Storified by Jackie Lou Smith· Thu, Feb 28 2013 22:22:13
However, this is probably one of the most challenging lifestyle choices to sustain. Vegetarians who are not so strict allow themselves dairy products and eggs.
Vegetarian food can be as simple or as gourmet as one desires. For special occasions, expensive and hard-to-find ingredients like porcini mushrooms and truffle oils can be incorporated for a gourmet experience. For everyday cooking, a trip to the farmers market or even the grocery is sure to inspire one to prepare a variety of healthy dishes.
Most of the recipes shared here are easy to prepare with fresh flavor profile from simple grilled vegetables to soups, sidings, breads and starches.
Nutrient dense fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and oils are the foundation of a balanced vegetarian plate. Like any lifestyle practice, care must be taken that enough macro- and micro-nutrients are consumed especially if one is not consuming animal products which are usually the main source of protein for most people.
For those who are transitioning to vegetarianism, they usually have challenges eating with non-vegetarian companions in most restaurants. However, there are more and more eating places from fine dining establishments to fast food joints that offer a variety of vegetarian options or can prepare some of their dishes without meat.
A sustainable menu plan of home-made dishes devoid of any meat, poultry and seafood are achievable given some creativeness in the kitchen. If anything, it encourages resourcefulness in sourcing ingredients to provide variety to the staple vegetables and fruit. Quinoa, amaranth, couscous, tamari, liquid aminos, and countless other grains, seasoning and ingredients additionally provide nutrients from more readily available ingredients.
Any cooking method allows itself a variety of applications in the world of vegetarian cuisine. In fact, it even embraces non-traditional ways to prepare foods compared to conventional diets. Vegetarian dishes can be prepared with the use of blending (raw soups), dehydrating (cookies, breads and meat-simulated foods like burgers from flax) and fermenting (drinks and pickled food).
Additional tools such as high-speed blenders, dehydrators, spiral slicers, mandolins, high-speed blenders, sprouting jars and trays are investments of vegans in their quest for attaining 100% raw food consumption.
Storified by Jackie Lou Smith· Thu, Feb 28 2013 22:18:40
In the broadest sense, vegetarianism may be considered a diet in itself as it confers health benefits including weight loss if done properly. Those who practise this oftentimes do not wish to call it a diet as this term connotes deprivation and that it is something you get into for a specific amount of time to achieve a specific health goal as opposed to a lifelong lifestyle choice.
In the strictest sense, a vegetarian diet can be viewed as a “diet within a diet” wherein excessive fats and high-glycemic fruits are limited and instead more vegetables are consumed.
Calories are not so much the concern of vegetarians as plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts confer a lot of quality nutrients without the high calorie content associated with a conventional diet with large amounts of meat (pork and beef) and chicken whether processed or not. However, if one is not careful, consuming too much starchy food and fruit can lead to elevated blood sugar levels while too much fats, though healthy and cholesterol-free, can still lead to weight gain.
Not all calories are created equal. Carbohydrate and protein for example contain four calories per gram while fat has nine calories per gram. The same number of calories from a hearty salad of leafy greens, nuts and a light dressing may provide more quality energy and nutrients from a hotdog made from processed meat, mayonnaise and white bread. Same goes for the calories in a cup of fresh fruit compared to cup of hot fudge sundae.
Whether vegetarian or not, smart choices have to be made to be able to achieve long term health and wellness and avoid diseases.
Those who just converted to a vegetarian lifestyle are recommended to seek the guidance of a health practitioner–a doctor, nutritionist or wellness advocate who can monitor that essential nutrients are complete and in adequate amounts. Joining a support group also helps to get a broad view of various people’s journey.
