Where do you get your protein?

The fat came from fried tofu. I do make a wicked fried tofu, but it's deadly fattening. It's good fat, but c'mon, let's face it, it's fat. My recipe for Southern Fried Tofu is on the web.

It surprises people that I get enough protein, being as I haven't eaten meat, dairy, or eggs since 2000. But never have so many people asked me that since I became a triathlete. Do you know about Scott Jurek, who has shattered records on a plant-based diet? Anyway, protein defficiencies are so rare in the US that most medical specialists wouldn't know it if they saw it. A vegan diet is actually a pretty good one for endurance atheletes.

The 2nd and 3rd questions I'm asked are, what about calcium? what about iron? Iron defficiency is common in women, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I take iron supplements. Calcium is likewise available (one of the most abundant elements on earth, along with iron) in tablet form, and also comes in fortified bread, juices, and I don't have that icky bovine hormone cholesterol aftertaste. Sorry. Ugh.
You'll notice my readout (above) doesn't include cholesterol. There isn't any. My last blood test showed me to have a cholesterol level of 142. Did you know every 1% higher than 150 your cholesterol is raises your chances of having a heart attack 2%. That means that at 200 - that's right - a 100% chance of having a heart attack.

(Misty, stepping gently off her soapbox now...)