How to Not Miss Meat

April 22, 2013 By Amy Leave a Comment

Even if your reasons for turning toward a vegetarian lifestyle are moral, ethical or religious, it is common to miss the taste of meat especially when you first start your walk as a vegetarian. The first rule to enforce is not to feel guilty about that. Just loving meat doesn’t make you a bad thing. After all, most of us are raised eating pork, chicken, beef and other meats and if our parents did not have scruples about meat consumption, you have that as part of your upbringing.

The good news is there are lots of substitutes for meat and wonderful recipes you can use so you can eliminate meat from your diet and not feel like you are “going without”. The added benefit is that vegetarian eating is much healthier for your body than a diet where meat is a common ingredient. Meat carries such a higher incidence of calories and fats that are harder for your body to digest and assimilate that you are doing your body a big favor switching to a meatless lifestyle.

One way to still enjoy some of the aspects of meat but eliminate the actual animal part is to go with meat substitutes in traditional meat meals. Many restaurants serve veggie burgers where you get the good taste and familiar meal that we all like about hamburgers but you are still staying totally vegetarian. By shopping at markets and groceries that are supportive of the vegetarian lifestyle, you can often find other traditional meat meals prepared entirely without actual meat to help you get past missing that source of protein.

A staple of vegetarian diet planning is Tofu. Tofu is made from Soya beans so it is totally natural and a good fit to your vegetarian meal planning. But it is full of proteins and it is a very flexible ingredient for vegetarian recipes because it reflects the flavors of other foods and herbs and it works well in dishes that use sauces so it can almost be mistaken for a meat dish.

As you set about building your library of vegetarian recipes that are designed to take meat out of the equation, you will often find Tofu as one of the ingredients. That is because it works so well in lots of different recipes and responds well to grilling, baking or any other preparation method. Just be sure you take the time to dry your Tofu by putting it on a towel and removing the excess moisture before using it.

If your commitment to vegetarian living also meals the elimination of animal products such as milk and cheese, soy milk has become increasingly popular in the last few years with vegetarians and meat eaters alike because if its health and diet benefits. Not only is it delicious to drink as a beverage, it can replace milk in recipes just as successfully.

To eliminate animal based cheese from your diet, you might try a product called Tofutti. They offer many varieties of vegan chesses including cheddar and mozzarella so you can enjoy that flavor with a clear conscience. You can even find good substitutes for yogurt that is made from tofu or soy milk so you don’t have to cut popular tastes from your diet entirely.

Tofu is such a great meat substitute and an outstanding nutritional source that you can even use it in traditional egg dishes such as quiches, custard, omelets or any other meals that would emphasize an egg taste. If you mix pureed tofu with your recipe, you could virtually serve an egg dish even to a meat lover and they would not be able to tell that you had them eating vegetarian.

As you continue to explore vegetarian cooking, there are a number of other meat replacements that do well in various cooking contexts. Tempah comes from a soy bean that has been fermented. Tempah works well once you braise it in a sauce for about an hour. Once prepared it can be fried in flower and served with a sauce for flavor and be very satisfying.

One of the big projects of making the change to a vegetarian lifestyle is learning ways to substitute healthy alternatives such as we have discussed to take meat and meat products out of your diet. It will take some learning but that learning can be fun as you reinvent cooking and shopping to fit your new passion for vegetarian eating.

Filed Under Vegetarian Tips Tagged With Added Benefit, Flavors, Good Taste, Groceries, Hamburgers, Meal Planning, Meat Consumption, Meat Dish, Meat Meals, Meat Substitutes, Sauces, Soya Beans, Staple, Tofu, Upbringing, Vegetarian Diet, Vegetarian Lifestyle, Vegetarian Meal, Vegetarian Recipes, Veggie Burgers

