten-free grain with a similar nutritional profile to whole wheat spaghetti. In this recipe adapted from one in Darlene Schrijver’s “The Salad Lab: Whisk, Toss, Enjoy,” they serve as the base for a hearty salad full of colorful veggies and complex Asian flavors. Serves 6 to 8. RECIPE HERE – Susan Puckett

Dressing:

¼ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons mirin (or 2 tablespoons rice vinegar mixed with 2 teaspoons sugar)
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon powdered)
¼ teaspoon wasabi or red pepper flakes

Salad:

Salt
8 ounces soba noodles
2 teaspoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
1 cup thinly sliced and stemmed shiitake mushrooms
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 cup peeled and shredded carrots
1 cup thinly shredded red cabbage (or any cabbage)
½ cup thinly shaved daikon or other radish
½ cup peeled, cubed, and seeded cucumber
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
3 trimmed and thinly sliced scallions
Roasted Tofu, optional (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons furikake (or crumbled seaweed snack or black sesame seeds)

Make the dressing: In a large salad bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, mirin, miso paste, water, sesame oil, ginger, and wasabi while you prep the salad ingredients.

Make the salad: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles and lightly rinse with cool water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl with the dressing, add the cooled noodles and mushrooms, along with the edamame, carrots, cabbage, radishes, cucumber, bell pepper, scallions, and Roasted Tofu, if using. Sprinkle with furikake and serve.

Roasted Tofu

1 (12-ounce) block extra-firm tofu
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drain the tofu and cut the block horizontally into thirds. Firmly pat all the sides dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, then cut the slices into ½-inch cubes.
In a medium bowl, mix together the orange juice, miso, olive oil, and sesame oil until well blended. Add the tofu and fold the marinade gently onto the tofu, taking care not to break up the cubes.
Spread out the cubes on the prepared baking sheet so they’re not touching and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Roast for 15 minutes, flip the tofu over and roast 15 or 20 minutes longer or until it starts to turn golden brown.
Remove from the oven and transfer the parchment paper with the tofu cubes to a counter to cool for at least 5 minutes. Roasted tofu may be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.

Susan Puckett is an Atlanta-based food writer and cookbook author.

Hear what others are saying!

Their Personal Trainers are wonderful with keeping my 91 year old Mother mobile and fit. Very knowledgeable and skilled at what they do and they make it an enjoyable experience!

Donna Low