. By VIRGINIA ESSINA,
PH,RD
So you're thinking ofb coming
. vegetarian. Or maybe your daughter
carne home from her first emester of
college and announced that h ha
gone meatless. Or your pre chooler
will eat everything from artichoke
to zucchini but suddenly turns hi
no e up at hamburger.
Can you and your family survive
the change? And will you ever be
able to come up with enough palate­
ple ing meals to replace the fried
chicken, barbecued burgers and
baked ham that have been a part of
your diet for as long as you can
remember?
The answer is Yes to both ques­
tions. Plant-based diets can expand
your culinary horizons and introduce
you to some the most interesting and
delicious foods you've ever tasted.
And not only will you survive the
change, you may be a lot better off
for it.
What do vegetarians eat?
Many vegetarians e�t a wider
variety of foods than non­
vegetarians! Meatless meals can be
I familiar foods like vegetable soups,
spaghetti or macaroni and cheese.
Some vegetarians enjoy ethnic foods
like savory Asian stir-fries or spicy
Indian curries.
Typically, vegetarian diets in­
clude plenty of grain products such
. as pasta, rice, breads, hot and cold
: cereals and muffins. Vegetarians
:. also fill up on vegetables, fruits,
: beans, nuts and nut butters, such as
peanut or almond butter, and soy
.. products like tofu. Some
• vegetarians include dairy products
• and �ggs in thei diet, too.
.. ' There are also a variety of alter-
natives to meat, often called meat
.. analogs, on the market. These are
.. products made from soy and grains
.- that imitate various types of meat.
:. They have a familiar 190k and taste
and are especially helpful to new
_. vegetarians. (See the guidelines that
follow for planning healthy
vegetarian meals.)
o_
2 cups ricotta cheese
2· cups part- kim mozz reUa
cheese
. 112 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Basil- Tomato auce (recipe fol-
Io )
2 cu fresh pinach, chopped
1112 cups mushroom Iked
1 cup blanched carro thinly
Heed .
114 cup parsley, minced
1 box (16 ounce ) of lasagna
noodle cooked or 2 packages (9
ounce each) refrigerated lasagna
noodles'
-
..
,.
Mix chee es. Spread 1 cup tomato
auce in bottom of 13 x 9 inch baking
Don't vegetarian ne d to eat
pecial combination of f90d
to g t enough protein?
A long a ve tari net a
variety of food and con ume
e ough calori ,they will get plenty
of protein. Grains, beans, nuts, and
vegetable are all protein-rich foods.
utritionists today reject old rule
about eating th e foods in pecial
combinations.
What about vitamins and
minerals? Do vegetarians get
enough of these nutrients?
Iron is abundant in vegetarian
diets. Iron deficiency anemia is no
more common among vegetarians
than meat-eaters. Good sources of
iron include whole and enriched
grains, beans, dark green leafy
vegetables and dried fruits. Since
Vitamin C boosts your body's ab­
sorption of iron, include a Vitamin
C-rich food; such as citrus fruit or
juice, tomatoes, potatoes, or broc­
coli, at each meal.
Vitaman D is generally unavai­
able on all diets. The best way to
include Vitamin D in your diet is to
consume foods that are fortified with
it. Dairy products and many break­
fast cereals have Vitamin D added to
them. But even if your diet includes
no Vitamin D, you can make all you
need by exposing your skin to the sun
several times a week. Baring hands
and face to the sun for 20 minutes is
enough for most light-skinned
people to produce adequate Vitamin
D. Darker-skinned individuals and
those living in northern, foggy, or
smoggy areas may need more.
Vitamin B12 is not found in plant
foods to any appreciable extent. If
you don't eat foods that are natural
sources of Vitamin B12 it is impor­
tant to use foods that are B12-for­
tified.
Some soy milks and many meat
analogs are fortified. A number of
breakfast cereals and certain brands
of nutritional yeast provide Vitamin
B12 also.
Is a vegetarian diet healthful
for pregnant women?
Well-planned vegetarian diets
satisfy all the nutritional needs of
pregnant women. Using the
guidelines that follow, increase food
intake enough to gain weight accord­
ing to the recommendations of your
health care provider. If you don't
use dairy products, be sure to em­
phasize foods that are high in cal­
cium and include regular sources of
pan. Layer 1/3 of the noodles over
sauce; top with half the spinach,
mushrooms, carrots and parsley.
