Q. My child is fourteen years old and recently decided to become a vegetarian. How can I be sure that they will grow up healthy and strong?

A. Getting all the vitamins, nutrients, and protein your body requires as a vegetarian adolescent is a lot easier than people think. Read chapter 17 for more information on raising healthy vegetarians.

Q. How do you know if food contains dairy or meat?

A. It’s not always easy to know whether the food you are eating contains dairy or meat products, especially if you don’t cook the meal yourself. Browse chapter 8 for more information on identifying hidden animal products.

Q. What do I buy at the grocery store besides salad for vegetarian meals?

A. There are far more food options for vegetarians than people think. Browse chapter 12 for more information on stocking your meatless kitchen with healthy, tasty, and nutritional vegetarian items.

Q. How can I be sure that my body is getting everything it needs on a vegetarian diet?

A. This is probably one of the biggest concerns for people who convert to vegetarianism. You can easily get everything your body needs (even protein!) on a vegetarian diet. Just take a glance at chapter 5, and brush up on vegetarian nutrition.

Q. Can I lose weight on a vegetarian diet?

A. There are many different reasons why people choose to become vegetarians. One of those reasons is to live a healthier lifestyle and lose weight. Browse chapter 10 for key tips on how to lose weight and balance your eating habits on a vegetarian diet. You can also take a look at chapter 11 to read up on the importance of exercise.

Q. What do I do if I crave meat?

A. Sticking to a vegetarian diet can be hard for those individuals who are just starting out on their vegetarian lifestyle. For tips and advice on how to stay on track, take a look at chapter 4 on how to get started on your journey and at chapter 8 on how to avoid setbacks, find support, and resist cravings.

Q. I’m a high school student and a vegetarian. What can I do about eating lunch in the cafeteria?

A. Maintaining your vegetarian lifestyle at school and/or at work can be somewhat of a challenge, especially if your food options are limited. Browse chapter 9, and you’ll find ways to enjoy vegetarian options at restaurants, on the road, at work, and in the school cafeteria!

Q. How can I make vegetarian meals that taste good?

A. There is a common misconception that all vegetarian meals are tasteless. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Browse chapter 13 for some great (and delicious!) vegetarian recipes to get you started!

Q. How can I stay an active and competitive athlete on a vegetarian diet?

A. Athletic vegetarians are often concerned about not being able to perform at a high level without the added protein from meat and eggs. Take a look at chapter 16 on how to eat well and be active at the same time. There are vegetarian athletes all over the world!

Q. How can I get my whole family involved?

A. Involving your entire family can be a bit of a challenge. When it’s just you, sticking to a vegetarian lifestyle is much easier. But when you have a spouse and/or kids to think about, you have to be able to compromise. Browse chapters 8 and 17 for tips about coping in a meat-eating family and raising a family on a vegetarian diet.

Q. Is drinking milk against vegetarian principles, and are dairy products good or bad?

A. No, there are vegetarians who still eat dairy products. For more information about the pros and cons of dairy, take a look at chapter 15. I would advise you to stay away from dairy products whenever possible. If you’re just starting out, it’s okay to consume it sometimes, but later your body will learn to reject dairy because it’s just not for human consumption! That’s the reason why vegans don’t consume dairy products either.

Q. How do you make your co-workers accept your vegetarianism?

A. Managing your vegetarianism at work can be tricky. Read up on this and other social/work situations in chapter 19. You can learn how to create a support environment both at home and at the office.

Q. What does it really mean to be a vegetarian, and how will it benefit my overall health?

A. Being a vegetarian will not only be healthy for you physically, it will also be healthy for you on a mental, spiritual, and emotional level. Read chapter 2 to gain a better understanding about the history of vegetarianism. Then, read chapter 3 to learn how being a vegetarian is not only beneficial to you but also to our planet. Chapter 7 will also give you a better understanding on how you will be a healthier and happier individual by becoming a vegetarian.

Q. What if I want to have my family and friends over for a holiday meal? As a vegetarian, how can I cook something that we all can enjoy?

A. Holiday meals present a great opportunity to experiment with different vegetarian recipes. Read chapter 18 to learn more about planning dinner parties with friends or cooking a holiday meal that the whole family is sure to enjoy. You’ll quickly see that it’s not as difficult as you may think!

Q. Are soy products bad for you?

A. Soy products have been the subject of many scientific studies lately, and the results are not good. While tempeh is fine to eat in moderation, other soy products (like soy milk) should not be consumed on a regular basis. Read chapter 14 to learn more about soy products and why you should avoid them and choose other meat alternatives instead.

Q. How do I deal with this argument from a friend: If we don’t kill the animals, there would be too many of them, and they will roam the world!

A. The reason why there are now trillions of animals in our planet is because we made them. The cows are inseminated again right after they have done giving birth; if humans are treated this way, each family would have probably twenty to thirty children. No wonder there are so many animals on this planet. The same applies to chicken, fishes, ducks, pigs, and all meat-factory animals.

Remember, our resources are being used on them, instead of on humans. The more animals there are, the less we can use our resources to solve our planet’s problems.

Q. Whatever the question is …

A. Always answer the question with a common ground, using examples such as the water problem that we are currently facing in this world and the changing climate that comes down hard on food production and adversely affects our future. Explain that meat industry is one of the most destructive industries on the planet because it clears more than 50 percent forests around the world. A major portion of the world’s crops are being fed to animals instead of humans.

You can also explain how going vegetarian could save people’s lives and help them avoid huge hospital bills. Looking at the statistics, it is clear that if we do what others do, we will end up like them. Only by changing our diet is it possible to avoid becoming one of the statistics.

If you explain it like this, the listener would have to agree with you because there’s nothing that they can debate on. Never start with the issue of killing or not killing animals because if you do so, people can get aggressive.

Actually, even as vegans, we kill animals all the time. There are thousands of insects and other small animals that get killed in the process by which we get our fruits, vegetables, and other natural foods. The most we can do is just minimize the killings, but not stop it altogether. It’s impossible to live without somehow killing small living beings. Therefore, don’t use the above argument.

Answer in a way that creates mutual understanding between you and your listener. By explaining the health benefits they would get by eating more fruits and vegetables, you are helping them to live healthier and be less vulnerable to chronic diseases. They’ll be thankful to you as long as you answer any questions they have in a nonjudgmental way. Nobody likes to be judged! Nor should we presume to do so!

Remember that every time you answer questions about being a vegetarian, you are actually making others’ lives much better, for many people don’t know that what they consider their “normal” diet is actually harming them!

So be happy about it!

You’re making a difference in almost every new person you meet. What a huge blessing it is when you think about it!

So smile—because you deserve it.

Enjoy!

Rudy Hadisentosa

You don’t have to do it right this minute, of course. But many, many vegetarians find that it’s easier to maintain their lifestyle if they have the support of others who share the same values. As you now know, there are many reasons for becoming vegetarian, and people have all sorts of different reasons for making the switch; and you may find that there’s a lot to learn by discovering the viewpoint of other vegetarians.

Even if you choose to travel this path alone, you’re an ambassador for vegetarianism. Your family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers will see you as an example of meatless living, and as you meet more people and have more unique experiences of your own, your outlook, appearance, and behavior will—for better or worse—be seen as that of a vegetarian person. So, why not become the best vegetarian that you can be?

First Impressions

Whether we like it or not, our appearance and actions are judged by others. If you’re telling a co-worker about the barbaric treatment of cows in factory farms while eating a cheese sandwich or discussing karma and you’re wearing leather shoes, your audience may see you as a hypocrite. That’s not to say that you can’t be a good vegetarian and eat cheese or wear leather, but that you need to be aware of when your actions and your words aren’t in alignment.

Always practice good hygiene and dress neatly. Don’t play into society’s prejudices by exemplifying the stereotype of the dirty hippy. If you’re clean, neat, and appropriately dressed, the people that you deal with will think, “Hey, you’re just like me!” They’ll hear your message because they relate to you, rather than being turned off due to their own preconceptions.

Making the Connection

If you live in a small town, it may be difficult for you to find other vegetarians to talk to about the lifestyle. But don’t give up! If you have a college or university in your town, there’s probably a vegetarian group on campus—higher education and vegetarianism often go hand-in-hand. Watch for notices of vegetarian group meetings posted on bulletin boards at colleges, schools, and community centers, as well as libraries, supermarkets, and other public places. Check out the ads in your local newspaper and look for natural food stores, bookstores, or other shops that support alternative lifestyles. Visit them, and ask questions; in a small town, word of mouth is invaluable.

The Internet is also a great resource for vegetarians. There are hundreds of online groups, including message boards and recipe-swap sites, geared toward vegetarians. Not only are they a good source of discussion and community, they may be able to connect you with vegetarians in your own area. If you aren’t aware of it, Seventh-Day Adventists are vegetarian, so if there’s a vegetarian group in your area, the church probably knows about it.

If you still find yourself coming up short, take the initiative and start your own group! It’s highly unlikely that you’re the only vegetarian where you live, even in a rural area or a very small town. Take out a newspaper ad and throw a potluck at your home or local community center. You may be pleasantly surprised by how many people show up! Once you’ve got a group together, start a regular event where you all eat out at local restaurants. You’ll not only help your community by supporting restaurants that cater to vegetarian diners, you may also encourage other local businesses to take vegetarians into consideration when planning their menus.

As a newcomer to vegetarianism, you’ll probably find it helpful to socialize with others who share your point of view. Even the most well-meaning friends can be less than supportive of a lifestyle change, because they think they already know who you are and what you like. But by making connections with others who feel the same way, you’ll not only broaden your own social network, you’ll have a valuable resource for asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning about other approaches to vegetarian eating.

Getting Active

As you’ve learned more about the ethical reasons for becoming a vegetarian, you may find yourself wanting to do something a bit more proactive—like joining an animal rights organization or working to promote meat-free eating in your community. The fist step is to assess how you’ll fit this into your already busy life. If you have a full-time job and a family, you’re already struggling to make time for your partner, your friends, your work, and your leisure activities. Do you have time to devote to activism? Take a hard look at all the responsibilities you juggle, and figure out how much of your day-to-day chores you can shift to your spouse, co-workers, and others to allow you time for activism.

One way to manage this is to try and incorporate activist activities into the existing areas of your life. You can share a video on factory farming practices with your church group, for example, or ask your employer if they would consider supporting an animal rights organization at a local event.

Always pick your battles carefully. There are a lot of terrible things going on in the world, and you’re just one person. It’s better to make a real difference on one issue than to spread yourself so thin that you’re ineffective at all of them. Your activism could be as simple as starting a vegetarian support group or helping out at an animals rescue group, or as intensive as becoming a full-time PETA volunteer. But choose your fight, and devote yourself fully to it.

The important thing is to think carefully about how you can realistically work activism into your life. You’re going to be a vegetarian for years, and excited as you may be right now to jump into serious activism, if you burn yourself out by adding even more activities to a busy life, you’ll be shortchanging yourself and everyone else. You have a lot of time; do what you can, when you can, and you’re still doing a lot more to help the world than most people!

Consider Other Ways You Can Go Green

Once you start eating ethically, it’s a short hop to thinking about your other habits that harm the earth. You may not want to adopt a 100 percent sustainable lifestyle—and, frankly, in today’s world, it’s almost impossible to do so—but there are a number of ways that you can lessen your impact on the environment in addition to your vegetarian lifestyle:

Reduce, reuse, recycle. When you buy new products, ask yourself: Do I really need this? Is there another product which would do the same thing but with less impact on the environment? Will this last a long time? Are the materials used to make this renewable? Buy items that are durable, maintain them, and have them repaired if possible. If you don’t need something that’s taking up space in your home, give it to someone who does! And recycle whenever possible to cut down on matter going to landfills.

Treasure your resources, and cut back on waste. Fix your leaky faucets, toilets, or water pipes, and install water-saving faucets. Conserve fuel by turning down the heat at night and when you’re away from your home, or install a programmable thermostat. Insulate your home against heat loss, and periodically check insulation. Avoid driving; walk, cycle, or use public transportation whenever possible. Use recycled batteries for appliances that require them. Buy locally; it’s good for the local economy, and it saves energy because it hasn’t traveled far to get to you.

Use less toxic substances in your home. Use nontoxic cleaning alternatives in your home. Buy furniture made from natural fibers, wood, metal, and glass. Avoid the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in your home, including shower curtains, flooring, and children’s toys. Avoid the use of aerosol sprays.

Be responsible with your waste. Don’t put toxic household wastes such as paint, paint thinner, and antifreeze in the garbage or down the drain. Check with your local waste facility for proper disposal. Take your own bags to the grocery store, and use plastic bags until they’re completely worn out. Avoid excess packaging, and always use reusable products rather than disposable ones—plates, napkins, mugs, lunch containers, batteries, pens, and razors.

Go green at work. Print on both sides of the paper you use, and reduce the number of copies you print. Buy recycled, chlorine-free paper, and have a recycling box under your desk for used paper goods. Buy a permanent mesh coffee filter instead of buying disposable paper filters. Encourage your workplace to use alternative cleaning materials. Use refillable pens and pencils rather than disposable ones. Walk, ride a bike, use public transit, or carpool to work.

Conserve in the kitchen. Your refrigerator uses more energy than any other appliance in your home, so try to keep energy use to a minimum. Keep the temperature of the main body between 38–42°F and that of the freezer at 0–5°F. Open the refrigerator door less frequently, and clean the condenser coils at least once a year. Use electric kettles to boil water—they use half the energy as boiling water on the stove. Avoid storing food in plastic; use reusable glass containers for storing food in the refrigerator. Never microwave food in a plastic container; even microwavable plastics can leech chemicals into your food when heated. Buy food in bulk whenever possible, as it’s cheaper and uses less packaging. Look for products made from recycled materials, and use cloth instead of paper napkins and towels.

You’re On Your Way!

