So, I probably should have mentioned that in my quest for greater health, I am exploring vegetarianism and veganism (is that even a word?). I'd like to figure out what's best for me and what fits into my life as a mom and wife (and not necessarily in that order)...it's easy to please me, but three males in the household? The hubs has always been a meat and potatoes kind of guy...and as he says, he "likes what [he] likes." I guess maybe the key is in the preparation of all these new foods. This little three-ring circus is about to become a circus of guinea pigs!Speaking of new foods...I've been reading about how to replace protein from meats and calcium from dairy. Why would I want to do that? Ok...so I might be a little neurotic about this...but when I think about eating something that has eyes I can look into and see a soul, I get a little freaked out. Ask my family...I've never been able to finish eating something when I start thinking about the animal when it was alive. The first time I ever had lobster, they brought the poor thing out on a plate whole...I can still see it's eyes and tentacles. Traumatizing to me! So, one reason I am exploring the vegetarian/vegan life-style is out of compassion for animals. The other reason is for my health. I can get into the nitty gritty of that another time, but today, I really just want to focus on the foods I learned I can substitute for protein and calcium in my diet.
Proteins
- beans
- lentils
- nuts
- rice
- soy
- tofu
- tempeh
- quinoa
Calcium (non-dairy options)
- fortified cereals
- soy milk
- tofu (made with calcium sulfate)
- soybeans
- calcium fortified fruit juices
- soynuts
- collard greens
- turnip greens
- mustard greens
- bok choy
- Chinese cabbage
- kale
- okra
Who knew that there was so much to learn about nutrition? It really should be a mandatory course in high school!
I was veggie before getting pregnant, and often think about going back. I get what you mean about eating something that's an animal - you're basically eating another being's flesh. Plus I just never liked the smell of cooking most meats. (Bacon, however, is my downfall.)
ReplyDeleteTrader Joe's has a bagged mix of collard, turnip, and mustard greens, which I always seem to have in my fridge. I either just sautee them in a little garlic & olive oil, or bake them into "chips." Same thing with kale. Also look at almond milk for another source of calcium, since there's always talk about how too much soy can be bad for you too. (Of course, there's also talk about how much pesticides are used in most almond farms, so now you have to look into organic almond products, etc.)
Hi Maria! Thanks for mentioning almond milk. We (or at least my oldest son and and I) have been almond milk drinkers for two years and love it!
ReplyDeleteAs far as bacon goes, giving up some of the great tastes in the veggie/vegan diet is hard...I'm just going to have to picture the pig!
Christina, there is a great mushroom based product I know is sold at Whole Foods called "Quorn." They have "chik'n" tenders and ground "beef." They are great substitutes for casseroles that you love that call for chicken or beef, I've made so many different types of meals with it for so many people and they can't even tell. Counts as a protein too! :-) I'm not huge into tofu...I need to copy some of my recipes for you when I get back to school and send them your way.
ReplyDeleteChristina, here is a great kale recipe: Kale Chips! That's how I introduced kale to my family, and now both the hubs and Claire will eat kale (willingly!) however I make it (chips, sauteed, soup, etc.). If you want to keep it vegan, just omit the parm. http://cammyskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/kale-chips.html
ReplyDeleteOh, and I have a good roasted tofu and okra recipe on there somewhere too, just do a search for it.
ReplyDeleteQuinoa. Yes, an interesting and unknown little guy. It's basically like a rice substitute. You cook it like rice and use it in place of rice. We eat it over here in place of rice just about every time. The only downfall to quinoa is that it isn't sticky like rice is, so it's a lot more messy and difficult for the little guys to eat.
ReplyDeleteChristina, we love collard greens in a soup we make: Mark Bittman's West African Peanut Soup. You can easily substitute a vegetable base for the chicken stock, and although we do make it with the chicken, the sweet potatoes are so filling and delightful that it honestly isn't necessary.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't vegetarian but we eat less meat than most people. We have a great book, again by Mark Bittman, called How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. You'll use it for everything!
Love, Dayna <3