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Am I a vegetarian if I eat fish or chicken?
Vegetarianism 101
Vegetarianism is a diet or eating style that includes no meat. However, vegetarianism has expanded in recent years to include a wide variety of diets. Some people who eat chicken or fish now call themselves semi-vegetarians because they eat no red meat.
The different types of ‘vegetarians’ are:
- Vegan—people who follow this style neither eat nor use any animal products. This means they do not wear leather, nor eat honey. Everything they consume comes from plant sources. This is considered by many to be the healthiest way to eat;
- Lacto-vegetarian—people who consume milk and other dairy products as well as vegetables, beans, grains, and fruits;
Ovo-vegetarians—this group of people eat eggs as well as plants;
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian—these people eat plants as well as dairy and eggs and are the most common of all vegetarians. This is also the kind that most people think of when they refer to vegetarian eating;
- Raw or live foods—this is the newest group. People who follow this regime eat their food uncooked and most include no meat in their diets. They eat dried foods not processed above 112°. Technically, a person eats a raw foods diet if they consume at least 75% of their food raw.
People become vegetarians for all kinds of reasons. When I first stopped eating meat I was in high school and stopped eating pork and chicken because I didn’t like their taste and I thought eating animals was nasty. I continued to eat beef for a few more years because I thought I had to for good health. Once I started reading about health and nutrition, and learned I could get more than enough protein from plants, I quit eating beef and became a vegetarian. That was thirty-five years ago. Later my reasons for avoiding meat became more intellectual, philosophical, and political.
When Frances Moore Lappé wrote Diet for a Small Planet in the early 1970s she created a passionate discourse that explained how the meat eating habits of rich nations affects people in poor nations. In addition, raising cattle is more harmful to the environment than growing vegetables. Eating a vegetarian diet is cheaper than eating a meat-based diet. A simple reason given by children who decide to give up meat is that they don’t want to eat animals.
Whatever your reason for venturing into the world of vegetarianism, know that tasty and healthful eating experiences await you.
Food and your relationship to it says a lot about you. Have you ever answered the question: do you live to eat or eat to live? Eating isn’t one or the other. Since we have to eat to live I say we should enjoy it. However, to stay healthy and live life to its max it is necessary to eat things that will enhance our health. You can do this by following a few guidelines and knowing something about the stuff you put in your body.
Carbohydrates - are natural substances that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen – sometimes designated CHO. All food from plants contain carbohydrates. They also contain proteins and many contain fats as well and are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram.
Protein - the substance of life. Made up of 22 amino acids, “building blocks,” eight of which cannot be synthesized by the human body so they must be gotten from food. Yes, meat does contain all of these so-called “essential” amino acids but so do plants. Everything that is alive, including plants, are made up of protein. In plants, amino acids are present in different relative amounts from what is present in meat. It is possible to get all of the eight essential amino acids from plant proteins. This is a very healthful way of getting protein because the kinds of fats present in plants are healthful. There are a myriad of other nutrients present in plants. These include vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients that are only beginning to be understood. Also it’s really difficult to get too much protein in your diet by getting it from plant sources. When you get protein from animals it’s possible to get too much protein which can lead to a variety of health problems. Protein contains 4 calories per gram.
Fats - are essential for normal bodily functions. Some of these functions include: vitamin absorption, hormonal activities, hair and skin health, and normal growth. It also makes food taste good, though flavor can be achieved by adding other things to the food you prepare like herbs, spices, sauces, lemon juice, to name just a few. Theoretically, one tablespoon of fat daily is enough to maintain normal body functions. It has to be the right kinds of fat. Eating a variety of fats will achieve this needed variety. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Butter, margarine, and oil all have 100 calories per tablespoon. And since butter tastes so good and margarine tastes so bad, why buy margarine, a fake food, and one that is now proven to be implicated in heart disease because of the trans fats that it contains?
Vitamins and minerals - are microscopic chemicals in food that provide the nutrients that the body needs for growth. Minerals we can see, vitamins we cannot. RDA’s (recommended daily amount) are established by the US Food and Drug Administration. They are the minimum amount of any vitamin or mineral that will keep a healthy body from getting the disease that the chemical is known to prevent. They do not address the issue of good health nor illness prevention. The amount listed on vitamin bottles is given as a percentage of the RDA.
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What about sugar, is it really that bad for me?