Thomas Edison once said, “Nonviolence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”

You’ve made a wise decision by choosing a vegetarian lifestyle. Enjoy the new world of interesting foods that you’ll discover, and be proud of yourself for taking an ethical, responsible path through life’s great journey. It will be a fulfilling and healthful adventure that you’ll enjoy for years to come. You will look back at this decision and be glad that you made it!

You realize that instead of spending your money on hospital bills, you can enjoy your golden years with your loved ones with great vitality! Not so many people are this fortunate!

You realize that the planet is in better shape because of your decision. You can look at younger generations in the eyes, without saying, “I’m sorry I made this mess.”

You realize that more food and water is available for humans because of your decision. And they’re grateful for it. So are the animals!

You just know that you made a really good decision. And you can’t hold your smiles every time this comes to your mind. It’s a victory for you, your loved ones, the planet, and the animals. And I want to congratulate you for that.

Congratulations, my friend!

Sincerely,

Rudy Hadisentosa

Consider the effect of a nonvegetarian society on the planet:

Water and soil damage. Two hundred and sixty million acres of U.S. forests have disappeared, to make room for cropland to farm meat. Producing one pound of beef requires at least 2,500 gallons of water. The manufacture of a single hamburger patty takes enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 25 miles. It takes less water to produce a year’s worth of food for a vegetarian than to produce one month’s food for a nonvegetarian. Factory farms damage the environment in addition to the horrors they commit on the animals that they raise and slaughter. They use large quantities of fossil fuels and fresh water, and pollute the earth in return.

In 2000, the World Commission on Water predicted that the increase in water use in the future due to rising population will “impose intolerable stresses on the environment, leading not only to a loss of biodiversity, but also to a vicious circle in which the stresses on the ecosystem will no longer provide the necessary services for plants and people.” Ideas like that haven’t disappeared nearly a decade later. By 2050, 59 percent of the world population will face some type of water shortage according to a 2009 study by the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Did you know that 85 percent American topsoil—over five billion tons—is lost annually due to the raising of livestock, and twenty-six billion tons of topsoil is lost annually on agricultural land worldwide? In the United States, one-third of the cropland has been permanently destroyed due to excessive soil erosion. By switching to a vegetarian diet, you alone spare an acre of trees every year.

Millions of acres of forests and wetlands have been leveled and drained to create pastures to feed the animals butchered for meat, destroying habitats for wildlife and disrupting the ecological balance. Irrigation of these pastures and croplands uses vast quantities of water, our most precious resource, and the water that runs off these lands takes with it irreplaceable topsoil, turning millions of acres of lush cropland into desert. Along with waste products from factory farming and slaughterhouses, runoff from agribusinesses contributes more pollution than all other human activities combined. The natural waste produced each year by the dairy cows in the 50-square-mile area of California’s Chino Basin, for example, would make a pile with the dimension of a football field. When it rains heavily, dairy manure is washed straight down into the Santa Ana River and into the aquifer that supplies half of Orange County’s drinking water.

A cultural shift toward vegetarianism would mean fewer animals in factory farms and feedlots, far less manure produced, and far cleaner water. It would also mean that our water would be healthier and far less likely to contain dangerous pathogens from animal waste. It would be a major step toward restoring the life-giving waters of our planet. The choices we make directly affect our water supply, both on the earth and in our bodies. Every time you eat plant foods instead of meat, you are helping to reduce water pollution. Each of us is responsible for our own actions.

Depletion of rain forests. Between 1960 and 1985, nearly 40 percent of all Central American rain forests were destroyed to create pasture for beef cattle. That destruction, unfortunately, didn’t end with the passing of the millennium. Experts now suggest the remaining rain forests will be eliminated over the course of the next forty years. As the primary source of oxygen for the entire planet, the survival of the rain forests is inextricably linked with the survival of mankind. The unique flora and fauna found in the rain forests provide ingredients for many medicines used to treat and cure human illnesses, and scientists are continuing to find new medicines as they discover new plants available only in these regions; yet approximately one thousand species go extinct every year due to destruction of tropical rain forests. By destroying the rain forests, we may be destroying the chance to cure AIDS, cancer, or influenza.

Poison in the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels creates two-thirds of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, and two hundred gallons of fossil fuel are burned to produce the beef currently eaten by the average American family of four each year. Burning two hundred gallons of fossil fuel releases two tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; by switching to a vegetarian diet, you’re cutting back on the amount of pollution in the air. In 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report that global warming was a much more serious issue than they had originally thought, five years previously. Newer reports indicate that the next century is likely to bring about a 2.7 to 11 degree change, causing massive alteration in weather patters and natural global disasters. Studies have shown that the year 2019 (which is right around the corner!) is the last turning point we can make to fight global warming. After that, the trend would be irreversible, which means complete disaster for mankind! The ice that is normally present in places like Greenland could melt completely. If Greenland ice does melt completely, it will increase sea level worldwide by at least seven meters, which would mean disaster to coastal cities like New York and Boston. The need for change in the way we eat and treat our planet has never been more urgent.

Poison in the workplace. The air inside factory farms contains a dangerous combination of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, bacteria, and decomposing fecal matter. A joint study by the University of Iowa and the American Lung Association concluded that 70 percent of the workers in indoor facilities on factory pig farms experience symptoms of respiratory illness. Chronic bronchitis is suffered by over 50 percent of all swine confinement workers, which is three times that of farmers who work in outdoor facilities. The turnover rate of workers in these conditions is understandably very high, and in some cases, the owners of the factory farms have had to sell their businesses because they themselves were unable to work in their own farms.

Consider this the next time you’re complaining about your job: the decomposing waste from pigpens is collected in pits below, causing a build-up of hydrogen sulfide. According to the American Lung Association report, “Animals have died and workers have become seriously ill in confinement buildings. Several workers have died when entering a pit during or soon after the emptying process to repair pumping equipment. Persons attempting to rescue these workers have also died.” The pigs living in these conditions breathe those toxic fumes every minute of their short lives. Animals living in these conditions regularly contract pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses—yet another reason why they’re pumped full of antibiotics.

Economics. Raising animals for food is—to put it bluntly—a stupid way to feed a hungry world. Livestock in the United States consume enough grain and soybeans to feed more than five times the nation’s population. One acre of pasture produces an average of 165 pounds of beef; the same acre could produce twenty thousand pounds of potatoes. If Americans reduced their consumption of meat by just 10 percent, it would save twelve million tons of grain annually. That much grain could feed sixty million people each year.

Eating Ethically

In reading this book, I hope that you’ve garnered some important ideas about why it makes good sense for your health and for the environment to live a vegetarian lifestyle. But there’s another, very important reason: eating meat is, for lack of a better word, immoral.

All animals are living creatures with thoughts and emotions. They feel pain, just like you do. Vegans and vegetarians believe that animals are sensitive beings, not just things to be grown and slaughtered as we see fit. Vegans follow the strictest lifestyle in this regard and, even if you’re not yet ready to take that path, it’s worth considering the choices they make. Vegans don’t eat anything from animal origin, including meat, eggs, dairy products, and honey. They don’t wear leather or wool, and they don’t use products made by companies that experiment on animals. They “walk the talk,” as the saying goes, living by their principles and eschewing all products that involve the death and suffering of animals.

Every year, billions of animals—sensitive, sentient beings that feel intense pain and suffering — are transformed into food products in a world where we can very easily get all the nutrition we need from plant foods. Their misery is completely unnecessary. We do not need to kill animals to live, we kill animals simply because we believe we have the right to do so. Vegans and vegetarians can’t stop these atrocities from happening, but they can refuse to participate in the process.

It’s no coincidence that many of the world’s great religions have espoused vegetarianism as part of the journey to enlightenment. There are stories of great spiritual leaders who had the road in front of them gently swept as they walked so that they wouldn’t accidentally step on an insect on the road. Some spiritually advanced Yogis have evolved their morals to the point where they can’t bear to swat a mosquito. The progress of moral values is a long evolution, begun when a small minority of people adopted values which would eventually be adopted by the rest of society. If you have natural empathy for animals and if you can’t bear to eat their flesh, then live by the courage of your convictions; display your feelings and empathy for animals by refusing to contribute to their suffering.

Beautiful Inside and Outside

Eating a vegetarian diet will help you live longer, as you’re avoiding foods that create free radicals in your system which hasten the aging process. You’ll look younger longer because of this, and your skin and hair will glow with good health. But the biggest beauty benefit is the one that comes from within—the radiance that comes from living an ethical, more spiritual life.

You don’t have to be religious to be spiritual. You don’t even have to believe in any sort of divine power. But take a moment to think about the connection between the great religions and respect for animals.

There’s a reason that so many people who are concerned about man’s warring nature are also vegetarians. When you are conscious that animals have souls—that they’re alive, and conscious, and feel pain—how can you kill them unnecessarily? If you believe that animals think and feel and suffer, then you believe in the soul and, therefore, that all living things are spiritual in essence.

On a more pragmatic note, animals are tortured in terrible ways in slaughterhouses. Pigs scream in fear, often dropping dead due to heart attack because of the terror they experience on the killing floor. The adrenalin produced in these animals’ bodies when they’re under such intense stress permeates every part of them, producing toxins that are passed on into the animal products that nonvegetarians consume. People who eat meat produced under such conditions can’t help but be affected by them—and they, in turn, interact with the people around them while these substances are in their own bodies.

The Karma Connection

Some Buddhists, who believe in the concept of karma, are not vegetarians. It’s certainly recommended for them to avoid eating meat, but not required. Many Buddhists around the world choose a vegetarian lifestyle, though, because they feel strongly that it connects to the laws of karma.

In a nutshell, karma is the concept that what goes around comes around. If, as individuals, we want to bring peace, harmony, and unity to the world, it simply doesn’t make sense to contribute to the world’s violence by killing animals. Violence breeds violence, whether it’s the killing of animals, muggings in the street, murders, or wars between nations. The Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer once asked, “How can we pray to God for mercy if we ourselves have no mercy? How can we speak of rights and justice if we take an innocent creature and shed its blood? I personally believe that as long as human beings will go on shedding the blood of animals, there will never be any peace.”

Buddhists believe that we affect and are affected by a collective karma. Karma works like a spiritual bank account—if you’ve caused bad karma, you’ll be reborn as a lesser being, like an animal or a demon. If you live a moral life, however, and spread good karma during your time on earth, you’ll be reborn as a human—or even, should you attain enlightenment, a Buddha. The Buddha once said, “… if in the process of repayment, the lives of other beings were taken or their flesh eaten, then it will start a cycle of mutual devouring and slaughtering that will send the debtors and creditors up and down endlessly.”

As one story goes, a disciple of the Buddha asked a man why he kept buying meat from the butcher. The man replied that he bought meat because the butcher kept selling meat. So the disciple then asked the butcher why he sold meat, and the butcher answered that he did so because the man kept buying it. The Buddha said that both men were lacking in compassion and wisdom.

Supply and demand is the foundation of economy. The cycle of meat consumption and animal slaughtering is a complex network of interdependence. By becoming a vegetarian, you’re doing your part to stop the violence.

Making Healthy Food Choices for the Planet

Everything—every animal, plant, and person—is interconnected. What you choose to eat not only affects your body, it affects the planet and every living thing on it as well. We may believe that it is the economy that provides us with food, air, water, and energy. The truth is that it’s the earth that provides us with all of these things. And if we continue to abuse the earth in such a way, those things that we have taken for granted will eventually cease to exist. We will undermine our own survival if we continue to pollute the air and water, destroy natural rain forests, and produce destructive greenhouses gasses. Thankfully, an environmental awareness movement is taking place. People are more aware of how they treat the planet, and this includes what they choose to eat.

Consider this: is a quarter pound of hamburger worth a half ton of Brazil’s rain forest? Or perhaps 67 square feet of rain forest is a little too much to pay for one hamburger. Put in that context, that one hamburger pales in comparison. We need the earth’s forests more than we need a hamburger fix. They are the source of oxygen for every life on the planet. They regulate our climates, prevent floods, and check soil erosion. They recycle and purify our water. They provide wood for paper and buildings and fires. We need our forests to survive. Recycling is only half of the battle. Cutting down meat consumption from cattle farms and the like, is the other half.

If we eat less meat, the majority of land out west in the United States could be used as a sustainable, environmentally friendly resource, rather than for cattle farming. Large solar energy and wind-power facilities could be built instead, generating enormous amounts of energy without the side effect of pollution. Land that isn’t used could serve as a natural wildlife refuge and habitat. Any shift toward a vegetarian lifestyle would have an immense positive impact, not only on the country but also on the world. Life would continue for many species on the cusp of extinction.

The Future for Food, People, and Earth

There is far more at stake here than some people care to realize. Becoming a vegetarian is only a key element to the overall picture. Whether we embrace what is occurring or not, the choices we make (as individuals and as a whole) will have a profound effect on the future of our species and on earth. When you make the choice to respect the food on our planet, you are choosing to help uphold the spirit, natural beauty, and interconnectedness of the earth. You become an integral part in the preservation of all life forms and will help to build a healthier and more sustainable future for generations to come.

Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time to turn things around for our planet and our human race. According to many scientific research studies, and a documentary called Home, we have only until 2019 before we pass the point of no return. This means that we have to act now. Every time you choose to eat plant-based foods instead of meat, you are making a conscious choice to help the environment. It is as if you are taking the time to plant trees every day of your life in order to create a greener and a much healthier future for life everywhere. Choosing to eat consciously now will allow the children of the future to learn to live harmoniously with the natural ecosystems of the world. We can save the world, one vegetarian at a time.

Making your new lifestyle work at home and in the office requires a lot of flexibility, good humor, and planning. By this point though, you should feel up to the task. You’ve made excellent choices for your health and your future, and how you integrate them into the rest of your life will not only affect your relationships, but also how others view vegetarianism.

Nonvegetarians and Vegetarians—Managing a Mixed Marriage

All marriages are about compromise. You choose someone to spend the rest of your life with and, as time passes, you often find yourselves negotiating to find a middle ground that you can live with. One of you is messy, the other is neat. He loves reality television, she adores opera. One partner may be a social butterfly, but the other’s happy to stay home every night with a good book. Married couples figure out how to adapt to such differences, and a vegetarian/nonvegetarian marriage has to negotiate many more obstacles than most.

