Ask a Dietitian: Plant Based Proteins, Managing Cravings, and Mushroom Coffee

In Volume II of our Ask a Dietitian Series, we’re answering our community’s questions about some of the latest health and wellness trends – from eating plant-based proteins, to low carb diets, and even mushroom coffee. In today’s volume, Thistle's Registered Dietitian Dani Levy-Wolins, your new best friend in nutrition, dives in these topics and shares more tips and advice for optimal nutrition. 

Dani is a Registered Dietitian who completed her undergraduate degree at Oregon State, her masters at Northeastern, and her dietetic residency at Alta Bates Summit Hospital in Oakland, CA. Her background is split between geriatric care and sports nutrition, having worked in both nursing homes and athletic facilities. Without further ado, here’s our featured Q&A this month. 

Is there a way to follow a low carb diet when eating Thistle meals?

Our nutrition philosophy leans more towards balance in terms of macronutrients; we use some higher carbohydrate ingredients that are fiber-rich, to promote satiety and stable blood sugar (and therefore energy levels) throughout the day. Thistle does not currently offer a Keto or lower carbohydrate version of our meals, currently. On average, our meal's total carb count will be between 40-65 grams (depending on the meal type and protein type), with a net carbohydrate count of 30-45 grams. For customers in local delivery zones, please feel free to review upcoming meals’ nutrition facts and mix and match meals to best accommodate your dietary needs.

How can I increase my protein intake on a plant-forward diet?

Great question! Many foods contribute to overall protein intake on a plant-based diet - for example, Thistle loves to include ingredients like legumes and pulses (think lentils, chickpeas, black beans etc), soy (think tofu, edamame, tempeh, soy crumbles/textured vegetable protein), higher protein grains (think quinoa, buckwheat), protein isolates (think pea protein) and topping ingredients like nutritional yeast to up our meals’ protein content! Nuts and seeds also add protein to a meal, though they include more fat than protein per gram.  If you include eggs and/or dairy in your diet, ingredients like Greek yogurt (maybe swap for sour cream!) and eggs/egg whites can boost your intake. Lastly, a plant-based protein powder (think soy protein, rice protein, pea protein or hemp protein) can provide an easy source of 20-25 grams of protein per scoop!

Do you have any resources on how to monitor and work through food cravings?

Excellent question, and what a great reminder that our minds and bodies are so interconnected! I think it’s important to trace the root of the craving back to its source to help determine how best to take care of it. Certain tools can help with this; for example, you can try asking yourself if a plate of vegetables appeals to you. If you answer “not so much!” to that question, this may be more of an emotional craving, which may be supported with an outside activity like a walk, gentle stretching, or phone call with a friend. If you want to consume something, a cup of tea, piece of fruit, or a few squares of savored chocolate may be helpful. Additionally, there may be a way to have a small amount of the food you’re craving, while filling up the rest of your plate with fruits, vegetables, and higher protein foods.

What kinds of fats do you use in your meals? Why does Thistle choose to include a large percentage of fats?

Thistle leans on largely unsaturated sources of fat in our meals – you’ll see ingredients like nuts and seeds (and nut and seed butters), oils like high oleic sunflower (or rice bran oil, if sourcing of this ingredient is proving impossible), olive, sesame and avocado oils, avocado, and some coconut products. Fats play numerous essential roles in the body, including temperature regulation, hormone production, satiety and fat-soluble vitamin absorption. Our meals tend to include around 30-40% of total calories from healthy fat sources.

What kinds of foods can I add to Thistle if I’m very active and looking to gain weight?

For very active individuals, Thistle’s meals may not fully cover your needs; adding extra calories to support energy expenditure might be helpful, especially for those looking to add muscle mass. In terms of calories, fats like avocados, nuts and seeds will contribute the most calories per gram, and are therefore easy additions for those who are highly active! Protein is supportive of muscle growth, so add-ons like protein powder/bars, soy and legume products (roasted edamame or chickpeas, anyone?), or hard boiled eggs also make solid choices.

What are the components of a well rounded meal (fats, carbs, etc)? 

While this answer may vary person to person (based on preferences, dietary concerns, activity level, etc), a typical balanced plate consists of at least half the plate as fruits and vegetables, a quarter of it as a protein-rich food (think tofu, chicken, fish, beans, yogurt, etc) and a quarter of it as a starch (think rice, quinoa, bread, pasta, etc.) Feel free to start with these ratios, then tweak to support your needs!

How do I lose weight on Thistle?

Thistle isn’t designed for weight loss per say, though many customers find they lose weight naturally due to the composition of our meals. Many factors play a role in weight loss, though some are universal - for example, high satiety foods (foods that help you feel full!) such as fruits, vegetables and proteins are important in a diet geared towards weight loss, and every Thistle meal includes these! These foods are low in total calories, but high in total volume (fills up your stomach) and high in satiety (they trigger satiety hormones.) In terms of calorie intake, a small calorie deficit (eating slightly less calories than you burn) is also supportive of weight loss, so you can consider the meals and add-ons you order with this in mind. 

Is coffee healthy? What is mushroom coffee, and is it a better alternative to normal coffee?

Coffee has gotten a bad rap in the past for questionable accusations of cardiovascular disease risk promotion; many studies, however, have not found this associated to be true, and in fact, reflect positive health benefits! In this study, coffee (both caff and decaf) was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and liver disease - this is related, at least partially, to unique antioxidants in coffee that are preventive of these disease states. Many sources do recommend limiting your intake to 200mg of caffeine per sitting/400mg of caffeine per day - this looks like 2.5 cups of caffeinated coffee per sitting or around 5 cups total, daily. An up and coming spin on coffee is mushroom-based coffee blends, which combine mushrooms with coffee grounds. Mushrooms are notorious for their health-promotion properties, and don’t impact the taste of your morning cup much. By consuming mushroom coffee, you’d be including more antioxidants and micronutrients than with standard coffee alone, and less caffeine - if either of these align with your goals, then go for it! At the end of the day, our vote is to enjoy mushrooms (and coffee, or mushroom coffee!) in moderate amounts, unless either are medically inadvisable 🙂

Thanks for sending in your questions! If they didn’t make it on the list you’ll receive a private response. 

Do you have a question for Dani? Send us your question and we’ll do our best to include a response in our Ask A Dietitian series next month!