Spoon 1/3 of the cheese mixture over
the vegetables. Repeat layers, ending
with layer of noodles, sauce and
cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, in
preheated 350 degree oven, about 1
hour. Cut into squares. Makes 8
main dish ervings.·
Basil· Tomato Sauce
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garllc, minced
2.table poon olive or vegetable
oil
2 teaspoo dried U leaves
1 tea pooa dri d oregano leav
Fats, Oils, & Sweets
USE SPARI GLY
Milk, Yogurt,
& Cheese
Group
2-3 SERVI GS
Vegetable
Group
3-5 SERVINGS
Vitamin B12 in your diet. To ensure
an adequate supply of Vitamin D, it
is also important to get enough ex­
posure to the sun.
Is a vegetarian diet safe for
children?
Vegetarian diets are excellent
choices for children since they teach
them to enjoy a wide variety of
healthful foods.
Because children have small
stomachs and high caloric needs,
offer them several small meals
throughout the day. Healthy snacks
are an important part of a child's diet.
Since high-fiber foods are filling,
children may need to include some
refined products in their diets such as
refined grains and fruit juices.
Doesn't it take a lot of work to
prepare vegetarian meals?
Vegetarian meals can be as fast as
heating up water for pasta and open­
ing a jar of spaghetti sauce. Beans
and whole grains do take some time
to cook, although they take little ef­
fort. Canned beans can save time
along with some of the quick-cook­
ing grains such as instant brown rice.
If you prefer to use natural whole
grains and dried beans, a pressure
cooker will speed food preparation.
Convenient, microwaveable meat
analogs provide a way to have deli­
cious meals on the t:tble injust a few
minutes.
IJ2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 pounds ripe
tomatoe peeled, coarsely chopped
IJ2 cup tomato paste
IJ2 cup ater
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
. Salt
Pepper
Saute onion and garlic in oil in
large saucepan until tender. Stir in
herbs; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in
tomatoes, tomato paste and water;
heat to boiling. Reduce heat and sim­
mer, uncovered, until sauce is thick­
ened. Stir in parsley; season to taste
with salt and pepper. Makes 3 cups.
Is it difficult to follow a
vegetarian diet when you are
away from home?
It's getting easier to find
vegetarian meals in restaurants every
day-mostly because they are so
much in demand, Choose res­
taurants that offer pasta dishes or
Mexican entrees. Many fast food
restaurants offer baked potatoes and
salad bars for lighter meals. If you
are camping or cooking out, load up
on canned beans and on meat
analogs such as vegetarian hot dogs
and burgers. .
How can 1 get my family to try
more meatless meals?
Serve meals that are familiar to
your family but that are meatless
such as spaghetti and tomato sauce,
meatless chili, or bean burritos.
Meat analogs can be used in your
soup and stew recipes, as well as
other family favorites such as tacos,
szechwan dishes, pasta salads, and
sloppy joes to name a fe'Y'
So you're thinking of becoming a
vegetarian? Information on
vegetarianism and a variety of
recipes are available by writing to
Worthington Foods, 900 Proprietors
Road, Worthington, Ohio 43085, or
calling 614-885-9511. I
Virginia Messina is a member of
the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic
Practice Group of, the American
Dietetic Association .
I
Vegetable Lasagna
Are vegetarians healthier Calcium is also abundant in plant
than meat-eaters? foods. Beans, nuts and seeds, dark
green leafy vegetables, and soy
Vegetarians have much better products such as tofu, are especially
health profiles than people who base rich in this nutrient. Vegetarians
their diets on meat and other animal may actually have lower calcium
. products. Diets centered on plant needs than non-vegetarians since
f� � typica�ly lower in fat and they consume little or no animal
highennfi�r� .. �t:an .protein. Animal protein increases
fa� .. Accordl?8: .. the' # ca " .. I of calcium !rOm yOur bp(1y nd.. I
�letetlc Association, these may be may contribute to weakened bones. ''';
Just a few of the reasons why
vegetarians have lower blood
cholesterol levels and less heart dis­
ease than meat-eaters. Vegetarians
also have ss diabetes, hyperten­
sion, obesity, colon and lung cancer,
osteoporosis, gallstones, and kidney
stones.
..
·
.
�
·
1� Great veqetetn« lasagna
.'
.;
..
Meat, Poultry, Fish,
Dry Beans, Eggs,
& Nuts Group
2·3 SERVINGS
Fruit
Group
2·4 SERVINGS
Bread, Cereal,
Rice, & Pasta
Group
6·11
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