It’s understandable, when you’re single and dating, to believe that the ideal partner will share all of your values. But that’s unrealistic. No two individuals are exactly alike, and the day-to-day struggle of paying bills, doing laundry, getting to work, and raising children can sometimes make even the smallest difference seem enormous. As the popularity of vegetarianism increases, so do the number of mixed marriages between nonvegetarians and vegetarians. You and your spouse may agree on a lot of things, but still disagree on how to eat.

The key to making it work is acceptance of each other’s choices. If you judge your spouse harshly for not joining you in your vegetarian journey, you may be turning them off entirely and closing the door to them making that step themselves in the future. No one likes to be told that they’re going the wrong way, particularly if they’re simply eating the same diet as most of the other people they see every day.

Try to keep in mind that your choice to become vegetarian was a personal one, and it has to be the same for them too. You can’t control what your spouse eats, but you can control how you behave toward him or her.

Cherish the issues in your marriage that you agree on. There are probably far more of those than there are issues on which you don’t see eye to eye.

Acknowledge that your spouse’s diet isn’t meant to hurt you. If your partner eats meat, it isn’t a choice designed to make your life unhappy or more complicated. Try to respect his or her decision, whether it is based on ethical principles, on convenience, or on habit.

Try to get your partner to compromise on certain foods. See if you can get them to eat meat-free hot dogs, veggie burgers, and nondairy cheese at home.

Never attack your spouse’s point of view, especially in public. Belittling your partner will only cause them to be resentful and more resistant to vegetarianism.

Try to find restaurants where you can eat together. Choose venues that offer both meat dishes and vegetarian options, so that you can enjoy a fine meal together.

Play an active role in shopping and preparing meals. Cook a variety of tasty, appealing meals so that your partner can see that the diet isn’t boring. Buy a few cookbooks, and try new recipes to keep things interesting.

Be a positive role model. Allow your cheerful attitude and good health to serve as an example of how great vegetarianism can be.

Don’t talk endlessly about your diet. If your partner is interested, the subject will come up naturally; don’t lecture.

If you’ve agreed not to eat meat at home, accept that your spouse may eat meat sometimes when he or she is not with you. Again, you can’t control what they eat, and nagging doesn’t help.

Eating together is one of the greatest pleasures of any relationship. Negotiate a menu plan that’s acceptable to both of you, and then enjoy your meals together!

Being Vegetarian at Work

If you work in a corporate environment, food is as much a part of your job as voicemail, computers, and fluorescent lighting. Lunch is where you network, make deals, and discuss contracts. Looking and acting professional in such situations is vital.

As a vegetarian, this can pose a unique challenge. If everyone around you is ordering steak or chicken Caesar salads and you’re not eating much, it can call undue attention to your eating habits. Suddenly, no one’s talking about the deal; they’re talking about why you aren’t eating your lunch!

More and more people are choosing vegetarian lifestyles, but that doesn’t mean that being a vegetarian at work is easy. You’ve made a lifestyle choice dictated by your health and your ethics, but you have to walk the fine line of also fitting in with your colleagues. After all, if you’re too independent a thinker, they might not believe that you’re still a team player. When you’re at work, you want the focus to be on your work, not on what you eat. The same grace, good humor, and tact that you use to deal with family and friends are even more important in the workplace.

Answering Questions and Looking Professional

Most of the time, nobody’s going to care if you order a cheese omelet rather than ham and eggs. Sometimes, however, the comments made about what you ordered will be pointed, and they can even be just plain rude. If you’ve brought along a tempeh-and-pita sandwich and your colleague in the next cubicle tells you it looks disgusting, or if somebody at a power lunch says something insulting because you’ve ordered a hummus plate instead of a club sandwich, your best strategy is to simply act surprised that they care so much about what you eat. It deflects the obnoxious behavior and puts it in perspective. Why do they care so much about your food, anyway?

This is another situation in which you should be prepared to answer questions honestly but politely, while keeping your answers short. As we’ve mentioned already, you don’t want the focus to be on your diet, nor do you want to come off as lecturing. At this point you should already know the answers to common questions, but let’s review:

“So, what can you eat?” Tell them the truth, but downplay the tofu and tempeh. You can eat almost anything, after all, and if you tell them that, it’ll put their minds at ease. “Most of the same things you eat—pizza, spaghetti, burritos—just without the meat,” is always a good answer.

“Why did you become a vegetarian?” How you answer this depends on how well you know the person asking the question and how much personal detail you feel comfortable sharing with co-workers. Often, it’s best to highlight the health benefits of vegetarianism. Sure, you could go into details about factory farming, the environment, and the ethics of eating sentient creatures, but most people will get your message more readily if you simply make it clear that you’ve found that eating a meatless diet is better for your health.

“Will it bother you if I eat meat?” Your co-workers will probably want to make sure you’re comfortable, but often it’s more about them—they want to know that they won’t be judged if they continue to eat meat. The best way to get along with everyone is to respect their food choices and let them know that you aren’t going to look down on them for eating meat. If you simply can’t stand to be around people who are eating animal foods, find somewhere else to eat, but don’t make a big deal out of it.

In every food-related situation that you find yourself in, you’re an ambassador for vegetarianism. By maintaining the same calm, straightforward demeanor that you would in any professional situation, you’ll go a long way toward educating people that there’s nothing weird, boring, or threatening about the vegetarian lifestyle.

The Vegetarian Interview

When you are interviewing for a new position, you want to make the best impression possible. So what can you do when you are interviewing over lunch or dinner? What if you are invited out for a meal with your boss and prospective colleagues? Don’t panic. You don’t have to lie about being a vegetarian. There’s nothing wrong about the way you choose to eat. So what if the rest of the party orders steak or hamburgers? They will admire your resolve for sticking to your vegetarian diet and not following the crowd. Just approach the situation in an honest, sincere, and genuine manner. Here are some tips:

Make a good first impression. Job interviews are all about first impressions. Let your future boss and/or colleagues focus on your strengths and assets in regard to work. If they ask you about your vegetarianism, answer their question and then shift the conversation back to the original position. You want the job to be the focus of the conversation, not the way you eat. That way, when they are assessing you at a later date, they will remember your abilities and confidence, and not the fact that you are a vegetarian.

Don’t make it an issue. Being a vegetarian at work is a lot easier than people think. Don’t make it into a problem. Let your prospective employer know that it’s not an inconvenience and that you are willing to compromise in certain situations. For example, if the interview is taking place at a restaurant with limited vegetarian selections, don’t complain. Simply do your best to find something to eat. Order soup and salad. Or, ask the waiter politely if a certain dish can be made according to your dietary needs. Handle the situation as professionally as possible. Your future boss will definitely take notice.

Make being a vegetarian into an asset. When you talk about being a vegetarian, highlight the reasons why you chose to change your diet. Talk about being healthier and more environmentally conscious, but not in a condescending way. Be confident and factual. Be open to answering any questions your boss or colleagues may have. Keep any personal views about nonvegetarians to yourself, however. You don’t want to appear pompous and self-righteous. Don’t get suckered into any political debates. Keep the conversation light and professional by adding in a bit of humor.

In the end, whether you get the job or not won’t be determined by the food that you eat. If it is, then the job wasn’t a right fit anyway. Would you really want to work for a company who hired you based on your eating habits? All you can do is put your best foot forward. If you get the job, you’ll have to adjust to corporate meals and functions, and maintain the professional attitude you presented in the interview.

When Your Boss Foots the Bill

Part of corporate life is showing up for conferences, training sessions, and off-site meetings where food is ostensibly provided for you with a lot of thought. That thoughtfulness doesn’t always extend to offering vegetarian options, however. Don’t assume that vegetarian eaters will be catered to. If you know ahead of time that a corporate event is scheduled, by all means talk to your boss or to the employee in charge of planning the event and let them know you’d like a vegetarian meal. Usually, providing for vegetarians isn’t a problem, but whoever’s arranging for the food will need to know ahead of time how many vegetarian meals they would have to provide. If it’s a big event, you’re unlikely to be the only vegetarian!

If the planner is unfamiliar with vegetarian meals, offer some suggestions. Vegetable lasagna, spinach ravioli, Indian curries, eggplant Parmesan, vegetable burritos or hummus sandwiches are all dishes that can be made for a large number of people. If, for whatever reason, you’re unable to get a vegetarian meal, as always, make do with what’s on hand. Eat salad, bread, and side dishes. Even in the nicest restaurants or hotels, you can request a baked potato and a salad, and the kitchen will be happy to provide it for you.

Always remember that professional behavior is as important at the dining table as it is in the boardroom. If you throw a hissy fit about your lunch, you risk alienating your co-workers and looking bad in front of your superiors. No one wants to work with someone who’s finicky, humorless, and inflexible, and that’s precisely what your co-workers might think of you if you can’t handle a single meal without throwing a tantrum.

Also keep in mind that while it may be perfectly acceptable to bring an alternate vegetarian dish to a friend’s home when they throw a dinner party, bringing your own food to a corporate event is tacky. Even if there’s nothing for you to eat except salad and bread sticks, put on a charming smile and eat what you can. Nobody said it would always be easy!

Explaining Yourself—Even though You Shouldn’t Have to

As we’ve discussed, you’ll need a supply of quick, polite answers to handle the questions people will have about your diet. Don’t get cranky. Sure, they’re nosy, but isn’t it nice that they want to know more about vegetarianism? If you already know what to say, it’ll be easy to give them an answer without turning the conversation into a lengthy debate. Some of the most common questions you’ll field are the same ones you had when you first started out—except now you know the answers:

Why are you a vegetarian?

If you don’t eat meat, how do you get enough protein?

Can you eat chicken? How about fish?

Is this some sort of a religious thing?

Is it hard to never eat meat?

Why do you wear leather shoes if you won’t eat animals?

Isn’t vegetarian food boring?

Can you eat at McDonald’s?

If you already know the answers, you won’t mind the questions so much!

Dining Gracefully with Nonvegetarians

Dinner parties—both attending them and hosting them—can be problematic for people on special diets. If you’re the host, you can make sure that you have a tempting variety of delicious foods and dazzle your guests with such tasty choices that they’d be foolish to miss the meat. But what if you’re the guest?

Often, even if your hosts know that you’re vegetarian, they may not know how to feed you. They may think that by serving grilled salmon instead of meat loaf they’re offering a vegetarian-friendly entree. Or you may end up in a situation where your hosts simply have no idea of what your needs are.

In those cases, you need to make the best of things. Etiquette is, fundamentally, about behaving well under challenging circumstances. If all there is on the table that you can eat is bread and salad, do so. And, if you’re questioned, smile and say that they’re so delicious that you’re happy to enjoy them. Even if it’s disappointing, remember that it’s just for one meal; chat with your tablemates, enjoy the company, and have a good time anyway!

If there’s absolutely nothing on the menu that you can eat, or your hostess sits a plate of animal food in front of you, do what children do—squish things around and mess up your plate. Hide the meat under some lettuce, and leave some empty space so it looks like you ate something. If the conversation is compelling, most people won’t notice how much you did, or didn’t, eat. (But don’t eat it, no matter what. )

Whatever happens, don’t make an issue of your diet. To be blunt, no one is really interested in what you can’t eat, and it’s considered rude to draw all of the conversation to yourself in such a manner anyway. If someone asks, just say that you’re a vegetarian and steer the conversation to something else.

If you’re headed to a big social event like a wedding or a family dinner, and you think there might be challenges finding something to eat, then eat a light meal before you leave the house. Even under the worst circumstances, there will be something for you to snack on, but you won’t be suffering from hunger pangs throughout the evening.

Being a Great, Vegetarian Hostess

Part of being a terrific host is anticipating your guests’ needs. Think about how you’d like to be treated when you go to dinner at a friend’s home. How about offering the same courtesy to them? When you invite guests to dinner, ask them if they have special dietary needs, or if there’s anything they absolutely hate. You’ll be surprised at what people have to say—some may be allergic to bell peppers, or peanuts, or dairy. If you accommodate their needs that same way you’d like yours accommodated in a similar situation, you can make them feel extra welcome in your home.
One sure way to make everyone happy is to serve a variety of different dishes buffet style, allowing guests to fill their plates only with what they want. It helps them to feel comfortable if they don’t want to eat something—no one will be looking at their plate and wondering why there’s still food there—and it’ll save you the effort of serving, so you have more time to enjoy your guests.

Only serve meat if you genuinely feel comfortable doing so. Some people will cook a chicken or fish dish for guests, but not partake of it themselves. If you’re happy doing this, then go ahead. But if you aren’t, then make them the best vegetarian meal they’ve ever tasted, and show them how delicious eating meat-free can be!

You can also put some extra effort into how you present the meal. For example, a simple garnish (an orange slice or a piece of cilantro) can add a little something to any plate. Also, rid the room of any distractions. Turn off the television, put on some dinner music, add some soft lighting, place some fresh flowers on the table, and you’ve got the perfect atmosphere for a fantastic vegetarian meal with family and/or friends!

Happy holidays, vegetarian style

Hosting holiday parties or dinners for family and friends can be quite an undertaking. But hosting holiday parties or dinners as a vegetarian can be another experience altogether. You may be a bit apprehensive about what to make, especially as a new vegetarian, because you don’t want to revert back to the old way of eating. Planning a brand-new vegetarian menu that will be good for you and make your guests happy isn’t as difficult as you may think!

When it comes to Thanksgiving, people expect turkey. When it comes to Easter, people expect ham. This is where a bit of creativity comes in. You can make these traditional holiday items with a vegetarian twist. All you need is an open mind, some willing guests, and some commonsense.

