I've decided to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian =) But, I don't really know what foods I can and cannot eat yet.?!
I know I don't want to eat meat!. I still want to have dairy & eggs in my diet!. I heard about vegetarians not eating gellatin!? What is gellatin and what foods contain it!? Any good soy/tofu burger products!? What are some things I can order from fast food places!? Please help me!. Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
Vegetarians can eat anything that isn't derived from fish, flesh, or fowl!. Lacto-ovo vegetarians can eat dairy products and eggs, which makes finding breakfast items and desserts very, very easy!. :)
The big things you have to worry about are stocks and flavorings!. For example, a lot of soups and rice dishes have chicken stock as their base, and many Asian restaurants use fish sauces in their sauces!. There's also the issue of lard in beans and/or tortillas and possibly chicken stock in the rice at Mexican restaurants!. You'll need to avoid things with Worcestershire Sauce, like Caesar salad dressing, as well!.
Gelatin is a nearly transparent, faintly yellow, odorless, and almost tasteless glutinous substance obtained by boiling in water the ligaments, bones, skin, etc!., of animals, and forming the basis of jellies, glues, and the like!. Vegetarians and vegans do not consume gelatin, so stay away from products like Jello, some guacamoles and sour creams, and marshmallows!. (There are vegan marshmallows, though!. I've purchased them at natural products stores, and you can order them online!.)
There are LOTS of tasty meat alternatives there!. Almost any mainstream grocery store chain carries them these days!. The easiest brand to find in the freezer case is Morningstar Farms, which is owned by Kellogg's!. Between the freezer section and the produce (over by the tofu), you can find Lightlife, Boca, Amy's Organics, Gardenburger, Cedarline, and many other brands!. Go to a natural foods store, and you'll find items from Tofurky and many more!. You'll never be at a loss for great options!.
Fast food places aren't terribly hard for a vegetarian these days!. Burger King has a BK Veggie burger and meatless fries, Wendy's offers salads and baked potatoes, and places like Fuddrucker's and Ruby Tuesday's offer veggie burgers!. Subway offers veggie delite sandwiches and the equivalent of a veggie burger that you can add to your sandwich, and Quizno's has a veggie sub!. Taco Bell uses vegetarian beans and rice and gelatin-free guacamole, even though their sour cream has gelatin!. Neither Qdoba nor Chipotle uses gelatin for their guacamole, and their black beans are vegan!. Most Italian and pizza places offer great vegetaian options, especially if you don't care much about the rennet issue!. (Cheese contains rennet!. Most rennets are microbially derived now, but some, like parmesan and feta, usually have animal-derived rennet!. Calves have to be killed to get animal-derived rennet!.)
The only places I completely avoid are McDonald's -- they even use beef tallow for their fries -- and Chick-Fil-A because there's chicken or something on their fries, too!. Can't remember exactly what, though!.
Lastly, I think you need to put up a book about becoming vegetarian!. Something like "Vegetarians for Dummies" may help!. I'm sure you can find it at your library or a local bookstore!.
Best of luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
The big things you have to worry about are stocks and flavorings!. For example, a lot of soups and rice dishes have chicken stock as their base, and many Asian restaurants use fish sauces in their sauces!. There's also the issue of lard in beans and/or tortillas and possibly chicken stock in the rice at Mexican restaurants!. You'll need to avoid things with Worcestershire Sauce, like Caesar salad dressing, as well!.
Gelatin is a nearly transparent, faintly yellow, odorless, and almost tasteless glutinous substance obtained by boiling in water the ligaments, bones, skin, etc!., of animals, and forming the basis of jellies, glues, and the like!. Vegetarians and vegans do not consume gelatin, so stay away from products like Jello, some guacamoles and sour creams, and marshmallows!. (There are vegan marshmallows, though!. I've purchased them at natural products stores, and you can order them online!.)
There are LOTS of tasty meat alternatives there!. Almost any mainstream grocery store chain carries them these days!. The easiest brand to find in the freezer case is Morningstar Farms, which is owned by Kellogg's!. Between the freezer section and the produce (over by the tofu), you can find Lightlife, Boca, Amy's Organics, Gardenburger, Cedarline, and many other brands!. Go to a natural foods store, and you'll find items from Tofurky and many more!. You'll never be at a loss for great options!.
Fast food places aren't terribly hard for a vegetarian these days!. Burger King has a BK Veggie burger and meatless fries, Wendy's offers salads and baked potatoes, and places like Fuddrucker's and Ruby Tuesday's offer veggie burgers!. Subway offers veggie delite sandwiches and the equivalent of a veggie burger that you can add to your sandwich, and Quizno's has a veggie sub!. Taco Bell uses vegetarian beans and rice and gelatin-free guacamole, even though their sour cream has gelatin!. Neither Qdoba nor Chipotle uses gelatin for their guacamole, and their black beans are vegan!. Most Italian and pizza places offer great vegetaian options, especially if you don't care much about the rennet issue!. (Cheese contains rennet!. Most rennets are microbially derived now, but some, like parmesan and feta, usually have animal-derived rennet!. Calves have to be killed to get animal-derived rennet!.)
The only places I completely avoid are McDonald's -- they even use beef tallow for their fries -- and Chick-Fil-A because there's chicken or something on their fries, too!. Can't remember exactly what, though!.
Lastly, I think you need to put up a book about becoming vegetarian!. Something like "Vegetarians for Dummies" may help!. I'm sure you can find it at your library or a local bookstore!.
Best of luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com
gelatin is made from boiling animal bones, usually pigs, it's used in thngs like marshmallow!. So it's not vegetarian at all, but the alternative is agar!.Www@FoodAQ@Com