So you're vegetarian, huh? Oh yeah? Just what kind of vegetarian are you anyway?
Vegan
Vegans eat no animal products of any kind. They eat only vegetable, fruits, and grains. That's it! No animal helped make their food, not even the honey from a bee. And, while we're at it, you can forget about that Jell-o over there...you don't even want to know how that's made. (No, not from the boxed powder and boiling water.)
Raw Vegan
Contrary to popular belief, raw vegan is not just salads and carrot sticks. And, while no real "cooking" is involved it can still be a lenghty process to prepare meals. The raw vegan diet includes raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs, and fresh juices. Foods on this diet are not heated above 118* F.
Ovo-vegetarian
Vegetables, fruits, grains and eggs only for ovo-vegetarians. If and when I can get my lovable son, AJ to consume eggs this is what he is thanks to his severe dairy allergy....but mainly I just make him vegan meals.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian
Lacto stands for dairy products. Ovo is for eggs. Lacto-ovos eat vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products. They don't eat meat, chicken, or fish. This is what the majority of vegetarians out there are.
Flexitarian or Occasional vegetarian
Even the biggest meat eater occassionally eats a meal that has no meat. Even my friend Mike, believe it or not. And the opposite is true for occassional vegetarians. Flexitarians might eat the occassional chicken or fish in addition to vegetables, grains, eggs, and dairy or simply indulge in a burger without the guilt.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Vegetarian Nutrition Summed Up
You've decided to become a vegetarian, been one for a long time or are just curious. You have your reasons. Very few people will argue with you about this--unless you too know my friend Mike. What people will question you about is making sure that you are getting all of your nutrition in each day.
A healthy lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is very reasonalble and pretty easy to follow. The main nutritional issues associated with being vegetarian are getting in your protein (obviously considering you are not eating meat), iron, B-12, and calcium.
Protein is essential for growth, tissue repair and to fight infection. The biggest question I always get is, "What about protein?" Newsflash, protein is found in foods other than meat! Most lacto-ovo vegetarians should have no problem obtaining a proper amount of protein, if they eat the proper amount of eggs, dairy products, and legumes.
Some great and yummy ways to consume your protein are:
*Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
*Peanutbutter
*Soy Foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk)
*Nuts and Seeds
*Seitan (wheat gluten)
*Eggs
*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
*Grain Products (wheat, rice, corn--yes corn, barley, oats, millet, quinoa)
Iron is important for the formation of red blood cells. Plant goods and eggs contain a different kind of iron than red meat. Don't worry, it's in there, but just harder go get. In all actuality, vegetarian diets are often higher in total iron content. Really! However, the type of iron found in plant-based foods is poorly absorbed by the body. (Bummer, huh?) Good news! Vitamin C helps the body absorb this iron and we all know vegetarians tend to get lots of Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to unlock the iron and make it available to the body. Guess you'll be drinking lots more OJ from now on, huh?
Here's where you'll find your iron hiding:
*Whole grains
*Eggs
*Dried Fruit (raisins, apricots, figs-- Whole grain Fig Newtons anyone?)
*Dark Green Veggies (broccoli, kale, peas, string beans, chard)
*Soy Foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk)
*Blackstrap Molasses
*Legumes (beans, lentils)
Calcium is essential for teeth, bones, and healthy muscle function. If you are lacto-ove then you know that the lacto comes from milk. Dairy products are the number one place to get calcium. Another great source of calcium is dark green veggies. Yeah, people laugh at me when I tell them broccoli is a good source of calcium, but it's true! Almonds too. If for some reason, you aren't getting enough calcium like your good friend the Friendly Vegetarian (hiding in embarassment) then pick out a good calcium supplement to help avoid osteoporosis when you're older.
Looking for Calcium? Try:
*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
*Soy Milk or Rice/Almond Milk
*Fortified Orange Juice
*Dried Figs
*Legumes (beans, lentils)
*Soy Foods (tofu made with calcium)
*Almonds (sprouted are best, but in a pinch go with what you like)
*Dark Green Veggies (broccoli, kale,m collad greens)
*Blackstrap Molasses
B-12 is needed for the formation of red blood cells and a healthy nervous system. If you include dairy products and eggs in your diet it is pretty easy to get your B-12. B-12 is found in animal products, not just meat so it should only be a problem if you have a dairy allergy like my son or are a vegan. If you are, you'll just need to make a special effort to find B-12 in alternate sources like meat or egg substitutes. You can also sprinkle nutritional yeast on just about anything these days. If you are a vegan, be sure to let your doctor know so that you can get your B-12 checked yearly to see if supplements are needed.