Take Thanksgiving for instance. What do nonvegetarians usually indulge in on this traditional holiday? Isn’t it typically some turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and some bean casserole of some kind? All of these traditional Thanksgiving dishes can be made vegetarian style. Instead of a turkey, serve up a vegan nut roast. Some vegetarians even opt to serve a different entrée other than turkey, like stuffed shells or vegetable lasagna. As for the side dishes, you can easily substitute a vegetarian casserole or make a hearty leafy-green salad. Macaroni and cheese makes a great side dish as well, unless you’re a vegan. Never be afraid to experiment with pumpkin dishes as well. Pumpkin soup, or tiny individually stuffed pumpkins make a great side dish or appetizer. The grand finale, or the pumpkin pie, can also be made vegetarian style. Use rice milk instead of milk or eggs for the actual filling. Your guests probably won’t even notice the difference.

Even with traditional holiday meals, there are no absolute rules to follow. If your family and friends are open to trying new dishes, take advantage of the opportunity. Chances are they will feel much lighter and healthier after eating a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal instead of a meat-filled one. They won’t be suffering from a turkey-induced coma or feel bloated and uncomfortable, and they will thank you for it!

Meat and the Vegetarian Single

If you’re single and dating, you’ve probably already figured out that it’s a special sort of challenge. Do you date people who eat meat? Or are you only interested in dating other vegetarians?

Vegetarian singles that choose to date those who aren’t vegetarian or vegan may find themselves at a disadvantage. Many vegetarians can’t stand to watch people eat meat, and going out to dinner with a potential romantic partner who’s chewing on a big, rare steak is a disaster waiting to happen. Dating nonvegetarians can be stressful for vegetarians—after all, you may find yourself repulsed at the thought of kissing someone who just ate a cheeseburger!

On the other hand, you may not have any problem dating omnivores. If you’re vegetarian strictly for health reasons, it may not bother you that your partner is eating meat. If you’re vegetarian for moral reasons, however, you’re going to have a hard time dating people who indulge in a practice that you find unethical.

It’s no wonder that vegetarians often choose to only date other vegetarians. But that in itself brings its own set of drawbacks. For one thing, you’re seriously limiting your dating pool. For another, what if you are dating a different kind of vegetarian than you are? To a vegan, even dating an ovo-lacto can cause problems.

If you do want to date other vegetarians, you’ll have better luck if you live in a large metropolitan area. Many vegetarian societies have local groups that meet in larger towns and cities. Many of these groups have potluck get-togethers and outdoor events. There are also dating services just for vegetarians, as well as animal rights or animal welfare groups, and vegetarian cooking classes—all great places to meet vegetarian singles.

And don’t rule out Internet dating. The number of people gravitating toward dating online grows all the time, and it’s much more acceptable to meet potential mates this way than ever before. Sign up with a site that caters exclusively to vegetarian dating and, while you may not find as many members in the more all-inclusive services, you’ll know from the start that you’re meeting like-minded singles.

Vegetarianism at Work

If you’ve ever been on a weight-loss diet, you know what a royal pain co-workers can be. There’s a strange sort of hive-mind mentality that happens in the workplace, where people simply can’t accept that you don’t want a piece of birthday cake or a piece of that giant submarine sandwich. Sometimes it’s like being back in grade school—the peer pressure can be annoying, and it can sabotage your diet!

Vegetarians face a similar problem, especially if they’re the only vegetarian eaters in their office. Sadly, it’s human nature for people to feel threatened by any change in the status quo, and your becoming a vegetarian may cause people to become antagonistic, or to try and sway you to give up your commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle.

Even if you’re polite and don’t make a big deal out of your vegetarianism, it will most likely become an issue. “Come on … just have one slice,” they’ll say when the pepperoni pizza is set out. “What are you now, some kind of hippy?” they’ll ask. Usually they don’t even know they’re being rude and hostile; it will usually be presented in a joking manner. But it will be hard for you to stay cheerful if you find yourself continually under attack.

The best you can do is to smile, say, “No, thank you,” in a calm voice, and change the subject. You may have to walk away if they don’t drop the subject. But if the subject keeps coming up, perhaps you can use the situation to your advantage instead of becoming frustrated and angry. When they hit you with the usual jibes, come back with a clever response:

“I think tofu’s disgusting.”

“And eating a cow’s liver isn’t?”

“It’s okay to eat animals, because humans are smarter.”

“So does that mean it’s okay to eat stupid people?”

“I’ll bet one really great cheeseburger would change your mind.”

“And I’ll bet one trip to a slaughterhouse would change yours!”

“If you don’t eat meat, why do you wear leather shoes?”

“Why? Are shoes made from meat?”

Besides the witty comebacks, when you begin to deal with someone who has the courage to ask a question like the last one, it’s best to start with some common ground. For example, you may want to let them know that eating vegetarian saves quite a bit of water for the earth. Producing just a kilo of beef requires between thirteen thousand and hundred thousand liters of water, far more than you use for bathing in a single year. Given the current and expected water issues, it’s not hard to see why this is such an issue. Eventually, fights over the rights to what little water is left on the planet are inevitable.

What’s more, not only is nonvegetarianism a drain on water resources, but more than 50 percent of the world’s forests have been cleared for cattle production alone. As a result, carbon dioxide plays into this equation as well. With rain forests being eliminated at record rates, carbon dioxide rates are out of control, and that’s not only a real problem for people who live near the vanishing rain forests, but for all of us on a global level.

Keep in mind that the population of animals is exceedingly high already. There are seven billion people on the planet, but there are trillions of animals being raised to feed us. They are often forced to breed in a concurrent fashion (after they’ve given birth, they’re inseminated again), and that only causes a more serious drain on the planet’s resources as a whole. Each new birth, of course, means more food and water that’s not being spent on the human population, and that leads to the world hunger problem that we see today. Because much of the grain resources are reserved for the richer nations, it never reaches the hungry mouths in third world countries.

Our own food choices determine the fate of people on a worldwide basis, and given that we’re all interconnected, destruction in one nation ultimately means destruction in another. Once one given area goes down that we rely on for meat, agriculture, or something else, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to replace it.

Because what we eat goes hand in hand with the overal health of the planet, going vegetarian or vegan for the sake of future generations as well as your health is really quite an important decision. Given that your choice can create either a positive or a negative effect for others, it’s wise to consider all options. After all, just choosing to make others happy can make you happier in the long run.

In any case, starting with a common ground may help eliminate the useless debate that tends to occur in these situations. Showing a good sense of humor and ensuring that no one is antagonized or becomes defensive is the key. That applies to business functions like dinners with clients and conferences with catered lunches. If you’re dining in a restaurant, all of the usual etiquette applies—eat what you can, or politely ask for something else. If you’re stuck at a business function, however, and there’s absolutely nothing to eat, share your vegetarianism with your boss or the person who plans your company’s events. Once they start adding a vegetarian option to the fare at business meetings and other events, you’ll find that you’re not the only employee who enjoys that option; pretty soon you’ll find that there’s always something to eat at work.

Whether or not you breastfeed is entirely your decision, but, for most babies, breast milk is the optimal food. In addition to the sugars and other nutrients, scientists believe that there are other, as yet unidentified, substances in breast milk that make it superior to infant formula. Should you decide not to breast-feed, choose a vegetarian formula—although soy is less likely to cause allergies than cow’s-milk-based formulas, it’s not designed to meet their nutritional needs. It is my recommendation that you avoid using soy milk altogether.

Cow’s milk should never be fed to babies under one year old, as it can cause intestinal bleeding and lead to anemia. Also, studies have shown a link between infants drinking cow’s milk and their increased risk to become diabetic later in life.

Meat-free Infants

At the four-to-six-month mark, it’s time to introduce your baby to solid foods. The timing varies from baby to baby. When your child reaches thirteen pounds or double his birth weight, he may want to breast-feed eight times or more during a twenty-four-hour period, and when he takes a quart or more of a formula per day and still act hungry, it’s time to transition to solid foods.

You’ll want to introduce solid foods slowly, so that their systems can get used to the change in diet. Start with cooked grains. Rice cereal is best, as almost every baby can digest it easily, and it is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. Once your baby eats cooked cereal, begin to slowly introduce other foods. You can buy commercial baby foods or puree your own fruits and vegetables in a blender. If you buy prepared foods, buy ones that are free from added sugars, preservatives, and any other additives that your baby doesn’t need. Start with raw, mashed fruits and move on to cooked vegetables like mashed sweet potatoes. It’s smart to introduce new foods one at a time, so, if your baby has sensitivity to a food, you can easily identify it.

When your child starts teething (somewhere between twelve and twenty-four months), they can move on to foods that need to be chewed. Raw vegetables can be introduced then, starting with veggies that are easy to chew and unlikely to present a choking hazard. When giving babies finger foods, take care that the foods aren’t too hard, large, sharp, or round. Good choices are carrot sticks, lettuce, and other leafy green vegetables, and lightly blanched and cooled broccoli. As long as it’s safe for the baby to chew, vegetables that adults eat are fine for a child.

Follow the same feeding schedules and advice that you would for any other baby, except for not feeding them meat. Adapt the guidelines in the baby books to the vegetarian diet. Just make sure that you don’t let other people convince you that you should be allowing your baby to drink cow’s milk. Once your child is old enough to transition off formula, you can give him water, regular or flavored rice milk, juice, or any other nutritious liquid.

At seven to ten months, start introducing high-protein legumes to the baby’s diet. Add about two servings per day, about a half-ounce per serving. Most babies are very fond of lentils, which can be cooked until fairly soft and have a pleasant, bland flavor. Nut butters should not be fed until after twelve months.

Toddler Time

As you ease into the toddler/preschooler years (ages one to four), you can start offering your child some vegetarian versions of classic kids’ favorites. Vegetarian and vegan children are just like any other kids, They’ll be a bit fussy sometimes, but there are a wide variety of nutritious foods that children universally enjoy:

Spaghetti with meatless sauce

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

Baked French fries with ketchup

Veggie burgers, hot dogs, and sandwich slices

Whole wheat bread and rolls

Grilled soy-free cheese sandwiches

Veggie pizzas with soy-free cheese

Pancakes or waffles, with fruit or maple syrup

Vegetable soup

Baked potatoes with nondairy sour cream

Rice and beans

Spinach lasagna

Calcium-fortified rice milk and orange juice

Cold cereal with vanilla rice milk

Chicken-free nuggets (vegetarian nuggets that taste just like breaded chicken)

Snacks:

Fruit, cut up into bite-sized pieces

Raisins and banana chips

Trail mix

Applesauce

Fruit smoothies

Popcorn

Vegan cakes, cookies, and other baked foods

Vegetarian diets feature a lot of bulky, filling plant foods, and since small children have equally small stomachs, they sometimes don’t get all the calories they require. Make sure to include a lot of calorie-dense foods in your child’s diet so that they get all the energy their growing bodies require—for example, you can add avocado, which is calorie-dense and full of good fats, to sandwiches. Peanut and almond butters are excellent sources of calories for kids too.

Very young children also need to eat more than three meals each day. So be generous with the snacks featuring grains, fruits, and vegetables to add lots of necessary nutrients to their diet. Don’t worry about a vegetarian diet affecting your child’s growth. A 1989 study of children living in a vegan community in Tennessee found that while they were slightly shorter than average at age one to three, they caught up by age ten, when they were actually taller than average, and weighed slightly less than children raised on an omnivorous diet.

Defeating the Threat of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has ballooned (excuse the pun) to the point where expert nutritionists and numerous doctors now classify it as a threatening disease. The obesity problem is a direct result of everyday diets consisting of soda, junk food, fast food, and sugar-rich foods. Lack of consistent physical activity is also a major contributing factor. Sedentary lifestyles, where more time is spent playing video games, watching television, or sitting in front of the computer, have become commonplace.

The solution starts at home. You can make a difference in your children’s lives simply by introducing a vegetarian diet. It has been proven that children who eat less meat and more fiber-rich fruits and vegetables are more likely to maintain a normal body weight. Eating less sugar, less sodium, and less saturated fat as a child will enable them to develop healthy bodies as they grow older. You can also encourage your children to be active. Limit their television time and computer use. Get them outside on the weekends for hikes, walks, and bike rides. You’ll be amazed at the difference, not only in their weight but also in their attitude!

School-age Vegetarians

While most vegetarian children have traditionally been raised as such since birth, more and more kids as young as eight or nine are choosing the lifestyle for themselves. This is great! And despite concerns, they usually don’t find themselves suffering socially because of it. A lot of children have to avoid various foods, like dairy, nuts, and chocolate, due to allergies, and vegetarian/vegan kids are no different.
You’ll probably have to provide them with snacks and lunches from home, as school menus usually offer few vegetarian choices—although they may offer juice, vegetables, and fruits, dairy-free breads, baked potatoes, and even bean burritos. If your child’s school offers a weekly menu, you can plan ahead of time, discussing with your child what they will or won’t eat, and what you can supplement from home. This is also a great opportunity to get your child involved in making responsible food choices!

During the teen years, a lot of kids choose vegetarian diets themselves for moral and ethical reasons. This is terrific, but teenagers are still teenagers whether they eat meat or not. You’ll soon find your teen gravitating toward cookies, chips, French fries, and candy, and away from salads and raw vegetables. Work with your child, and patiently try to get them to eat less empty calories and more nutrient-dense foods.

It’s normal for teenagers to be conscious of their weight, even though it may not be healthy. Because of the images and messages portrayed in the media, most girls strive to be thinner while most boys want to achieve muscle mass and become larger. You can help give girls a better outlook on the reasons to be leaner by incorporating fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based foods into their diet. Help them realize that a person’s weight shouldn’t be viewed from an image perspective, but rather a healthy, physical perspective. As for boys who want to gain weight, teach them to do it properly. Provide them with protein shakes and healthy snacks between meals. Give them larger portions of good foods instead of letting them pile on empty calories. Body image and daily diets go hand in hand. You can easily influence your child’s outlook on weight in a positive way through the principles of vegetarianism.

