Introduction to Vegetarian Cooking
The broad definition of a vegetarian is someone who has chosen to not
eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat a diet that consists mainly
of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. There are many
vegetarians who eat eggs and/or dairy products but stay away from things
like beef and chicken stocks, gelatin, or lard.
People choose to become vegetarians for a variety of reasons. These
include worry over personal health and the environment, economic
reasons, concern over world hunger, a compassion for animals, nonviolent
beliefs, and spiritual reasons. Often people will become vegetarian for
one reason, and later realize that they have other reasons, too.
While there have been some concerns raised over cutting out meat
totally from a person’s diet, according to the ADA, people who become
vegetarians have lower risks for getting heart disease, certain cancers,
diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. The main reason for this is
due to the fact that a healthy vegetarian diet is usually low in fat
while being high in fiber. Since even a vegetarian diet can include high
fats if there are high amounts of fatty snacks, fried foods or whole
milk dairy products, and eggs are consumed, it’s important that a
vegetarian diet is well planned.
When deciding to become a vegetarian, some people go “cold turkey.”
They stop eating meat altogether. Others choose to work into it
gradually. Whichever way you decide to make these changes to your diet,
you can start getting the benefits of a vegetarian diet by cutting down
drastically on the amount of meat you eat. Replace this with fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. In place of refined or white
grains, start eating whole grain foods like whole wheat bread, whole
grain cereals, or brown rice. Don’t limit yourself to just certain
foods. Instead, eat a wide variety of them, so you won’t get bored. When
eating dairy products, the non-fat or low-fat types are best. You should
limit yourself to 3 to 4 eggs a week, as well as the amount of sweet
food and high fat foods you consume. Make a shopping list before heading
out to the store. Most vegetarian food can be found in grocery stores,
but you may want to visit specialty food stores to locate some of those
hard to find items.
It doesn’t have to be hard to become a vegetarian. You can still make
elaborate dinners or whip up something quick and easy. These vegetarian
meals can be just as tasty and fulfilling as the non-vegetarian meals
you used to cook. You can make it even easier on yourself by having some
staples on hand. Stock your pantry with such things as oatmeal or other
whole grain breakfast cereals, rye, whole wheat and mixed grain crackers
and bread, barley and bulgur wheat, canned pinto, black, and garbanzo
beans, as well as brown and wild rice. Pasta should also be kept handy.
This now comes in whole wheat, spinach and other flavors. Tomato sauce,
canned beans and chopped vegetables can be used to prepare a tasty meal
in no time. Pick up some corn or flour tortillas, lentil or minestrone
soups, and frozen vegetables with no additives. Peanut butter or almond
butter spreads are great to use for a quick sandwich. Frozen fruit juice
concentrate is also handy. For desserts, you should have some canned and
frozen fruit on hand.
With those staples now within reach right in your very own kitchen,
you can begin to work your way into this healthy new way of eating. As
you become used to it, you may wonder why you waited so long to join
this particular club. Now that you have the basics stocked, you can
begin to branch out by trying various vegetarian recipes.
As so many people are seeing the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle,
recipes are not as difficult to find as they once may have been. In
fact, once you begin researching a bit, you will find that there are
many recipes available now created specifically for vegetarian dishes.
This includes everything from appetizers to main courses to desserts.
It’s all out there now, and you will be amazed at just how simple it
will be to start compiling your very own list of vegetarian specialties.
Once you start experimenting in the kitchen, your non-vegetarian friends
and family will not believe that vegetarian dishes can be so delicious.
To convince them of the benefits may not be as easy as convincing them
that vegetarians eat as many tasty dishes as they do. Host your very own
vegetarian dinner party and you will definitely make your point. |