Vegetarianism – Keep an eye on what you eat

March 27, 2013 By Amy Leave a Comment

The vegetarian diet can be tough to adapt to, but the numerous positive effects the diet has on your body and the environment can be well worth your efforts. In this article, we’ll attempt to fill you in on a little information regarding vegetarianism that you may not be familiar with in order to increase your knowledge of how the diet can be beneficial.Vegetarians need to be particularly careful with their diet in order to ensure that they are getting all of the iron that they need. Iron is an important mineral that is often found in meat, and so in order to meet their body’s needs, vegetarians can eat dried beans, green leafy vegetables and dried fruits. Female vegetarians in particular need to regulate their levels of iron because much of the body’s iron supply is depleted during menstruation. If iron intake is not as high as it should be, you could be at risk for an iron deficiency or anemia. If you’re unsure on how much iron you should be getting in order to be in good health, you should speak to a dietitian who can help you to identify exactly how much you need.

While most vegetarians do their best to avoid eating any meat or animal products whatsoever, it is important to note that even simply reducing the quantity of meat and dairy products that you eat can be a significant towards keeping better health. Vegetarians have been shown to be at a lower risk for developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity, clearly illustrating how superior the diet can be for one’s health, and decreasing meat consumption can offer similar effects albeit to a lesser degree.

Many vegetarians think that just by not eating meat, they can maintain proper health. However, it is important to realize that there is plenty of fat that can enter your diet through processed or fried foods. Also, nuts are very high in both protein and fat, so one is encouraged to watch their intakes in order to ensure that they take in only a small amount of fat.

Of all of the vitamins that are deemed important to the body by nutritionists, only one vitamin can not be found in a vegetarian diet vitamin B12. Luckily, individuals who are worried about their bodies getting all of the nutrition that they need can take supplements in order to fulfill their daily requirement of B12. Other vitamins can be found in fruits, vegetables, and grains in abundance.

With the advice and support of a physician, a vegetarian diet can be beneficial to the elderly. Depending on what your physician tells you, offer the option to the person you prepare meals for. If the loved person in your care is interested in trying something different for their health and comfort, try gradually eliminating meats and replacing them with other plant based proteins. A vegetarian diet can be pleasing to the eyes, the taste and the digestion.

Filed Under Vegetarian Food Tagged With Anemia, Animal Products, Better Health, Dairy Products, Dietitian, Dried Fruits, Eating Meat, Fried Foods, Good Health, Green Leafy Vegetables, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Intakes, Iron Anemia, Iron Deficiency, Iron Intake, Iron Supply, Meat Consumption, Proper Health, Vegetarian Diet, Vegetarians

How To Become A Semi Vegetarian

September 1, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

In semi vegetarianism, you reduce the  amount of meat and unhealthy food you eat, but the major part of your diet becomes vegetarian. You have to exercise your willpower to forget  old unhealthy habits . You  avoid the red meat like beef, pork etc. more severely, but can continue to eat some amount of white meat like fish, chicken, lobsters and other sea foods. There are many reasons why someone might want to turn to semi vegetarian diet.

So what are the reasons why people become semi vegetarians?

1. Weight Loss- Everybody wants to remain healthy and have a slim and nice body. But due to our bad eating habits, this dream of many people stays just a dream. Many studies are showing that it can really help if people reduce their meat consumption and add a sizable amount of vegetarian food items in their daily menu

2.  Vegetarians Transitioning Back to semi Vegetarianism There are some people who have been a strict vegetarian but want to start including meat in their diet. For many reasons a semi vegetarian diet is perfect for them. Eating white meat is considered healthy by many scientists and is a good source of protein.

3.  Health Conditions -Going vegetarian can dramatically and positively affect our health, and can also help in losing weight for those looking to remove the excess fat from their bodies. Many people with health conditions want to give up on the non – vegetarian diet and start a healthier lifestyle to prevent diseases in the future. A semi vegetarian diet is perfect for them.

4.  Vegetarian Newbie -A semi vegetarian diet is extremely helpful to those who have been a meat eater their entire life and want to turn to vegetarianism. It is a good start to give up on meat while still consuming some amount of white meat to satisfy that craving for meat.

5.  Against Animal Cruelty -Those that are against animal cruelty and environmental depletion turn to vegetarianism to be a part of the solution. Converting into semi vegetarianism is a good start, but their ultimate goal should be becoming a lacto ovo vegetarian or vegan.