Teens with eating disorders often latch onto a vegan diet as a socially acceptable way to control their food and not eat, so if your child is losing a great deal of weight and shows other signs of anorexia or bulimia, deal immediately with the problem. Vegan diets do not lead to eating disorders; it’s a serious mental health problem that may need professional intervention. If your teen appears to be seriously underweight, first talk to them about their diet and work with them to make changes so that they’re getting the nutrition they need. But if the problem persists and you suspect your child has an eating disorder, seek professional help.

Teen athletes who eat a vegetarian diet need a decent amount of protein and other nutrients to stay active and competitive. It’s important to remember that teens need certain nutrients more than adults do because their body is in a stage of growth and development. An active teen could increase the need for these nutrients even further. Make sure that their caloric intake is based on good and wholesome foods instead of high-sugar foods. They’ll be able to take in all the nutrients they need as well as a sufficient amount of calories to burn for energy.

Nutrition for all ages

Because children are growing—and growing rapidly—they need a lot of nutrients to fuel their growth. Calcium is especially important, as bones are growing during this period. So make sure they eat plenty of leafy green vegetables and legumes and drink calcium-fortified orange juice. Calcium-rich foods are usually full of iron, too, which is great because children need a lot of iron; make sure they also get plenty of vitamin C to help absorb the iron.

The vitamin family should be represented too. If they’re eating a variety of foods, they should be getting enough B12 and D, but if you’re concerned about their nutrient consumption, there are vegan multivitamins for children available at your natural foods store.

Kids are notoriously fussy, but when presented with a variety of tasty, appealing, and convenient foods, they’ll have no trouble enjoying a vegetarian diet. By keeping your cupboards free of empty-calorie foods and providing an array of healthful snacks—like, baby carrots, fresh fruit, hummus, whole-wheat crackers, and whole-grain breads—you’ll encourage your kids to eat healthy foods and set the stage for their healthy adult diets.

And, of course, you can do your part to make them feel good about their vegetarian lifestyle by setting a good example with your own eating habits. That means making delicious meals for the entire family and turning mealtime into a pleasant, bonding experience. Try not to nag them about their food choices; they’re kids, and they’re still learning about what they like to eat. If your shelves are full of healthy, tasty foods, that’s the first thing they’ll grab when they get hungry. And if you raise them to enjoy fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains as toddlers, they’re less likely to go overboard on junk foods when they hit their teens.

Doing Vegetarianism as a Diabetic

For diabetics, diet is the first line of defense, literally the difference between life and death. Left untreated, diabetes can cause blindness, kidney failure, and even loss of the hands and feet, and it affects people of all ages. If you’re a diabetic, your doctor has already told you that your diet is the single most important way you can manage your diabetes. A low-fat, high-carbohydrate, and high-fiber vegetarian diet is an excellent option.

Worldwide, over thirty million people suffer from diabetes. Essentially, the condition is one in which the body is unable to process nutrients efficiently. In a normal body, the food we eat is converted to usable energy in the form of glucose, a sugar that’s carried by the blood to all of our various functions with the help of the hormone insulin. Diabetics, however, have an imbalance of insulin—either too little or none at all—which means that the body has difficulty converting blood sugar to usable energy. This means that the glucose remains, unconverted, in the bloodstream and never gets where it’s needed. This leads to fatigue, muscle pain, loss of concentration and coordination, and blurry vision. When someone has a hypoglycemic episode, that’s what’s going on—the amount of usable sugars in their bloodstream is too low. In extreme cases this can lead to the person lapsing into a coma, or even dying.

As a matter of controlling their blood sugar, diabetics have to keep a close eye on their diet, eating a wide variety of foods and making sure they sit down to regular meals. Carbohydrates must be watched carefully. At least half of the recommended diabetic diet must include complex carbohydrates from sources like baked potatoes, whole-grain breads, vegetables, and legumes. Sounds like a vegetarian diet, doesn’t it?

In fact, the vegetarian diet is so good for diabetics that some vegetarian diabetics can transition off medication, including many who previously had to inject insulin. The level of control that vegetarianism allows diabetics to feel confident that they’re eating for optimal health.

Adding a Third Vegetarian to the Family

If you’re hoping to get pregnant, both you and your doctor want you to be in the best possible condition to insure that both you and your baby are healthy. Eating well is important before and during pregnancy. And the more of a head start you can get on good health before you conceive, the better.

Vegetarians may eat a healthier diet than omnivores, but you’ll still need to follow the same advice as nonvegetarians in many respects. Take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement for several months before you get pregnant, and make sure it offers plenty of B12 and folic acid, another B vitamin that helps prevent birth defects of the spine and brain. Get plenty of physical activity and drink lots of water; avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. Eat nutritious foods and cut back or eliminate junk food and refined sugar.

As a vegetarian, you’ll probably be in better shape and closer to your ideal weight than if you were eating meat. Now that you’re avoiding animal foods, you’ll also have a strong immune system which you’ll pass on to your baby. Just make sure that you’re getting plenty of iron. Many women begin pregnancy deficient in iron, and as your body grows and you store more blood to nourish your baby, you don’t want to risk becoming anemic.

Enough Protein for Two

Once you’ve conceived, and you know that you’re carrying a child, you’ll probably start to worry about getting all the nutrients you need for you and your baby. But protein really isn’t your biggest concern. As we’ve already noted, most people already eat too much protein. If you’re eating a healthy diet consisting of a variety of foods, you’re probably getting plenty of protein from whole grains, beans, legumes, and either dairy or rice milk.

A greater concern is that you get enough omega-3 fatty acids—a nutrient that plays an important role in brain function and development—as well as calcium, folic acid, iron, zinc, and vitamins B12 and D. If you’re a pesco vegetarian (one who eats fish), you can get plenty of omega-3s by eating fatty fish like salmon. If you don’t eat fish, add ground flaxseed (found at natural food stores or your supermarket) to your meals, or take a supplement. The rest of the important nutrients should be plentiful, if you follow some simple recommendations:

Eat four servings of cooked dried beans and peas each day; they’re full of zinc, iron, and protein. Munch on nuts and seeds, but be careful of eating too much fat.

Include four servings of calcium-rich foods. Read labels on dairy and milk substitutes, and try to get 30 percent of the RDA of calcium—that’s 300 mg of calcium per serving. Use rice milks that are fortified with vitamin D, which helps your body process calcium.

Eat from five to seven servings of vegetables and three to five servings of fresh fruit each day, for energy, vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.

Include six to eleven servings of whole grains, like bread, cereal, brown rice, and oatmeal.

Get your vitamin B12 by eating at least one serving each day of B12-rich foods like milk, fortified rice milk, miso, and tempeh.

If you find yourself eating too little and you need to consume more calories, shakes and smoothies are tasty, easy to digest, and full of nutrients.

High Performance from Plant Foods

If you actively train for a sport, you’ve probably already heard that you can’t reach top performance on a vegetarian diet—and a vegan diet, well, that’s right out! But it’s not. Many world-class athletes are vegetarians, including some very famous names. Baseball legend Hank Aaron, exercise guru Jack LaLanne, professional skateboarder Steve Berra, football player Joe Namath, three-time Ironman champion Ruth Heidrish, Olympic track star Carl Lewis, and tennis greats Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova are among thousands of professional athletes who built their bodies on vegetarian and vegan diets.

Athletes are among the few vegetarians that actually need to worry about getting enough protein in their diets. When animal products are removed from the diet, considerably less protein is being consumed, and a highly active body requires more protein than that of the average person. When there’s too little dietary protein, carbohydrates enter the bloodstream faster, causing insulin levels to rise quickly, and then plunge a short time later. This is the dreaded sugar crash that we’ve all experienced, and it’s a killer for athletes who depend on a steady supply of usable energy. Additional protein in the diet balances the carbohydrates, heading off the sugar crash by releasing energy into the bloodstream at a more efficient rate.

Protein is also important to athletes as it’s used to rebuild muscle tissue during training. The way in which muscles are grown and strengthened is an ongoing process of breaking down tissue and then building them back up again. Without enough protein, the taxed muscles won’t rebuild themselves.

It’s a simple matter to add protein to a vegetarian diet. You’ve already read about the amazing variety of plant foods that provide adequate protein. Adding one or two protein-rich snacks each day can boost your protein intake by ten to twenty-five grams. A cup of vegetarian chili over rice, a bowl of whole-grain cereal with hemp milk, a whole-wheat roll with peanut butter, a large baked potato, and a cup of soup are all great protein-rich snacks.

Scientists, physicians, and sports trainers all know that a high-carbohydrate diet is best for athletes, as the carbs provide necessary energy and stamina. Sugar that’s stored in the muscles for their use is called “glycogen,” and your body uses these stored sugars when performing both endurance activities like running, swimming, and biking, and lower-intensity activities like sprinting, skiing, and snowboarding. The vegetarian diet, with its emphasis on whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables, offers the necessary high intake of carbohydrate.

A vegetarian diet should provide all the vitamins and minerals that athletes require, but if you’re training hard, you should make sure you eat enough foods that provide vital nutrients like iron, zinc (found in fortified breakfast cereals, legumes, nuts, and seeds), and vitamin C to enhance the absorption of iron.

There is some concern that the vegetarian or vegan diet puts female athletes at a higher risk for amenorrhea (irregular menstrual cycles) and osteoporosis. Some studies have associated high-fiber, low-fat vegetarian diets combined with extremely high levels of exercise with reduced estrogen levels. The consensus among scientists, though, is that the fault lies in low-energy intake—not consuming enough calories—rather than in the vegetarian diet. These same studies have found that female athletes have normal menstrual cycles when they increase their caloric intake.

What to Eat on Game Day

If you already consume a good amount of carbohydrates, then you are on the right track. Here are some more tips to use on game day so that you will be able to perform at a highly competitive level:

Easy digestion. In the last few hours before the actual event or game, eat foods that are easily digested through the body. This is where you will want to eat less fat and protein. Fat and protein take a long time to digest, and you don’t want food sitting in the pit of your stomach right before the event or game. You want the food to be at that point in your intestines where nutrients are easily absorbed and can provide you with bursts of energy. Eat fruits, vegetables, and grains leading up to the game or event, and you’ll have an amazing performance!

Avoiding dehydration. Dehydration is an athlete’s worst enemy. The last thing you want to do is cramp up during a game or event. Avoid any and all foods that contain salt, and drink lots of water. Also avoid foods that are high in fiber. They will absorb the water in your body and possibly cause stomach cramps and/or diarrhea.

Rule of thumb. Before any athletic event or game, you want to give yourself one hour for every two hundred calories you consume. For example, if you eat a meal containing six hundred calories, you’ll want to eat it three hours before the actual event.

What to Eat After the Game

Replenishing your body after an athletic event is extremely important. Once the game or event is over, you can return your focus to protein in order to reenergize and feed your muscles. Your body will need to restock its supply of amino acids, fluids, and liver glycogen. That is why protein bars or shakes with a high amount of calories and carbohydrates are important to eat immediately after a game. Fluids are important too, which is why you see a lot of athletes drinking water or Gatorade. The sooner you replenish your body with fluids and nutrients, the sooner your body will recover from the game or event. Then you can work on getting ready for your next competition.

The Aging Vegetarian

Gerontology—the study of old age and aging—is a relatively new science, and little is known about the specific nutritional needs of older people as compared to that of children and younger adults. Many people live out their seniority with vigor, but even they notice that certain health problems can increase as they age. One thing that scientists know is that much of how we age is genetic. There are certainly patterns to how all humans change as they age, but those changes come at a different pace for different people. Some of that difference is genetic, and some of it is due to diet and lifestyle.

As we’ve already discussed, the right diet can improve your health and allow you to live longer. Research into the health and longevity of vegetarians has shown that those who eat a vegetarian diet that’s lower in calories, saturated fat, and protein, and higher in fiber and phytochemicals suffer from less obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and vulnerability to some forms of cancer than nonvegetarians—and they tend to live longer, too.

Good eating habits in the years that lead up to old age will not only help your current health but will help to minimize the various ailments that plague the elderly. Your genes will play a part in how you age. But a healthy vegetarian diet will help, no matter what genetic cards you’ve drawn.

One thing that researchers agree upon is that older adults need less calories as they age. Part of that is due to the inevitable decline in the rate of metabolism. Like it or not, your metabolism will slow as you age, meaning you will need to consume less energy to keep your body functioning. You’ll also, in most cases, become less physically active—another reason you’ll need less calories. And yet, you’ll still need the same amount of various nutrients that you always did; in some cases, you’ll need more.

As people age, it becomes more likely that specific medical problems will require a special diet. Those with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease will need to plan their diets according to their physician’s recommendations. Most conditions, however, benefit from a diet that’s high in fiber from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and low in animal products, and we already know that a vegetarian lifestyle can help to keep blood sugar levels in check. If you follow a special diet, consult with a nutritionist or dietitian for help with vegetarian meal planning.

You may also be hoping that a healthier diet will help with arthritis. Yes, it is does! In fact, because you don’t consume animal proteins anymore, it’s much harder to get it. A low-fat vegetarian diet will help you maintain optimum weight, which has been proven to lessen or even prevent some symptoms of arthritis.

There are a number of factors that can affect the eating habits of older adults. Sometimes money plays a part. Many elderly people are on tight budgets, and they don’t get proper nutrition because of financial stress. Others find it difficult to tolerate a lot of foods as they age, or they’re unable to shop and cook for themselves, so their diet suffers. Older people with diabetes or high blood pressure have to modify their diets significantly, and sometimes there are problems with chewing or swallowing that keep them from eating as much as they should.

The most important thing to remember as you age—and this applies to anyone who is over 40 and notices their metabolism slowing down—is that you need to get as much nutrition from the food you eat as possible while keeping an eye on caloric intake. That means cutting out the empty calories that come from junk foods—consuming less sweets, chips, soft drinks, and alcohol—while eating more nutrient-dense foods that give you real bang for your caloric buck.

