This week I’m sharing one of my favorite weekly meals with members, SLB Rice & Beans. It's easy to make, has a delish creamy risotto-like feel and it's perfect for fueling your body with the exact balance of "complete protein," meaning it contains everything your body needs to function well. A little more about complete proteins…

What is a Complete Protein?
In case you don’t already know, a complete protein contains a full lineup of nine essential amino acids our bodies can’t create, so we must get them from what we eat. In addition to whole grain and bean combos, you can also get protein from fish, lean meats, and plant sources like nuts, lentils, and seeds (however, most of those plant-protein sources alone are "incomplete" proteins). 

What you need to know about protein:
Each protein in our body is made up of 20 amino acids, and 11 of those we can create in our systems, but the other nine we need to get from food sources. So that is where the word "essential" comes from since it's essential that we eat them on a regular basis.

Brown Rice Is Best:
Most of the world eats white rice. It’s inexpensive to grow, easy to cook and filling. Is it processed? Yes, kinda like pasta. Both white rice and white pasta are pretty much the same in terms of nutritional content. One third of a cup of cooked rice and cooked pasta (which is one carb serving) contains about the same amount of calories, carbohydrate, protein, fat, sodium and potassium.Will it kill you? No, but processed foods cause inflammation (bloat). Brown and wild rice has more fiber and nutrients than white rice, so I always recommend brown rice with your SLB rice and beans. It’s unprocessed and contains both the bran and germ which makes it a complex carbohydrate, so it takes your body longer to break  down, keeps your insulin response lower, and your bod bangin'.