Vegetarian Diets

Updated November 24, 2007

A vegetarian diet is a healthy diet (and no, you won't become a weakling by not eating meat); plus, you get to help reduce animal-cruelty in the process. When I decided to become a vegetarian during my adolescent years, I often heard the same question again and again, "What the heck do you eat, a plate of lettuce for dinner?" At first I thought it was funny, but then it just got annoying. I was amazed by how many people believed that if you weren't eating meat, then you weren't eating. There's more to food than meat, people!

If you are a vegetarian who eats eggs (ovo-vegetarian), egg products are easy to get and incorporate into everything. Just go easy on the yolks to reduce cholesterol (eat egg whites instead), and always try to get eggs from free-range hens.

If you are a vegetarian who eats dairy products (lacto-vegetarian), stick with skim or low-fat items, and try to buy from ranchers who actually care about their cows, goats, and so forth. Avoid anything from factory farms or slaughter houses (they're cheaper because they don't put effort into supporting the welfare of their animals).

If you just can't give up those meat flavors, try mock meat (meat substitutes). No, it doesn't taste EXACTLY the same, but you can get a similar texture and flavor. If you really want to trick your body and your mind into gladly accepting the new flavors, just go a couple of weeks or so without any meat at all, then switch over to mock meat. The rest period from meat helps your brain to reset it's palate, so the mock meat actually tastes more like meat. For people who have gone without meat for an extended period of time, mock meat may actually taste too much like meat. Too much? Well, it's interesting how when you go without meat for a long time then start to eat it again, your body and brain can actually reject it, and the smell or flavor or texture will make you disgusted. I know you probably expect this from people who chant "meat is dead" and such, but people who go vegetarian for health reasons (no animal welfare motivation at all) also report this phenomenon. One day that hamburger is mouthwatering, and several months or a year later after living meat-free, just the smell while driving by a fast food joint will make you gag. Mock meats can be found in grocery stores in the freezer section and even in the deli section.

So other than the above, what do vegetarians eat?

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Cold Cereal
• Hot Cereal
• Pancakes
• Breads (Leavened and Flat)
• Nuts and Seeds (e.g. Peanut Butter)
• Jams and Syrups
• Pasta
• Beans (e.g. Refried Beans, Chili)
• Rice and Other Grains
• Soup
• Chips, Pretzels, and Cookies
• Chocolate
• Cakes and Pies
• Condiments (e.g. Ketchup, Mustard, (vegan) Mayo, Salsa, Hot Sauce)
• Sugar, Maple Syrup, Corn Syrup
• Spices and Herbs
• Smoothies
• Sorbet
• Coffee, Tea, Juice, Sports Drinks, Soda, ...
• and just about anything non-vegetarians eat, but modified to eliminate animal products

If you want to substitute animal products with vegetarian products, here are some ideas:

Be sure to check out http://vegweb.com/ for excellent vegetarian recipes.