Want B-12? Eat:
*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
*Nutritional Yeast
*Fortified Cerals
*Fortified Soy Milk
Some other nutrients to keep in the back of your mind include Zinc, Vitamin D, and Riboflavin.
If you are armed with this information and eat many of these foods then you will easily get in all the required nutrition and not only be a friendly vegetarian but a healthy one as well!
A healthy lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is very reasonalble and pretty easy to follow. The main nutritional issues associated with being vegetarian are getting in your protein (obviously considering you are not eating meat), iron, B-12, and calcium.
Protein is essential for growth, tissue repair and to fight infection. The biggest question I always get is, "What about protein?" Newsflash, protein is found in foods other than meat! Most lacto-ovo vegetarians should have no problem obtaining a proper amount of protein, if they eat the proper amount of eggs, dairy products, and legumes.
Some great and yummy ways to consume your protein are:
*Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
*Peanutbutter
*Soy Foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk)
*Nuts and Seeds
*Seitan (wheat gluten)
*Eggs
*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
*Grain Products (wheat, rice, corn--yes corn, barley, oats, millet, quinoa)
Iron is important for the formation of red blood cells. Plant goods and eggs contain a different kind of iron than red meat. Don't worry, it's in there, but just harder go get. In all actuality, vegetarian diets are often higher in total iron content. Really! However, the type of iron found in plant-based foods is poorly absorbed by the body. (Bummer, huh?) Good news! Vitamin C helps the body absorb this iron and we all know vegetarians tend to get lots of Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to unlock the iron and make it available to the body. Guess you'll be drinking lots more OJ from now on, huh?
Here's where you'll find your iron hiding:
*Whole grains
*Eggs
*Dried Fruit (raisins, apricots, figs-- Whole grain Fig Newtons anyone?)
*Dark Green Veggies (broccoli, kale, peas, string beans, chard)
*Soy Foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk)
*Blackstrap Molasses
*Legumes (beans, lentils)
Calcium is essential for teeth, bones, and healthy muscle function. If you are lacto-ove then you know that the lacto comes from milk. Dairy products are the number one place to get calcium. Another great source of calcium is dark green veggies. Yeah, people laugh at me when I tell them broccoli is a good source of calcium, but it's true! Almonds too. If for some reason, you aren't getting enough calcium like your good friend the Friendly Vegetarian (hiding in embarassment) then pick out a good calcium supplement to help avoid osteoporosis when you're older.
Looking for Calcium? Try:
*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
*Soy Milk or Rice/Almond Milk
*Fortified Orange Juice
*Dried Figs
*Legumes (beans, lentils)
*Soy Foods (tofu made with calcium)
*Almonds (sprouted are best, but in a pinch go with what you like)
*Dark Green Veggies (broccoli, kale,m collad greens)
*Blackstrap Molasses
B-12 is needed for the formation of red blood cells and a healthy nervous system. If you include dairy products and eggs in your diet it is pretty easy to get your B-12. B-12 is found in animal products, not just meat so it should only be a problem if you have a dairy allergy like my son or are a vegan. If you are, you'll just need to make a special effort to find B-12 in alternate sources like meat or egg substitutes. You can also sprinkle nutritional yeast on just about anything these days. If you are a vegan, be sure to let your doctor know so that you can get your B-12 checked yearly to see if supplements are needed.
Want B-12? Eat:
*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
*Nutritional Yeast
*Fortified Cerals
*Fortified Soy Milk
Some other nutrients to keep in the back of your mind include Zinc, Vitamin D, and Riboflavin.
If you are armed with this information and eat many of these foods then you will easily get in all the required nutrition and not only be a friendly vegetarian but a healthy one as well!