The basic recommendations for all adults are even more important for older people. In a nutshell:

Limit your intake of:

Sweets

Regular coffee and tea

Greasy or fatty foods

Alcohol

Oil, margarine, and junk foods

Other added fat

Salt

Eat plenty of:

Fruits

Whole-grain breads and cereals

Vegetables

Drink plenty of fluids, especially water

Special Problems of Older Adults

The biggest source of discomfort in older adults is digestive problems. Unfortunately, this often causes people to avoid foods that are rich in nutrients that they need—flatulence, for example, may inspire them to cut out foods like beans and cabbage, both of which are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Sometimes, the answer is to add other foods to the diet to compensate.

Let’s look at some common problems that affect us as we age:

Constipation is a common complaint, usually caused by not drinking enough fluids and by not eating enough fiber. Some medications, like antacids made with aluminum hydroxide or calcium carbonate, can increase the risk of constipation, and habitual use of laxatives actually makes the problem worse. The first step in avoiding constipation is to eat a diet that includes lots of whole-grain breads and cereals, and plenty of vegetables and fruits. Many people find that eating dried fruits like prunes or figs helps, as they have a natural laxative effect for many people (your grandpa drank all that prune juice for a reason). Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially water, and limit foods that are high in fat, including high-fat dairy products, oils, margarine, and fried foods. Regular exercise helps too.

Gas and heartburn often plague older adults, especially after eating. The symptoms are both uncomfortable and embarrassing—belching, intestinal gas or flatulence, bloating, and a burning sensation in the stomach and chest. They’re caused by a number of different things, including overeating, eating too many high-fat foods, and drinking alcohol or carbonated beverages. Lying down to rest right after eating and taking certain drugs—including aspirin—can contribute to the problem too. Eating a high-fiber diet often works, although sometimes the symptoms return when the body adjusts to the increased fiber intake. To battle indigestion, try eating smaller, more frequent meals instead of one or two larger meals. Eat slowly and chew food thoroughly before swallowing. As with constipation, regular exercise can help minimize problems with gas.

Chewing and swallowing problems are an unfortunate way of life for many older adults. Raw foods are good, but not everybody can eat it all the time, so cooking vegetables and fruits may be necessary, even though the foods lose some of their nutrient value in the process. Cutting your food into smaller pieces and taking extra time to chew by not rushing meals may also be helpful. If you wear dentures, check with your dentist to make sure that you have the proper fit; our mouths change as we age, and they may need to be replaced. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids, especially water, and keep it on hand during meals—some medications contribute to dry mouth and could be adding to the problem.

Loss of appetite is a common problem for the elderly, and it’s sometimes caused by depression. Depression is common in older people, because of changes in their living conditions, the loss of beloved companions, side effects of some medications, and difficulty in caring for themselves. Eating a number of small meals throughout the day may help, and it’s also good to seek out opportunities to socialize over meals. A nearby senior center probably offers regular meals, and you can discuss your vegetarian needs with their dietitian. You can also contact your local vegetarian groups and ask if they sponsor restaurant outings or potluck dinners, which can give you the chance to get out, have a nice meal with good company, and make some new friends!

Meal Planning for Older Adults

Seniors often find that meal planning is a challenge, especially if it’s difficult for them to shop and cook. Arthritis can make it tough to manage a trip through the grocery store, open bottles, or handle cooking utensils. Impaired eyesight may make it difficult to drive to the store and read food labels or package instructions, and it’s sometimes hard to be motivated to cook when you’re only making meals for yourself.

If this applies to you, you’ll need to plan meals that are simple, quick, and easy to prepare. Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are a great snack or easy meal, and hot cereals like oatmeal can be cooked in a microwave in just a manner of minutes. Canned fruits and vegetables have a long shelf life, and will keep for months in the pantry. Whole-grain breads, muffins, tortillas, and bagels can be stored in the freezer, so you can thaw just enough for one meal at a time. Also stick your pantry with frozen vegetables, whole-grain crackers, peanut or almond butter, canned beans, and shelf-stable cartons of rice milk.

If you’re able to cook, make a full recipe that normally serves six or eight people and then freeze individual servings to be eaten later. Veggie lasagna, casseroles, cheese enchiladas, vegetarian chili, whole-grain cookies, and muffins or pancakes all freeze well, and can be reheated as needed for a quick meal.

The Truth about Osteoporosis

You probably believe that osteoporosis, the crippling disease that results in weak, brittle bones, is caused by a deficiency of calcium. For pretty much your entire life you’ve heard that milk does a body good and that the only way to prevent osteoporosis is to drink lots of milk, and to eat plenty of cheese and yogurt—you know, “for healthy teeth and strong bones!”

And yet, Americans and Canadians eat more dairy products than any other country while having the highest incidence of osteoporosis. In fact throughout the world, the level of hip fractures (a symptom of osteoporosis) rises in direct relationship to how much calcium the people consume!
The truth is, like heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a host of other ailments, osteoporosis is the by-product of affluence, not of calcium deficiency. As scientists study osteoporosis, they’re discovering that it’s the result of a bad, overall lifestyle, including diet. As we discussed earlier, calcium certainly plays a part in building strong bones. However, bones only build their density in our younger years, so, by the time we reach adulthood, that die has been cast. Consuming a lot of calcium as an adult simply has no bone-building effect.

Animal protein is high in sulfur-containing amino acids, which requires the body to find a way to offset the effects of those amino acids. Our bodies do this by first using the small amount of calcium in our food, then by taking it from our bones, after which point it exits the body through our urinary tract. The more meat and dairy products you eat, the more calcium you need to process them through the body. A researcher at the Creighton University School of Medicine named Robert Heaney—an advocate of dairy consumption—found in his research that the single most important factor in the rate of bone growth in young women is not how much calcium they consume, but how much calcium they consume in relation to animal protein. The more protein eaten, the more calcium must be consumed to offset the calcium drain. Most people in the United States, Canada, and Northern Europe eat more than twice the recommended amount of protein, and more than four or five times the amount of protein actually needed, with 70 percent of it coming from animal sources. Osteoporosis is not a result of calcium deficiency. It’s a result of eating too much animal protein!

That Burning Feeling

Have you ever downed a glass of milk to sooth an upset stomach, only to find an hour later that your stomach feels bad all over again? That’s because milk actually causes the stomach to become more acidic. Here’s how it works: animal products are more difficult to digest than plant foods, which means that your stomach needs to produce more hydrochloric acid (HCI) to break them down. So let’s say that you had a bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast, a little cream in your coffee, and a slice of toast with melted cheese. All that dense protein needs plenty of acid to digest it, so HCI is produced. You feel that familiar burn of acid indigestion a few hours after you eat, so you drink a glass of milk to settle your stomach. And it does, temporarily, by neutralizing the acid. But you’ve just added more animal protein to your stomach, and now your stomach will have to produce even more acid to digest it! Milk is a highly alkaline substance, so whenever you drink milk with a meal, you’re actually hindering your body’s ability to digest your food properly.

The Hormone Factor

If nothing else has convinced you to get your calcium from rich plant sources like broccoli, nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables, consider this: you’re ingesting antibiotics and hormones every time you consume dairy products.

They don’t call the meat and dairy industries “agribusiness” for nothing. They’re businesses, and their primary goal is to make a lot of money. They make that money by selling lots and lots of animal products, and that means keeping animals healthy and growing them big. In order to do this, they pump them full of antibiotics and hormones.

Just like a nursing baby ingests whatever its mother has eaten, you consume the cow’s diet when you eat animal foods. That means that you’re getting hormones in your food—hormones that were used to fatten pigs and make cows give more milk, hormones to force chickens to produce more eggs and for turkeys to grow massive drumsticks.

Hormones regulate every aspect of the human body—from how much weight we gain or lose, to our sex drives and our moods, to how much hair we have. They influence your sleep cycle, your complexion, your reproductive cycle, and your brain functions. When cows are given excessive, unnatural levels of artificial hormones to produce more milk, what effect do you think it might have on you when you drink the milk they produce?

If you’ve ever taken any sort of a hormone for medical purposes—steroids, birth control pills, cortisone shots—then you know how quickly that small amount of hormone introduced into your body makes dramatic changes. An imbalance of hormones in your body can make you grow hair in unexpected places, create accelerated maturity in children and adolescents, cause you to feel anxious, depressed, angry, or overly emotional, and cause your face to erupt in blemishes.

Antibiotics for Breakfast

Another cause for concern is the antibiotics found in eggs and dairy products, another by-product of factory farming. Over half of the antibiotics produced in the United States go to treat livestock. Certainly, these drugs keep the animals healthy, but are they something you want to be consuming in your food?

The biggest problem with antibiotics is that they’re all-purpose bacteria killers. Yes, they kill the viruses and bacteria that can cause disease, but they also kill the good bacteria that we need to keep our body’s delicate systems in balance. Good bacteria, like acidophilis and bifidophilis, live in your intestinal tract and on your skin, and they do battle with bad bacteria that can cause you harm.

Taking antibiotics on a regular basis, whether by prescription or inadvertently through processed foods, lowers your resistance to bacterial illnesses like salmonella, which is found in small amounts in eggs, poultry, and meat. Normally, your body should be able to fight off the lesser bugs that it ingests but, if you build up a tolerance to antibiotics through constant exposure, your natural immune system is weakened, leaving you more susceptible to illnesses like food poisoning.

On top of that, you may be taking antibiotics prescribed by your doctor, in a carefully measured dose. If you then eat eggs that contain salmonella, it finds no good bacteria waiting to kill it when it hits your small intestine—they’ve all been done in by the prescription antibiotic. So the salmonella has a nice, warm, moist, antibody-free environment in which to incubate, and you find yourself sick as a dog for a week. Then your doctor prescribes more antibiotics, and the merry-go-round continues.

Dumping the Dairy

Dairy products are included in so many recipes that it may seem like a huge challenge to replace them. Not so! The variety and quality of dairy substitutes has improved greatly in the past decade, and you have a lot of options. If you don’t like the taste of one style of nondairy product, just try another; you’re bound to find one that works for you.

Cow’s milk can be replaced in recipes by rice milk, potato milk, almond milk, or even oat milk. The quantities are the same (1 cup cow’s milk = 1 cup rice milk, etc.); the only difference is the taste. Oat milk is very mild, and lacks the sweetness of both cow’s milk and other replacements; you may find you prefer it, or you may choose to add more sweetener to compensate. Either way, you have all the control! The nut milks, like almond milk, are quite sweet, and both hemp and rice milk are available with flavors already added. You may find that vanilla rice milk tastes better to you than cow’s milk ever did, especially for lightening your coffee or on cereal.
All the milk substitutes can be found in shelf-stable, aseptic boxes at natural foods stores and, increasingly, in supermarkets. This is another advantage over cow’s milk— you can save money by purchasing it by the case, if you like, and stock your milk right on the pantry shelf without worrying about it expiring in the fridge (you will want to refrigerate them once opened, however). Rice milk can also be found in powdered form, although you’ll probably find that the liquid product tastes better.

Vanilla rice milk works great in desserts; use it to make puddings and custards, on your cereal, in baked foods, and processed in the blender with fresh fruit for smoothies. Plain rice milk works well in savory dishes like casseroles, soups, and sauces. And if you need buttermilk—say, to make buttermilk pancakes—you can create a substitute by adding two teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of rice milk.

Saying Good-bye to Yogurt and Cheese

Yogurt is yummy. Yogurt is healthy. Yogurt is, of course, a dairy product. Because of the active culturing agents in yogurt, it’s easier to digest than other types of dairy, but all of the other reasons for giving up this cow’s milk product still apply. Fortunately, delicious plain and flavored yogurts are available at your natural foods store. They’re cholesterol-free and lower in saturated fat than cow’s milk yogurt, so it’s even better for you than the dairy version.

Vegan yogurt and sour cream can be used in almost every recipe that would require the use of dairy yogurt. They’re great in sauces, dips, and baked foods and can be topped with granola for a quick breakfast. The downside is that they don’t work well in hot foods, because they tend to separate when heated.

But what about cheese? Most new vegetarians lean on cheese rather heavily. It provides protein and, honestly, cheese tastes really good. But it’s also loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, and like all dairy products cheese is difficult to digest. If you’re ovo-lacto but trying to watch your fat intake, you’ve probably tried low- or non-fat cheeses, and found them lacking in flavor—they taste awful, don’t melt well, and have the texture of a plastic chew toy.

Even if you’re not vegan, you should try many varieties of nondairy cheese on the market. Usually nut based, they come in many of the same styles as dairy cheese, like cheddar, mozzarella, jack, or cream cheese. They aren’t usually as tasty as the real thing, but they’re a close enough approximation, and they work well in sandwiches or recipes.

When cooking with vegan cheese, you’ll find that it doesn’t melt as well as full-fat dairy cheese (but they’re better than nonfat cheese), even though they’re fairly high in fat. Some separate a bit when melted, although the oils can be blotted with a paper towel before serving. For Italian dishes like lasagna and manicotti, you can make your own substitute for ricotta or cottage cheese, and if you’re going the soy-free route, this can be a bit tough to find. Fortunately, some creativity and research may help. For that cheesy, dry Parmesan taste, try sprinkling some nutritional yeast on spaghetti, casseroles, popcorn, or potatoes; it has a savory taste much like cheese, and it’s good for you!

As with milk substitutes, there are many different brands and styles on the market, so, if you don’t like the first alternative cheese you try, experiment with a few others until you find one that you like. Remember that most cheese replacements work better as ingredients in recipes and sandwiches than eaten on their own. But there are so many healthy snacks that you can munch on, you don’t need to eat straight cheese, anyway.

Who’s Got the Butter?

That vegetable-based margarine in your grocer’s cold case isn’t dairy-free. It’s made with casein, a milk protein, and probably has other animal products in it, too. If you’re ovo-lacto, you may not care too much, but if you’re vegan, there’s special margarine available at your natural foods store.