Though it was the fat, protein, and complex carbohydrates that sustained our ancestors, it’s the sweetness of sugar that probably drew them to certain foods. It’s likely our sweet tooth developed many millennia ago. Sweetness enhances the flavor of foods and brings us enjoyment. But, like almost anything, too much sugar is bad. Whether or not it is inherently unhealthy is controversial. Though there is evidence that sugar consumption lowers the body’s immune system making us more susceptible to disease. Millions of words have been written decrying the evils of sugar as well as supporting it’s pleasure. Most of our words of endearment contain sugar. We call those we love sweetheart or honey, for example. No matter where you fall on the sugar issue there is one thing most people agree on—foods made with sugar taste good.
As long as you don’t have sugar “issues” like hiding it, or not sharing, a little sugar in your diet can be a good thing. But if you’re going to eat it, eat it in as healthy a form as possible. If you buy ready made sweet things like cakes, candies, and pies, always read the label. In most packaged products you’ll have a long list of unpronounceable ingredients, not to mention artificial colorings and flavorings. To avoid eating all the rest of the questionable ingredients, make it yourself. And make all sweets as unprocessed as you do for the rest of your meal. Making it yourself gives you that control.
Of course, the most unprocessed sweet is a piece of fruit. For the best nutrition eat fruit in season. During off season, eat dried fruit, the next least processed sweet. Dried fruit is very sweet. With its water gone the sugar in the fruit is very concentrated. All forms of sugar are pretty equal in the body. Your body really doesn’t know the difference between honey or table sugar. When it goes looking for energy, it’s happy to find either of these which your body has to turn into sugar’s useable form, glucose, anyway.
A new look is being taken at sugar and how it works on and in the body. Several doctors in Australia subjected real people, diabetics and non-diabetics, to testing that measured the effects of sugar on the body from various foods. They listed these foods relative to glucose, the form of sugar used by the body, which they coded 100. All other tested foods have been given a number relative to 100. They call this list The Glycemic Index. To learn more get a copy of The Glucose Revolution. Or visit any of the Web sites—there are hundreds—just key in “Glycemic Index.”
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How can I make a vegetarian stock?
Fresh Vegetarian Stock
1) Chop into small pieces:
- 2 – 3 carrots
- 2 – 3 stalks celery
- 2 onions
2) Sauté the vegetables in a small amount of olive oil. Cover with filtered water.
3) Add:
- 2 bay leaves
- Other fresh herbs of your choice
4) Bring to a boil.
5) Lower heat.
6) Simmer for 1/2 hour.
7) Strain. Some vegetables and herbs get bitter if left in the water too long.
8) Use immediately. Or freeze the strained stock for use later. Do not add salt. If the recipe you are using calls for salt, your stock will be too salty.
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How do I make veggie gravy? When my family is eating Thanksgiving dinner, I don’t miss the turkey but I do like gravy on my mashed potatoes.
Savory Miso Gravy
1) Heat in a frying pan: 2 tablespoons canola oil
Add:
- 1 small onion, finely diced
2) Cover and simmer until the onion is soft—about 10 minutes.
3) While onion is cooking, put into a dry heavy skillet:
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
4) Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it lightly browned and emits a fragrant aroma—about 10 minutes
5) Slowly add:
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water (not cold)
6) Stirring constantly to prevent lumps (a whisk works perfectly for this)
7) Add:
8) Stir till gravy is thickened. If the gravy is too thin simmer a few more minutes to evaporate some more water. If it is too thick add more water.
9) Turn off heat and stir in:
- 1 tablespoon dark miso*, diluted in water
10) Don’t boil after the miso has been added
11) Stir the miso with a tablespoon of water in a cup until smooth before carefully adding it to the gravy. Miso is a fermented soybean paste available in the refrigerator section of natural food stores and co-ops.
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How can I make a vegan pesto since I don’t eat cheese?
Vegan Basil Pesto
1) Wash and spin dry:
2) Place in blender with:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 - 6 cloves garlic, smashed*
- 2 tablespoons miso (barley or red)**
- 1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
3) Blend till smooth.
4) Add and blend till crunchy: 1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts
* To smash garlic: tap the cloves with a hammer to remove the skins. Cut large cloves into smaller pieces. Put garlic pieces inside a folded piece of waxed paper. Pound with a hammer until it is completely smashed.
** Miso adds the salty taste without Parmesan cheese
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