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Vegetarianism

Awesome Vegetarian Resources

by Courtney Carver

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Dusti Arab of Minimalist Adventures.

Making the decision to become a vegetarian is a life changing choice, to say the least. Whether you were inspired by a desire to change your health for the better, to save the planet, or to respect other animals’ right to live, something inside you decided eating meat was no longer in your best interest. Anyone who has begun a vegetarian journey knows that right after the inspiration to become vegetarian hits you, the next thing that happens is…

“Now what?”

How on earth are you going to figure out how to be a vegetarian? Most of the meals you know how to cook use meat as the focus of the meal! And, you don’t know any vegetarians! If it isn’t obvious how much our culture revolves around consumption of meat, have you ever heard of a traditional Thanksgiving Tofurky? (The kid at school whose family had it as the main course was duly pitied by the rest of us.)

To quell your fears, I have assembled the ultimate toolkit for becoming vegetarian. Here you will find resources on why to go veggie, how to get started, shopping lists, and even some encouragement!

Why be vegetarian?

      In case you weren’t 100% positive you wanted to give the veggie lifestyle a shot, here is the story of how I realized a personal call to change my diet to reflect my values. –

Why Go Veg?

This is a killer wake up call on why going vegan is the sustainable decision to make. Complete with the facts, great sourcing, and a well constructed argument, Ali knows his stuff. – Why Veganism is an Insult to our Intelligence

Questions answered about why others become vegetarians, as well as the different kinds of vegetarians. – Becoming a Vegetarian

A useful FAQ from the Vegetarian Resource Group. – FAQ

The basics and some additional resources. – Vegetarian 101

How to be a vegetarian:

      A classic Zen Habits post discussing the whys and hows of vegetarian living. –

How to become a vegetarian the easy way

This is the best guide I have found out there on vegetarian eating. A mere 16 pages, it debunks the protein and calcium myths, gives advice for the pregnant vegetarian, how to go from vegetarian to vegan, how to raise vegetarian kids, and more! It also offers a great guide to your new “food pyramid.” – PCRM Vegetarian Starter Kit Vegetarian

The online version of PETA’s vegetarian starter kit – PETA Vegetarian Starter Kit

Nutritional information for vegetarians. – Health and Nutrition

How to dine out vegetarian-style. A vital bit of information for those of us on the go. – Vegetarian Dining Out

Free stuff!

      PETA gives away a great starter kit. (By the way, don’t be too afraid of PETA. They are less crazy than they used to be.)

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/free-vegetarian-starter-kit.aspx

Already a vegetarian? Here is a free book to help you go vegan. – Vegan Guide

Another rocking guide to vegan eating. – Ultimate Vegan Guide

A vegetarian guide focusing on healthful veggie eating. – Healthy Vegetarian

Substitution help:

      Making weird ingredients substitutions to get B12 just got less frustrating. Here is a list of the major ones you will see and what they are. –

Vegan Cooking Substitutions

This is a bit more in depth on the substitutions you can make in all of your normal recipes. – Ingredient Substitution List

Shopping lists to help you out:

      Be a junk food vegetarian with this list. All the foods you never realized were vegan. Like Little Debbie Cake Donuts. Score! –

Vegetarian Shopping

This is a solid list that will fit many tastes and budgets. – Vegan Essentials Shopping List

A shopping list… for the lazy vegan. – Master Shopping List

Your first vegetarian pantry shopping list. Get all of your staples! – The Ultimate Shopping List

Definitions to help:

      Are you unsure what the heck a lacto-ovo whatever is? There is help.

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/vegetarian.html

What the hell is nutritional yeast? – Weird Ingredients

Recipes:

      Fast, easy vegetarian recipes. Give ’em a shot! You may even recognize a few of them. –

Easy Recipes

Found this one and tried it. YUM! – Lemon Orzo Primavera

A comprehensive list of recipes for all seasons of the vegetarian’s life, including holidays! – Vegetarian Recipes

The site to go to for dinner tonight. I have yet to try a bad recipe on this site. – Veg Web

The science:

      Some scientific facts about vegetarian diets.