You should remember that even if you are determined to include the healthy habits in your life, it can be hard to get rid  them in a matter of some weeks, some people are good at breaking old habits quicker than others. Old habits die hard, and they have to be killed slowly but effectively. As many studies have clearly shown to people that eating more healthy can improve a persons current health, the concept of going semi vegetarian is becoming more and more popular with each growing day. But this habit of semi vegetarianism has to be slowly included in our lives through some simple steps.

The simple steps to start the vegetarian lifestyle:-

1)  Don’t place junk food items in your kitchen or your refrigerator. As they say, “out of sight mean out of mind”, the most effective way to stop eating the meat is by not keeping much of it at your home.

2) When you go shopping items, try to spend as much time in the vegetarian and healthier food sections as you can. Also, you should avoid going to the restaurants and parties where non vegetarian foods are the specialties. Try to keep yourself away from meat, and you can very well succeed in your goal.

3)  Try to make new and tastier vegetarian dishes from the available vegetables to keep your interest in the vegetarian and a healthy diet. There are many tasty vegetarian dishes from foreign cuisines such as Indian, Chinese,Mexican and Spanish etc.

4)  If you are planning to go a vegetarian diet, be sure to include some protein rich supplementary foods as vegetables contain much less proteins than the meat food items. You can add milk, soybean, pulses, and beans; you can also go for some protein supplements like whey protein available in the market. Nothing is important than good and healthy life.

5)  Do keep consulting your physician or dietician when you go to follow a semi vegetarian diet as he can guide you to the best possible way of getting the full benefits of going vegetarian.

Now that you have decided to turn into a semi vegetarian, you should proud of yourself for taking a big step towards your goal. For whatever reason you have chosen to become a semi vegetarian, you should not give up on your goals and be persistent until you succeed.

Filed Under Beginner Vegetarian, Featured Category Tagged With Animal Cruelty, Bad Eating Habits, Become, Beef Pork, Food Items, Good Source Of Protein, Health Conditions, Lobsters, Meat Consumption, Meat Eater, Nice Body, Red Meat, Sea Foods, Semi, Unhealthy Food, Unhealthy Habits, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Diet, Vegetarian Food, Vegetarianism, Vegetarians, White Meat, Willpower

Start A Vegetarian Lifestyle

March 19, 2010 By Amy Leave a Comment

Health is wealth is a well known phrase if you are reading this article then you probably already know all the benefits of starting a vegetarian lifestyle. Many people have a very good reason to turn to vegetarianism but they are procrastinating because they are unsure how to do it.

Well, guess what?

You just found out how to do it.

The best way to do it is to just bite the bullet, and go for it.

You must be thinking there will be so much temptations and distractions and you are right. There will be a lot of temptations and there will be a lot of distractions, but it will be all worth it in the end. It’s your health that is more important than anything else that may look tempting.

In fact, it is quite easy to start a vegetarian lifestyle if you know how to go about it. Here are a few tips that will help you on the way.

A. You must be think about made you decide to adopt vegetarianism .

B. You should minimize meat consumption gradually day by day. You will never be able to turn vegetarian in matter of week or two. It would take at least few months to completely  adapt to the vegetarian way of life. You should first start by becoming a semi vegetarian.

C. You would need to try out different vegetable  dishes. You should learn to prepare and eat  tasty vegetarian meals. Your new menu should be full of fresh fruits and juices of vegetables and fruits, soups, pasta, whole grain breads, spices and herbs etc. You should try to make your meal complete by adding tasty items like  spices, cheese, various sauces to add flavour.

D. Another thing which can help you in your quest of turning a veggie is encourage your family also  start the vegetarian life along with you.

E. You can also join some diet classes which will have professional people who will help you in your goal of turning vegetarian.  You could get over your temptation of eating meat through mediataion.

F. Buy cookbooks and learn new vegetarian dishes from different resources like magazines, internet websites etc. The possibilities are limitless, you just have to find them.

