Take a good look at what your body requires to function at its highest level. I learned a lot from discussing it with my acupuncturist and my doctor, as well as by reading. I was what you'd call a 'lazy vegetarian' when I first became meat-free six years ago. I would eat whatever sort of junk was available to me, and it was all 'acceptable' because it lacked meat. It wasn't until I became a vegan a year ago that I really started to pay attention to what essential nutrients my body was lacking due to my new, totally animal-free diet.
Jon Watkins
Via email
Read-read everything you can get your hands on. When I first became a vegetarian, it was almost on a whim; I was simply looking for some way to make a 'fresh start.' I didn't really expect it to be a permanent change. But then I suddenly found myself barraged with hundreds of questions. People asked whether I would get the proper nutrition. They wanted to know my reasoning. They pointed out inconsistencies, and they continuously challenged my decision.
I had to read just to be able to answer their questions. In doing so, I was exposed to countless reasons for becoming a vegetarian that I never knew existed. I gained a more complete picture of our Earth and how it works, of how the food I eat can be a lifestyle choice rather than a diet, of how the food choices I make affect my body as well as the environment I live in.
I discovered all kinds of resources and support networks and was exposed to new and creative ways to be a vegetarian. All of this reading has helped me commit to a permanent lifestyle change that I've never regretted.
If you are reading this magazine, you have made an excellent start. In addition to reading, don't be afraid to try new things. Grocery stores are packed with produce you may never have heard of, but don't let that intimidate you. Expand your eating horizons, and try new foods and cooking methods. You will find a whole new adventure in every meal!
Julie Stoverink
Charlotte, NC
Develop a thick skin to all the naysayers who swear that you're going to get sick if you don't eat meat. I work in the health care industry, and I'm amazed at how little nutritionists know about nutrition. It's like they've all been brainwashed by the USDA Food Pyramid.
Cindy Edwards
Cullman, AL
Don't overdo the carbs, stay away from the fake meat products, keep the dishes honest and simple, and stop thinking in terms of entr�es and sides. Just think in terms of a collection of dishes based on color and season.
Joyce Umamoto
Via email
First, be kind to yourself in the beginning. It's natural to feel tempted by the meat culture that surrounds us. I found that I had to stay out of restaurants for the first month. It was just easier to make the switch at home. Second, don't be self-righteous with non-vegetarian family and friends. No one ever became a vegetarian because they were lectured into it.
Sara Saldi
Via email
Don't marry a carnivore with a passion for barbecue unless you want to eat a lot of baked potatoes and salads at barbecue restaurants! Most even taint the baked beans, a veggie staple, with meat.
Wanda Budan
Via email
Read the nutrition labels on everything you buy. A lot of times, something you think is vegetarian lists animal by-products in the ingredients. Another word of advice: Don't be afraid to ask if the food you're ordering is completely vegetarian. Most restaurants are used to that question.
Daniella Harper
Via email
Three bits of advice: 1. When you're at home, eat the way you did as a carnivore, but replace the meat with veggie substitutes. 2. When you're eating out, read the bottom of the menu. Most places have veggie options a little further down the menu. 3. Seek out vegetarian restaurants. They deserve our support.
Jim Schulz-Browning
Portland, OR
Try not to replace the saltiness and fattiness of meat with cheese. Most new vegetarians start dropping shredded cheese onto everything because, consciously or not, they miss the taste of fat and salt. Cheese is great, but large quantities of it are definitely not healthful. For flavor, try allspice or chili powder. They're good for curbing cravings and will keep you from increasing your overall sodium and fat intake.
Megan Kormi
Via email
New vegetarians deserve commendation for revering all of God's creatures. If people question their motives for being vegetarian, they can state that humanitarians such as Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Cesar Chavez, Leo Tolstoy and Coretta Scott King abstained from eating flesh foods because they derive from violence and cruelty to animals.
Brien Comerford
Glenview, IL
Try the new meat-free products available, and remember what your mother always said at the dinner table: 'You'll never know if you like it until you try it.'
Maria Fortunate
Via email
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Reader Recipe
CHEESE AND SPINACH PASTA ROLL-UPS
Serves 4
Yoka Canrinus, a student at the University of Toronto, loves cooking. 'I've been a vegetarian for a couple of years, and I find it challenging to think of exciting meal ideas. I made up this recipe because I've always enjoyed cannelloni and manicotti but found (hem time-consuming to prepare. This is just as tasty.' Using fresh pasta makes this double last. Or you can use oven-ready lasagna-just soften the noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes before filling and rolling them.
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium to large sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
Saltand freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 sheets fresh pasta, 8 � x 5 � inches
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, and saut� onion and garlic about 10 minutes, or until golden and fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, combine spinach, ricotta and cottage cheese, stirring well. Mix in salt, pepper and onion-garlic mixture.
4. Put 1 sheet pasta on work surface, and spoon about 1 � cups spinach mixture down one long side of sheet. Roll up, and place into baking pan. Repeat until ingredients are used up. Pour tomato sauce over top of pasta, and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
PER SERVING: 320 CAL; 23G PROT; 12G TOTAL FAT (4G SAT. FAT); 28G CARB; 30MG CHOL; 750MG SOD; 4G FIBER; 9G SUGARS
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please send old address and new address to: Vegetarian Times, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235, or visit www.vegetariantimes.com to change online.SUSSCRIPTION RATES: Basic Rate: 1 year (10 issues)-$19.90. Canada: 531.95 per year. Foreign $31.95 per year (U.S. funds only). Canadian sales agreement #40961003. Return address: 2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON Canada N8Y 1V2. Canadian GST #: R123452781
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WHAT RESULT OF YOUR VEGETARIAN DIET HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST SURPRISE? WHY?
