More families turning to vegetarian meals

Animal Advocates Watchdog

http://tinyurl.com/3mpcxr
Samara Felesky-Hunt, For The Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Lately, more people in my nutrition practice have been asking for advice on incorporating vegetarian meals into their diets.

Certainly with the recent listeria outbreak and the growing concern about the use of hormones in meats and antibiotics in poultry, the veggie movement is on the rise.

Not only are individuals making the move to more vegetarian-based meals, but so are entire families.

Foods to Ease the Transition

There are many different ways to plan a healthy vegetarian diet. The most important rule is to include a wide variety of whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits in different meals. Nuts and seeds also may be included for healthy fats, as well a s for protein. Vegetarian meals may also include eggs and low-fat dairy products, depending on how strict you want to go. (Vegans eat no animal products, including honey, dairy or eggs.) Experimentation with new foods such as bulgur wheat or adzuki beans can provide nutritional benefits as well as enhance your eating enjoyment.

Some people decide to go vegetarian all at once. Others prefer to include a half dozen vegetarian meals a week for more of a gradual approach.

Including a few vegetarian meals every week allows a comfortable transition and gives you time to find plenty of new ways to meet nutrient needs.

The goal is to make nutritionally sound changes that you can live with. If your usual eating pattern has often included animal foods, and you are ready to move toward eating more beans and lentils, the following suggestions may help ease the transition.

Take Stock of Yo ur Current Diet

Make a list of the foods and menus that you normally eat. Identify the foods and meals that are vegetarian and build a foundation from these. Some examples you may be already including are spaghetti with tomato sauce, bean burritos and vegetarian sandwiches.

The next step is to change it up a bit and include plant protein. Add a can of chickpeas or sauteed tofu to your spaghetti sauce, try black beans instead of lard-laden refried beans in your burrito and add hummus as a spread to your veggie sandwich.

Another tip is to plan ahead to eat vegetarian meals on a certain day of the week -- say, meatless Mondays --to help make menu planning easier.

Next, add more vegetarian meals by revising favourite meat-based recipes.

Take your recipes and replace half of the meat or poultry with canned beans, lentils or sauteed ground round (soy protein with a hamburger texture).

The next step is to fully replace the animal protein with plant protein. About three ounces (90 grams) of meat is easily replaced with one-half cup (125 mL) of beans.

Another idea is to try adding more beans or lentils to favourite rice dishes or salads to get a feel for the variety of textures and flavours that beans can offer. Replace refined carbohydrates with whole grains and boost the nutrients and protein in your meals. Experiment with whole grains such as quinoa or bulgur wheat, or venture into alternative pastas made with Kamut or spelt.

Make a List of Vegetarian Meals to Eat Away From Home

Do an inventory of your options at the office cafeteria, nearby restaurants, take-outs and convenience stores for vegetarian dishes that you may enjoy. Look for vegetarian soups, stews and chilies. Pick up a vegetarian pizza or enjoy naan bread with dahl (lentil puree) at an East Indian restaurant. For snacks, pick up or bring with you a peanut butter and banana sandwich, bean dips with pita bread or crackers or a trail mix containing an assortment of nuts and seeds.

Trimming Dairy Foods

Calcium is found in a wide variety of plant foods and it's easy to obtain adequate calcium without including dairy foods in your diet. If you choose to eliminate dairy, it's is a good idea to identify other foods that provide calcium and to start including them. Good choices are calcium-fortified soy milk, cereals and orange juice, tofu, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, almond butter, figs and tahini.

Make Meal Planning Easy

Most people think of meat first when it comes to meal planning. Instead of thinking about a meat replacement, think in terms of including a wide variety of grains. Grains should play the biggest role in the diet so consid er grain-based entrees as often as possible. Find an orange barley casserole or quinoa, lime salad recipe and then think how you can add legumes, vegetables and/or fruits.

Or another way to look at it is to plan a meal around a vegetable. A baked acorn squash can be a hearty entree when stuffed with wild rice and navy beans. A sweet potato puree can be wonderful on top of a grilled portobello mushroom.

Variety Is the Best Insurance

To ensure that your vegetarian diet is healthy, focus more on healthy foods that fit into a vegetarian plan instead worrying about foods to avoid. Accentuate the positives and be relaxed about protein. As long as calories are sufficient and the diet is varied, vegetarians can easily meet their protein needs. Whole grains, beans, lentils, split peas, vegetables and nuts all provide protein to the diet. And be sure to enjoy healthy fats to such as olive oil, avocado, seeds an d salad dressings.