Going Vegetarian

[mountainboo]

I am going to try vegetarianism for a while. I've never done it before but I have never been a big meat eater either. My husband loves his meat and I also have a three year so it is vital he continues eating meat. I just wondered what types of vegetables etc are particularly nutritional or a good replacement for meat? I like the Quorn stuff, but is it nutritionally valuable?

[Maydup]

I'm "hardcore" vegetarian (!) which means I eat a lot of nuts, beans and pulses etc and have been so for over 20yrs.

Its a totally differnet way of life for me, but if you gradually introdcue things into your life, you'll soon get into the swing.

An example would be to buy a few tins of beans and substitute them for meat. I like broadbeans in place of the chicken in a stir fry (added to the veg just at the end) or I throw some chickpeas into a salad to save eating too much cheese. I also use lentils in place of mince, (onions, lentils and tomatoes for a spag bol)

I buy veggie burgers ready made but personally I'm not very keen on the fake meat products. Beans on toast (mixing the bean and the wheat) is as nutritional as red meat. But vegetables alone are not nutritional enough so you have to include some protein in there somewhere.

Tell me some of the dishes you'd cook for the family and I might be able to help suggest alternatives which don't involve two lots of cooking.

Good luck with it

[mountainboo]

Thanks Maidup, that's very helpful. An average weekly meal plan would consist of lasagne or spag bol, chicken and veg pie, burgers and salad, roast, shepherds pie, jacket spuds with cold meats etc, curry. So it appears that the various types of beans are a good replacement for meats? x

[Zeuhl]

Just beware it doesn't lead to eating excess of cheese.

Or soya. There is evidence that the systems of people not genetically oriental (or certain south american lines) are not evolved to handle more than moderate amounts.

[Zeuhl]

Indeed.

Such diets have resulted in huge increase in carbs/sugars consumed compared with 1945 and we all know about rise in obesity, diabetes etc

I read somewhere that the Japanese have a digestive system evolved to cope with nasties found in sushi (which I love) that europeans aren't protected by.

And of course the wheat strains that are such a staple in the West have gluten levels etc very different to those consumed by our grandparents.

[mountainboo]

That's very interesting Zeuhl, thanks. I have a very slight intolerance to cheese so I have to control my intake of it. No wonder the western population suffer so much with lactose intolerance and wheat allergies, we weren't designed to consume those types of food.

[Coldicote]

You might find it interesting to explore the Vegetarian Society website https://www.vegsoc.org/
Good luck in your endeavours.