For most purposes, look to olive oil. Even nonvegetarians are better off stepping away from butter because of its high cholesterol and steering clear of margarine because of the trans fats. Margarine, made from vegetable oil, is semi-solid because of the way it’s produced; the molecular composition of the fats are altered to create trans fatty acids, making them solid enough to spread on bread or form into sticks for commercial sale. While many people long assumed that margarine was healthier than butter because of its low cholesterol and vegetable origins, scientists now know that trans fats are even more dangerous than the saturated fat of butter and can lead to clogged arteries and heart disease.

Olive oil is good for you. Studies into the health benefits of olive oil have found that it can actually reduce blood cholesterol levels, thus lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. In one study, the subjects’ risks of fatal heart attacks were cut 50 percent in two to four years when they started eating the so-called Mediterranean diet—a diet which, interestingly, prescribes increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limited animal foods, and the use of olive oil as the main source of dietary fat.

In addition, a 2006 study at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia found that olive oil has anti-inflammatory qualities. The active ingredient in olives and olive oil has a similar effect on the body as aspirin and ibuprofen! So use more olive oil, feel better, and be healthier!

We’ve talked a little bit about meat substitutes, including grains like quinoa … but what are they? What do you use them for? And where the heck do you get them? Luckily, as more and more people become vegetarian (and nonvegetarians cut back on animal foods), more co-ops and whole foods stores keep cropping up, even in smaller towns. Mainstream grocery stores keep expanding their natural foods sections because customers are demanding whole-grain products. It’s just a matter of knowing what you’re buying and what are all the delicious ways you can add variety to your vegetarian diet.

Tofu for You

The two most common meat-substitute protein foods you’ll find in vegetarian cooking are tofu and tempeh, but they’re very different from each other. As we begin to discuss tofu, it’s important to note that there are a lot of health concerns that surround this unique food. One of the most important is the potential thyroid problems that can be caused by too much soy. Some people experience this right off the bat, and some experience it after a number of years. However, once experienced, it’s far too late to rectify the situation.

While some vegetarian diets revolve wholly around tofu, the potential health concerns probably outweigh the benefits of this food, so it’s best to avoid it if possible. Understanding its role in the diets of others, though, may help you as you get started.

Tofu is a smooth, almost flavorless curd made from soybeans. While Westerners still think of tofu as exotic or as a strictly vegetarian food, it’s been a staple in other countries’ cuisine for thousands of years. The Chinese have been eating tofu since at least 200 bc, and it’s used every day in Asian homes. Bean curd is another term for tofu, so keep an eye out in Chinese restaurants for menu items that feature curd—it may be tofu!

Tofu is made from soymilk in a manner similar to the way cheese is manufactured from animal milk. A curdling agent is added to the soy, causing the solid matter to clump into curds. The curds are then pressed into a solid block.

The flavor-free quality of tofu is precisely what makes it so versatile. Tofu is spongy and porous, and absorbs other flavors very well, so it can be adapted to almost any kind of dish. It comes in a variety of textures, from extra-firm to soft, so it can be used as a meat substitute and egg substitute, or it can stand in for dairy in fillings, sauces, dips, and puddings. Recipes will tell you which type to use, and once you get used to cooking with it, you’ll come up with countless ideas on your own.

For a meat substitute, firm or extra-firm tofu is usually cut into cubes and added to stir-fry dishes, or marinated in soy sauce (or other flavorful liquid) and cooked in big chunks. If you freeze tofu and then defrost it, the texture becomes more chewy—a quality ideal for people who miss the texture of meat.

Silken tofu, combined with melted chocolate (vegan or otherwise) makes an excellent chocolate pudding or cream pie filling. Soft tofu can be used to make creamy sauces; just puree cooked vegetable in a blender or food processor and add tofu. This same method works to make creamy, dairy-free soups.

Whatever form it takes, it was once considered a marvelous source of nutrition. Primarily eaten as a high-quality source of protein, tofu that’s been processed with calcium salt is also a source of calcium. It also contains iron and other minerals. It is fairly high in fat, but it is actually free of cholesterol and generally lower in fat than animal proteins. There are also lower fat tofu products on the market. Firm tofu is usually higher in fat than soft tofu.

Because of its soft consistency and bland taste, tofu was once considered a good source of nutrition for babies or older people who had difficulty chewing hard foods. It’s most commonly sold in tubs or vacuum packs and can be found in either the dairy case or produce section of your supermarket. Once opened, leftover tofu may be stored by rinsing, covering with fresh water daily, and placed in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to a week. Tofu can be frozen for up to five months.

Giving in to Tem(peh)tation

Tempeh is a more strongly flavored soy product made from fermented soybeans and sometimes containing other grains like rice or millet. Like tofu, it’s another ancient food, with uses dating back to Indonesia some two thousand years ago. It’s not as creamy or as versatile as tofu, and comes in patties; it’s recognizable by its pale brown, rough texture.

But don’t let tempeh’s forbidding appearance stop you from trying it. It’s great as a substitute for meat on dishes that traditionally call for animal proteins. It has a delicious nutty flavor, and you can crumble it into pita sandwiches or chili, or make “chicken salad” with tempeh in place of poultry. If you’re feeling creative, it can also be grilled, baked, barbecued, or skewered with veggies for a tempeh kabob. It’s also great in soups, stews, or casseroles.

Tempeh is generally available in shrink-wrap packages or reusable plastic bags. Like tofu, it’s high in protein and fat, but is also cholesterol-free.

What’s the Truth about Soy?

For a little while, soy products were at the top of the vegetarian hierarchy and were often celebrated as the perfect meat substitute. (Tempeh is safer to consume because of the fermentation process.) In the past decade, they have enjoyed favorable press. So what happened? Why are soy products suddenly being vilified and labeled dangerous? Well, many antisoy advocates claimed that eating soy raised the risk of cancer, osteoporosis, thyroid problems, birth defects, reproductive problems, nutritional deficiencies, and Alzheimer’s disease. The consumer was left to ponder who was right—the soy proponents or the soy bashers?

First, it’s significant to note that the soybean has been around for ages and was often used for food for thousands of years. But with the vegetarian movement in full swing, especially in North America, soy has been implemented in meat substitutes, protein beverages, chips, ice cream, yogurt, and other products. It’s plain to see that soy is everywhere, so the consideration of the safety of soy is an important one. Here are the most common concerns:

Soy increases the risk of cancer. One of the first endorsements of soy was the fact that it reduced the incidence of cancer. Now, antisoy advocates are saying the opposite. Studies have been mixed, but some have shown that soy products can in fact raise the risk of cancer. It’s always better to be mindful of the risks involved in any situation, especially serious health risks.

Soy will interfere with thyroid function. It is true that soy contains goitrogens, as do many other foods such as cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts), sweet potatoes, lima beans, and millet. However, soy does not cause thyroid problems in healthy, well-nourished people who are not deficient in iodine. Still, knowing that soy products do contain goitrogens should be enough to be cautious.

Soyfoods will cause mental problems and age-related issues. Evidence suggests that soy offers some benefits to mental stability and function, though its effect on older individuals is still under investigation. There have been studies done on mental deterioration when too much soy is consumed.

If you are determined to eat soy regardless of the information provided above, that is your choice. Just remember that moderation is the key. It is my recommendation that you avoid soy products altogether. There are other alternatives.

Soy alternatives include:

Wheat grains—This is your best nonsoy alternative because they are high in protein.

Pastas—Choose nonbleached pasta for the most healthful option. Add protein-rich vegetables to your pasta for additional benefits and better flavor.

Cereals—Certain cereals are rich in protein and offer a great way to get a good start on the day. Since you can’t drink soymilk with them, consider rice milk or another milk alternative.

Protein-rich vegetables—The vegetables you’ll want to stock up on for protein purposes include leeks, parsley, chives, and red and green peppers.

Seaweed—Seaweed deserves a category of its own because it is such a popular nonsoy choice for proteins. It is added to vegan shakes to boost proteins or can be consumed on its own.

Nuts—Nuts are another good choice to add to your daily diet to get the protein you need.

Seeds—Seeds can be eaten alone as snacks, combined into trail mix, added as a topping to salads, and used as an ingredient in entrees.

As you can see, there are plenty of alternatives to soy. You don’t have to risk increasing your chances of getting cancer, mental deterioration, or thyroid problems in order to stick to you vegetarian diet. All you have to do is be aware of what you are eating. The rest is cake!

Seize the Seitan

Seitan is a brown, chewy protein food (pronounced SAY-tahn) that’s made from gluten, the protein portion of wheat. If you live in a small town, it may be difficult to find. It’s usually only available in natural food stores. It can be purchased as a mix, but it’s most commonly purchased ready-made.

If you’ve never had seitan, try it the next time you’re at a Thai or Chinese restaurant, served in a stir-fry or other dish. It’s delicious and a terrific low-fat source of protein. Once you try it, you’ll want to use it in sandwiches, simmered in vegetable broth or baked in the oven; the texture is different depending on how it’s prepared. It’s also excellent as a substitute for beef in Stroganoff.

Those Great Grains

As you stroll the aisles of your natural foods store, you’ll find a treasure trove of grains with exotic names and a wide variety of textures that you never ever knew existed. Whole grains are a vital part of the vegetarian diet, and learning how to use different grains in your cooking will add variety and excitement to your menus.

Just the different types of rice take up several shelves at a good health food store. You’ll find short, medium, and long-grain white and brown rice, arborio rice, sushi rice, jasmine rice, sweet rice, and white and brown basmati rice. Then there are the whole grains—amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, cornmeal, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, spelt, and more. All have different tastes and textures, and all deserve a chance to shine on your dinner table.

Before cooking whole grains, rinse them thoroughly to remove dirt and debris, especially if you are buying from bulk bins (and you should buy in bulk whenever you can—it costs less). Some grains, like quinoa, need to be rinsed to remove their bitter outer coating. To cook them, use a heavy nonaluminum pot (some grains interact with the aluminum) with a tight-fitting lid. Cover the grains with cold water, and stir gently to separate the grains. Bring the water to a boil—with a pinch of salt, if you like—then lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until done.

Cooking times (by grain):

GRAIN                   WATER (salted)          COOKING TIME           YIELD

(1 cup dry)          (cups)                             (minutes)                             (cups)

Amaranth                            2                            25–30                            2–2

Barley, whole/hulled          3                             90                                     3–4

Barley, pearled                    3                             45                                     3–4

Buckwheat groats          2                            15                                     2–2

Corn grits                            3                            20                                     3–4

Kamut                            3                            120                                     2–3/4

Millet                            2                            25                                     3–4

Oats, whole                   3                            60                                     3

Oats, rolled (oatmeal)          2                            15                                     1–2

Quinoa                            2                            20                                     3–3

RICE:

Arborio                            2                            30                                     2–2

Basmati, brown                   2                            45                                     3

Basmati, white                   1–3/4                   15                                     3

Brown                            2                            45                                     2–3

Sushi                            2                            45                                     2

Sweet                            1                            45                                     2

Spelt                            3                            90–120                            2

WHEAT:

Whole berries                   3                            90–120                            2

Bulgur                            2                            15                                     2

Couscous                            2                            1                                     2–3

Grains are delicious, nutritious, and versatile foods, and great sources of fiber. Because of this, they’re very chewy, so make sure you eat slowly, thoughtfully, and thoroughly for proper digestion. Grains rushed through the system can cause gas and bloating, so slow down and enjoy your food!

Nuts about Nuts—and Seeds

Almonds come on two varieties, the bitter almond and the sweet almond. Both are native to the Middle East, but are also grown widely in Europe and the Americas. The Romans considered almonds a sign of fertility and prosperity, and gave them as wedding gifts—remember that the next time you get that little bag of Jordan almonds at a reception! In cooking, bitter almonds are used to manufacture almond oil, while sweet almonds are used for cooking and eating raw. They’re very nutritious, loaded with magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, calcium, folic acid, and vitamin E.

The Brazil nut is the big one in your grandmother’s nut bowl, the one that’s a challenge to crack open. They’re actually the seeds of a tree that grows up to five-feet tall in the Amazon jungle, and they’re harvested from seedpod clusters that look a little like coconuts. Commercially, Brazil nuts are still harvested from wild trees, so keep that in mind when you buy them. Some environmentalists believe they’re being overharvested. Shelled Brazil nuts are tasty snacks, and they can be used in dessert recipes too.

Cashews grow beneath a fleshy plant called the “cashew pear” whose fruit can be used to make juices, syrups and liqueurs. Eaten alone or in savory dishes or candy, they’re a great source of vitamin A.

Hazelnuts grow in Europe and the UnitedStates, although most of the world’s hazelnuts come from Turkey. Round or oval with a very hard shell, they grow in clusters and are partially enclosed in a husk. Hazelnuts are a very nutritious snack, as they’re high in fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin E. Used in candies, baked foods, and savory dishes, they can be a bit of a chore to cook with. The raw hazelnuts must be roasted in the oven first to loosen their papery skin, then rubbed inside a clean kitchen towel to remove the entire coating.

Macadamias originate in Australia but are now grown commercially in Hawaii for the American market. It’s widely used in cookies, candies, and ice cream, and is sold as a salty snack food. Commercial cultivation of macadamias began in 1858. It is named after John McAdam, who first cultivated it. Low in carbohydrates but quite high in fat, they’re a good source of calcium and other minerals.
Peanuts really are members of the pea family and aren’t actually nuts at all, as they grow in the ground instead on trees. Also known as “groundnuts,” peanuts are very nutritious, with a high protein and oil content plus lots of vitamins B and E.

Pecans are native to North America, and were an important food source for the native Indian tribes. They belong to the same family as the walnut, but are slightly sweeter. And they’re good for you, rich in vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Use them in cookies, cakes, and other baked foods, eat them alone, or chop them up and add them to hot cereal.

Pine nuts (also called pignolas) are the seeds of the stone pine tree and are widely used in Mediterranean cuisine. As a source of protein, the pine nuts are used in many different dishes, most notably pesto sauce—a processed combination of fresh basil leaves, olive oil, and pine nuts.