A Friendly Introduction
Welcome to The Friendly Vegetarian! It's been a long time coming...I finally have a blog! That's right, I'm jumping on the bandwagon! I may officially be one of the last people on the planet to have a blog. (Seriously, even my parents blog! http://oldgoose.blogspot.com/) My thought was always, "Why do I need one?" I started a website for my son who is almost 5 way back when I was pregnant and to date it currently has well over 369,000 views so we had all we needed, right? Besides, who wants to read about my family? We get up (late, in my case) head off to work and school, come home, play, eat, go to the YMCA, bathe, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. Yeah, we're a thrill a minute around the old Friendly Vegeatarian homestead. *insert an eye roll here*
As time has gone on more and more of my WONDERFUL mommy friends have begun to blog. These women are AMAZING! I seriously cannot say enough wonderful things about them. Talent and the gift of word pours out of each of them. There are photography, cooking, fashion/makeup, educational, craft, and product (for both mom and baby) review blogs that my friends put their hearts and souls into. I looked at each one of these blogs in amazement. Amazement because they have the knowledge and talent, but have also found the time with small children and busy lives to blog.
Me? I'm a busy girl/wife/mother. I spend a good portion of my day at work. I'm a teacher. Not just any teacher, but a special education teacher. I teach students with severe emotional disturbances in a seperate facility. Here I spend my days teaching, inspiring, acting as a role model, and family member to my elementary aged students. When I get home I'm usually exhausted. I want to spend as much time with my wonderful husband, Andrew and fiesty son, AJ. We're often rushed in the evenings to get in a good dinner and get to the YMCA for our many different activities. So much of my time after work is spent cooking. I figured this left me no time to blog. Then one day I discovered a woman named Ree Drummond. Why, Ree has a cooking blog! I instantly fell in love with idea of a cooking blog. Unfortunately, Ree and her family are meat eaters. So, most of the recipes on her blog (thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ ) are filled with beef and other meats that I'd never make for my family. Wait a minute! I'm too busy to blog, but need to cook dinner each night, right? And, I enjoy cooking blogs? Couldn't I combine the two? *Ding! On goes the light bulb!* I'll start my own vegetarian cooking blog. Not only is this your typical vegetarian/vegan recipe blog, but my son AJ has a severe dairy allergy so many recipes will also be food allergy friendly. I will also be sharing stories, reviewing products, and discussing many differnt things such as produce and where to find different items needed to make a wonderful vegetarian meal.
Hold on to your carrots because here comes The Friendly Vegetarian! ;)
As time has gone on more and more of my WONDERFUL mommy friends have begun to blog. These women are AMAZING! I seriously cannot say enough wonderful things about them. Talent and the gift of word pours out of each of them. There are photography, cooking, fashion/makeup, educational, craft, and product (for both mom and baby) review blogs that my friends put their hearts and souls into. I looked at each one of these blogs in amazement. Amazement because they have the knowledge and talent, but have also found the time with small children and busy lives to blog.
Me? I'm a busy girl/wife/mother. I spend a good portion of my day at work. I'm a teacher. Not just any teacher, but a special education teacher. I teach students with severe emotional disturbances in a seperate facility. Here I spend my days teaching, inspiring, acting as a role model, and family member to my elementary aged students. When I get home I'm usually exhausted. I want to spend as much time with my wonderful husband, Andrew and fiesty son, AJ. We're often rushed in the evenings to get in a good dinner and get to the YMCA for our many different activities. So much of my time after work is spent cooking. I figured this left me no time to blog. Then one day I discovered a woman named Ree Drummond. Why, Ree has a cooking blog! I instantly fell in love with idea of a cooking blog. Unfortunately, Ree and her family are meat eaters. So, most of the recipes on her blog (thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ ) are filled with beef and other meats that I'd never make for my family. Wait a minute! I'm too busy to blog, but need to cook dinner each night, right? And, I enjoy cooking blogs? Couldn't I combine the two? *Ding! On goes the light bulb!* I'll start my own vegetarian cooking blog. Not only is this your typical vegetarian/vegan recipe blog, but my son AJ has a severe dairy allergy so many recipes will also be food allergy friendly. I will also be sharing stories, reviewing products, and discussing many differnt things such as produce and where to find different items needed to make a wonderful vegetarian meal.
Hold on to your carrots because here comes The Friendly Vegetarian! ;)
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