Vegetarian question.?!
Vegetarian question.?
okay, so i've been veg for a few months. since my mom doesn't really support it, i've been eating mostly peanut butter sandwiches and grilled cheese. are there any other easy meals for a vegetarian with not a whole lot of like, resources?
Answers: simple pasta dishes, like noodles with alfredo or just a meatless marinara, salads are always good, rice and steamed veggies, baked veggies. when i don't feel like cooking a pack of frozen veggies reheated and mixed with some 5 min cous cous is great. veggie pizza...just look around grab some stuff, and use your imagination to combine things you like. Just about any meal can be modified to veg by removing the meat. Chicken pasta -> remove the chicken and substitute tofu. Fried rice -> just don't add the meat. Try baked potatoes, vegetable casseroles, rice and potato dishes, etc. Ok, you need to eat a lot more fruits and veggies. 5 a day (at least). Peanut butter and grilled cheese are great for protein (use whole grain bread for even more protein). You could also add bell peppers or tomatoes to your grilled cheese or bananas to your peanut butter sandwich for more fruits and veggies.
Try expanding your food horizons a bit and see if your mom will get on board. Thai food is really good, just watch out for the fish sauce. Thai Kitchen is great and most (if not all) of their products are vegan. They even say so in bold green letters with the ingredients. My favorites are the sesame and the peanut. You can get these in the Asian foods section of wal mart or your grocery store. Check out Amy's Kitchen and Annie's Homegrown for some delicious convenience foods. Mexican food can easily be made vegetarian as well, bean and cheese burritos, cheese enchiladas, salsa and chips, tacos with rice and beans inside instead of meat, quesadillas, the list goes on and on. Italian food is another that is easy to make vegetarian. Veggie lasanga is delicious and there all kinds of pastas with red sauces and cream sauces to try. And of course there are always boca burgers, egg salad, and veggie sandwiches. My favorite sandwich is guacamole, bell peppers, lettuce and tomato on toast.
Now, I've made myself hungry. :) There are a lot of meals you can make using lentils or chick peas. Try looking at the food network website, I get a lot of dishes from there for my veg friend. Try the Mexican salsa salad made with canned corn, chick peas, cilantro, onion,red peppers,tomatoes, and black beans, with Italian dressing. it is really good. Your mother must be very smart. Try Indian food, they have loads of veggie dishes since most of Indians are veg they have a huge variety.
You can get ready to eat packets just heat and eat. Oh yeah! Beans and Rice make a full amino acid chain, which is good because that produces protein and since no meat is being eaten protien is scarce in your body. well come to the world of vegetarian because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks:-
Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.
Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.
A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.
Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.
Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.
Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.
Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.
Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.
Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.
ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:
More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.
1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.
" Source: Seventh day Adventists study
2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.
3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.
4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.
5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity. That's not a very healthy diet. Is the cheese even vegetarian friendly? Many are not. You need to eat veggies, fruit, nuts, whole grains, legumes and do it in a balanced way.