Pistachios were first cultivated over a hundred thousand years ago in Iran and Syria, and then brought to Europe. Because of its open shell, pistachios are easily roasted and salted, and are usually eaten as peel-and-eat snacks. Pistachios were originally dyed red by importers to hide imperfections on their shells that occurred when they were picked by hand. The scare over Red Dye #2 in the 1970s put a stop to that practice for a while, allowing customers to realize that pistachios aren’t naturally red in color. They’re harvested by machine now, so the dye is unnecessary. But some companies use a harmless red color on pistachios’ shells because customers expect them to be red! Pistachios are rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, folic acid, and protein.
Walnuts come in over fifteen different varieties, but the most popular is the English walnut. Walnuts originated in southeast Europe and central Asia, and are now grown commercially throughout Europe and the Americas. Historians believe that there was a walnut grove in the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Because of the walnut’s resemblance to a human brain, it was once believed to cure headaches. And maybe they helped, as they’re a great source of phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium as well as proteins and vitamin E. Walnuts are a classic addition to countless sweet and savory recipes, and can be eaten raw; they can even be pickled when harvested while still green.

Pumpkin seeds can be eaten raw or used in a variety of sweet and savory recipes. They’re rich in protein, iron, zinc, and phosphorous. During the fall when they’re in season, you can dry your own pumpkin seeds. They’re delicious roasted and sprinkled with salt or soy sauce while hot, served on salads, or added to baked foods.

Sesame seeds originated in Africa but are now commonly grown in many tropical and subtropical areas. Oil is extracted from the seed and used for cooking, and as an addition to salad oil, commercial margarines, and salad dressings. Toasted sesame oil, available in Chinese markets and the ethnic aisle of your supermarket, is a tasty addition to veggie stir-fries and rice dishes. The seeds are used in cakes, cookies, and candies (as well as the ubiquitous sesame seed hamburger buns) and are often sprinkled as a garnish on oriental foods. Sesame seed paste (tahini) is a must-have food for the vegetarian, and it’s an ingredient in hummus. The delicious sweet treat halvah is made from sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are also a particularly good source of protein and calcium.
Sunflower seeds are widely available, and a popular snack item. The sunflower is a member of the daisy family, and originated in North America or Mexico, where Native Americans cultivated them over two thousand years ago. They’re a fine source of potassium and phosphorous, and contain protein, iron, and calcium. The seeds can be eaten whole, raw, or cooked, and they’re a crunchy addition to breads and cakes, or sprinkled over salads or breakfast cereals.

Low-calorie Sweetness the Natural Way

Chances are you’ve never heard of stevia or, if you have, you know little about it. For people dedicated to eating well, it’s a valuable tool, but there are powerful people who would rather you were kept in the dark.

Every year in the United States, over five thousand food products are sold which are artificially sweetened. If you’re diabetic, hypoglycemic, or trying to lose weight, you probably buy these products. The sweeteners most commonly used are saccharin, acesulfame-K, and aspartame. These chemical sweeteners are in everything from chewing gum and soft drinks to children’s multivitamins. Designed in laboratories, made in giant chemical factories, and sold by multibillion-dollar conglomerates, they go by innocent-sounding names like NutraSweet, Sweet n’ Low, and Equal, and they carry almost no warnings about their possible dangers.

If you look closely at packages of aspartame, you’ll see no warning that the substance has caused brain tumors in laboratory animals. And the National Cancer Institute has seen an increase in the incidence of malignant brain tumors in Americans since the introduction of aspartame in the early 1980s. Many people complain about headaches after eating foods sweetened with aspartame. Coincidence? In fact, thousands of people have registered over ninety-two different side effects related to aspartame with the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control, including headaches, menstrual irregularities, nausea, dizziness, skin lesions, rashes, hyperactivity, heart palpitations, gastrointestinal disorders, blackouts, numbness, memory loss, blindness, seizures, and suicidal depression. And those are just the ones that have been reported—a small percentage of the number of people who experience these symptoms.

There’s a lengthy history behind the FDA’s approval of aspartame, but the condensed version is this: despite there being a lot of tests that showed that aspartame was potentially dangerous, it was approved for sale. In 1985, Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum tried to pass a bill requiring studies into the safety of aspartame, but the Labor and Human Resources Committee stopped it instead. And despite there being strong evidence to suggest that aspartame works like a neurotoxin, actually changing brain chemistry and interacting with other drugs, there’s no regulation on it. It’s present in thousands of products consumed by mean, women, children, and the elderly every day.

Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni is a perennial shrub native to Paraguay, and it’s been used as a natural sweetener by the Guarani Indians for hundreds of years; they use it primarily to sweeten their herbal mat tea. South American settlers in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil began using it in the 1800s, and around 1908, plantations started cultivating stevia for commercial purposes. Over the next several decades, botanists and businessmen attempted to interest the U.S. government in cultivating stevia for the domestic market, but sugar producers managed to keep them from making any headway.

In the 1970s the Japanese, who had already banned aspartame, discovered stevia, and some American companies used it in their herbal teas in the 1980s. It looked like stevia was finally poised to reach the American consumer—except that the FDA began taking action against companies that were using stevia, including embargoes, search and seizures, and calling for an import alert on the sweetener. Stevia was denied the all-important FDA “generally recognized as safe” status, despite it’s long history of scientific studies supporting its safety. At about the same time that the FDA was granting the corporate giant G.D. Searle’s request to allow aspartame to be used in dry foods and beverages, stevia—a completely natural and safe substance with no side effects whatsoever—was classified as an “unsafe food additive,” and Celestial Seasonings and other companies were forced to stop using stevia.

Despite the FDA’s long-held opposition to stevia—and a bizarre period in 1998 when the FDA actually demanded that a Texas importer destroy a warehouse full of stevia-recipe cookbooks—it has been allowed to enter the United States as a food supplement. This completely natural, nontoxic, noncaloric sweetener, that’s enjoyed by people all over the world, is a threat to the big corporate chemical sweetener companies for several reasons:

Stevia actually balances blood sugar levels and is safe for use by both diabetics and hypoglycemics.

Unlike aspartame, there are no reports of adverse effects from stevia’s use, and scientific studies throughout the world prove its safety.

Unlike aspartame, stevia reduces the craving for sweets; this makes it an ideal sweetener for people trying to lose weight.

Unlike sugar, stevia reduces cavities by retarding the growth of plaque.

Still not convinced? Pick some up at your health food store; it’s available in powder or liquid form.

Whenever you come across a recipe that calls for meat products, play around with it. Take down notes on the vegetarian substitutes you decide to use and which ones work the best. Then you can use that recipe again whenever you like except this time it will have a fun, new vegetarian twist.

Before you start experimenting though, here are some vegetarian recipes to get you started. All of them are good for ovo-lacto-vegetarians. The vegan recipes are noted as such, and ovo-lactos can enjoy them too!

Breakfast

Old-Style Potato Pancakes

Serves 8

4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded

1 medium onion, coarsely shredded

4 green onions, chopped

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl, mix the potatoes and onions. Wrap the mixture in cheesecloth or paper towels, and squeeze out the excess liquid into another bowl. The starch from the potatoes will settle into the bottom of the bowl. Pour out the water, and save the remaining potato starch.

In a large bowl, combine the potato mixture, green onions, egg, salt and pepper, and reserved potato starch. Coat a nonstick 12-inch skillet or griddle with a thin layer of oil and heat it over medium-high heat. For each pancake, press together about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture with your hands, place it on the skillet, and flatten it with a heat-proof spatula. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning once, until brown on both sides. Serve hot.

Savory Breakfast Flan

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 oz. grated cheddar cheese, plus two tablespoons

8 oz. frozen corn

10 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Dash cayenne

1 1/4 cup skim milk

3/4 cup half-and-half

Spray a 9”x13” baking pan with cooking spray. Spread half of the cheese in the bottom of the pan. Layer half of the corn on top of the cheese layer. Repeat with layers of cheese and corn. Combine all remaining ingredients except the 2 tablespoons cheddar, and pour over corn and cheese. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour, or until puffy and lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar and return to oven for 1 minute. Run a sharp knife around edges to loosen, cut into rectangles, and serve.

Oatmeal Spice Breakfast Bars (vegan)

Makes about 10 bars

2 2/3 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup flaxseed meal

2 medium bananas, mashed

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup dried fruit, in any combination (raisins, dates, cherries, and cranberries are good)

2/3 cup chopped nuts or sunflower seeds

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

2 Tbsp. sweetener, or more to taste (nonvegans may use honey)

Vegan egg substitute product to equal one egg

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add bananas, egg substitute, oil, and sweetener; combine until blended and mixture is sticky. If the mixture appears to dry, add a small amount of water. Shape dough into 1/2-inch thick bars on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.

Easy Vegan Pancakes

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups vanilla rice milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add milk and oil, stirring until just mixed (it should still be a little lumpy). Heat skillet until a drop of cold water dances across the surface; grease pan with spray oil and drop 1/4 to 1 cup batter onto skillet for each pancake. When the edges look brown and the air bubbles appear on the top of the pancake, turn and cook the other side. Serve with syrup or fresh fruit.

Carrot Breakfast Muffins (vegan)

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup oat bran

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/3 tsp. ginger

2/3 cup grated carrots

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and the grated carrots. Add all of the wet ingredients. Mix well. Pour the batter into a lightly oiled muffin pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Other breakfast options:

Breakfast Burritos: Eggs or chickpeas scrambled with onions, peppers and chopped vegetarian sausage, topped with cheese and rolled up in a warm tortilla.

McVegetarian Sandwich: Place scrambled eggs (or egg substitute, or chickpeas), vegetarian faux-Canadian bacon, and cheese in a sliced English muffin. A great take-and-eat breakfast!

Cereal Free-For-All: Mix two, three, or more of your favorite cold cereals in a bowl for a different twist on your usual breakfast.

Lunch

Quinoa Salad

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 cups water

2 bell peppers (green or red, or combination), diced

1 cup diced red onion

1 cup finely chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sweetener, or to taste (non-vegans may use honey)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Rinse the quinoa well to remove outer coating. Add quinoa and water to medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Combine peppers, onion, and dill in a medium mixing bowl. Add cooked quinoa. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add to quinoa mixture and toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for 2 hours before serving.

Cheese-Free Mac ’n Cheese (vegan)

Serves 4 to 6

1 package (16 oz) elbow macaroni

2 cups vanilla rice milk

2 tablespoons soy-free margarine

2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)

1 tsp. turmeric optional(adds yellow color)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine pasta with other ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Optional: For more flavor and an added nutritional boost, add 1 cup of steamed broccoli.

Sloppy Faux-Joes (vegan)

Serves 4 to 6

1 large onion, diced

2 medium green peppers, diced

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup boiling water

2 cups tomato purée

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. mustard

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup dry textured vegetable protein (TVP)

2 tsp. chili powder

vegan buns

In a large skillet, sauté onion and green peppers in the olive oil until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (except buns), and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. Serve in buns for sandwiches, or spoon over bread for less sloppy eating with a fork.

Hummus Garden Pita

Serves 1 or 2

1 medium firm ripe tomato, finely diced

1/4 cup seeded cucumber or bell pepper, diced

1 cup shredded lettuce

Creamy vegetarian salad dressing (your favorite)

1/4 cup hummus

1 regular-size or 2 mini pita breads, cut in half

Combine the tomato, cucumber, or pepper and lettuce in a medium bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten and toss. Spread the inside of the pita with hummus, then fill with salad. To take with you to school or work, wrap first in foil, then in plastic zipper bags.

Dinner

Black Bean Burritos (vegan)

Serves 4

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed well

1/4 cup salsa

1 cup cooked brown rice

4 flour tortillas (vegetarian style, of course)

1 cup shredded leaf or spinach

1 tomato, diced

1 avocado, diced or mashed

Combine the black beans, salsa, and rice in a saucepan, and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. In an ungreased skillet, heat a tortilla until warm. Spread a line of the bean mixture down the center. Top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and more salsa, if desired. Roll up.

Optional: Nonvegans may add sour cream.

Vegetarian Moussaka

Serves 8 to 10

1 eggplant, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 potatoes, thinly sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can lentils, drained, juice reserved

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups milk

black pepper to taste

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown eggplant and zucchini slices on both sides; drain. Adding more oil if necessary, brown potato slices; drain. Sauté onion and garlic until lightly browned. Pour in vinegar and reduce heat. Stir in tomatoes, lentils, half of the juice from lentils, oregano, and parsley. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a 9×13-inch casserole, dish layer eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, onions, and feta. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables; repeat layering, finishing with a layer of eggplant and zucchini. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine butter, flour, and milk. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with pepper and add nutmeg. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, and stir in beaten egg. Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Easy Vegetarian Chili (vegan)

Serves 6

1 small onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup dry red wine or water

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 tsp. vegetable bouillon granules

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cayenne (red) pepper

2 (15-ounce) cans kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Sour cream (optional)

Combine onion, bell pepper, celery, wine, and garlic in large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes with juice, water, tomato paste, and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and cayenne. Stir in beans. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Add beans during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Nonvegans may serve with sour cream.

Other great dinner ideas:

Vegetarian Lasagna: Adapt your favorite homemade lasagna recipe by adding a package of frozen chopped spinach (well-drained with moisture squeezed out) to the ricotta layer. Use vegetarian marinara sauce.

Layered Crock Pot Dinner: Layer veggies in the crock pot in this order—sliced potatoes on the bottom, then sliced onions, sliced carrots, sliced bell pepper, sliced zucchini, and 1 cup each of corn and peas. Gently pour over this a sauce made from 2 cups tomato sauce, 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon each of thyme, dry mustard, basil, chili powder, cinnamon, sage, and parsley. Cook for six hours on low or 12 hours on high. A great meal to come home to at the end of a busy day!

Artichoke Pate: Toss a jar of marinated artichoke hearts into the food processor with a cup of walnuts, a clove of garlic, 3 ounces olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and a teaspoon each of salt, pepper, rosemary and basil. Process until smooth, and serve on cracker or whole wheat bread.