G. If at any point you feel like you want to give up, just ask yourself this basic question. Why did you want to turn vegetarian in the first place? The answer will keep you on track and will give you enough motivation and will power to continue.

Be persistent  and before you know it, you will be a vegetarian.

Remember, your health is your real wealth you . Do it justice and do it right by turning to a healthy, wealthy and wise life style that is Vegetarianism.

To get more

Filed Under Vegetarian Tips Tagged With Cookbooks, Distractions, Eating Meat, Flavour, Fresh Fruits, Good Reason, Grain Breads, Internet Webs, Juices, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Health, Magazines Internet, Meat Consumption, New Menu, Sauces, Spices, Start, Tasty Vegetarian Meals, Temptations, Vegetable Dishes, Vegetables And Fruits, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Dishes, Vegetarian Life, Vegetarian Lifestyle, Whole Grain

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

March 19, 2010 By Amy Leave a Comment

Healthy vegetarian recipes are considered to be economical and humane. A balanced healthy vegetarian diet provides essential nutrients, and it keeps the weight down naturally. Take note: vegetarians have very few illnesses linked to fat consumption.

Consider this: until the most recent times, grains were the staple diet, while meat was a luxury reserved for the wealthy few. However, today, in our affluent society, we use grain to fatten the cattle stock! Many critics say this is a wasteful uses of resources, as it takes less grain to feed a person directly than it takes to fatten animals to feed that person. More and more of our population has become vegetarian not only for the reason mentioned above, the reason being that vegetarians are less likely to be obese or have heart or kidney disease and/or diabetes. it is a known fact that vegetarians have lower blood pressure, and much fewer incidents of digestive tract diseases. As well, vegetarians healthy recipes are a more economical use of the earth’s resources.

Consider this: on the whole Americans consume about twice the amount of protein required, and medical experts warn that we are paying for our high meat consumption, and animal fats as well, through record rates of strokes, heart disease and certain cancers and other disorders. Of course, there are many non-believers.

Healthy Vegetarian recipes must combine grains, seeds and legumes in order to get the amount of protein they need with all the essential amino acids. There are numerous amounts of healthy vegetarian recipes. Some examples of these are;

rice and beans, bean-vegetable chili served with tortillas, baked beans and corn bread, hummus, cheese rolled in chopped nuts, bread sticks with sesame seeds, macaroni and cheese, and split pea soup. These are complimentary proteins. A healthy vegetarian diet must contain enough iron as the iron from plant sources serves only 1/4 as much as meat does. Every healthy vegetarian recipe should include a high amount of Vitamin C as the Vitamin C helps the to promote iron absorption. Good food high in Vitamin C are citrus fruits, potatoes, cruciferous vegetables, peppers melons and strawberries. Vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption and is contained in the foods egg yolks, fortified milk and fatty fish. Also, exposure to sunlight enables the body to manufacture Vitamin D.

Healthy vegan or have a much more difficult time in consuming enough calories without supplements. Vegan and fruitarians must consume large amounts of nut butters, dried fruits and breads just to maintain their weight.

The facts remain – eating healthy vegetarian recipes has many health benefits, one of which being the avoidance of OBESITY – the reason being their healthy vegetarian recipes are bulky, filling, high in fiber, low in fat and therefore, low in calories. Studies have shown that a cholesterol free plant based diet is also low in saturated fats and can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke. Healthy vegetarian recipes also have proved to show less osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, and adult-onset diabetes.

Having read the above information, which would you choose? Healthy Vegetarian Recipes?

Filed Under Vegetarian Cooking Tagged With Affluent Society, Animal Fats, Beans And Corn Bread, Chopped Nuts, Complimentary Proteins, Digestive Tract Diseases, Essential Amino Acids, Essential Nutrients, Healthy, Healthy Recipes, Healthy Vegetarian Diet, Kidney Disease, Lower Blood Pressure, Macaroni And Cheese, Meat Consumption, Recipes, Sesame Seeds, Split Pea Soup, Staple Diet, Vegetable Chili, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipe, Vegetarian Recipes