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/vegetarian_diets_health_benefits.php

Why maybe the science itself isn’t the most important part of a vegetarian diet. – Science, Non-science, Nonsense and Nastiness in the Vegetarian World

Get extra support:

      Do you really need a boost? Accidently fall off the veggie train? Get a Veg Coach. –

Veg Coach

This has link some great tips for the initial jump into vegetarianism. – Making the Transition

Further reading:

      Extensive list of vegetarian research and reading. –

Vegetarian Nutritional Resource List

A minimalist with a vegan focus. Lots of valuables resources on this site! – Elegant Simple Vegan

As of today, I have been a vegetarian for two weeks. I even cut out milk, in addition to meat! After a couple of days, you really don’t miss it. My biggest concern was cutting out chicken, but there are so many great faux meat products that it has been easy. Oh, and get this: I found out I’ve known the guy who invented Tofurky for years. I went to school with his kids!

I’ve successfully gone out three times and eaten totally veggie without a problem getting enough of the right nutrients, and my boyfriend is even onboard! It’s been awesome so far, and I only expect it to get better as I network with other vegetarians with their awesome recipes *hint, hint.* 🙂

Dusti Arab is student, mother, and writer of Minimalist Adventures. Read her blog and follow her on twitter.

The next A-List Blogger Bootcamp is right around the corner and the first week is free. Check it out! How to Write Like an A-List Blogger.

25 Ways to Add Fruits and Veggies

by Courtney Carver

Here at Be More With Less, topics are usually about less. Today, you get to hear about MORE! Bill Gerlach, from The New Pursuit reminded me that October is Vegetarian Awareness Month.

There are many meat substitutes and endless choices of fresh flavorful fruits and vegetables, that a transition to vegetarianism is easier than you think.

There is much to be said about a vegetarian diet in terms of health benefits (for humans and animals). I wrote about why I became a vegetarian and what compels me to stick with it here.

Bill challenged bloggers to write 2 vegetarian themed posts this month. Since I am a blogger, a vegetarian and love a good challenge, I bring you…

25 Ways to Add Fruits & Veggies to Your Diet

  1. Apple Crisp
  2. Green Juice
  3. Frozen Grapes
  4. Spaghetti Sauce
  5. Veggie Pizza
  6. Hummus
  7. Soups
  8. Quiche
  9. Salads
  10. Grilled Asparagus
  11. Potato Salad
  12. Guacamole
  13. Toasted Veggie Sandwich
  14. Bananas Foster
  15. Breakfast Burritos
  16. Pan Fried Eggplant
  17. Stuffed Potatoes
  18. Fruit Smoothies
  19. Apples on your Sandwich
  20. Roasted Veggies with Balsamic Glaze
  21. Baba Ghanouj
  22. Fried Green Tomatoes
  23. Grilled Pineapple
  24. Mashed Potato Pizza
  25. Stir Fry

If you are considering vegetarianism, instead of initially eliminating meat, think about adding more veggies. Carrot sticks and celery have their place, but they get old fast, so get creative. What ideas would you add to this list?

Let me know if you are interested in my favorite recipe for hummus or amazing sesame tomato soup!

New to Be More With Less? Read more about what to expect, and this post with links to important posts and reader favorites. Oh! One more thing…In case you missed it, check out my guest post about having the choice to change on rowdykittens.com!

 

Eat Colors Not Calories

by Courtney Carver

If you are concerned about the health benefits of what you eat, think about the color of your food. I’m not talking about separating out your favorite colors of M&M’s, but paying attention to the colors of the real food that you eat.

Fruits and veggies are the first place to turn for nutrient dense goodness. “Fruits and vegetables come closer than any other category of food to behaving like a fountain of youth. Each one is power-packed with plant-based chemicals, or phytonutrients, that can help to prevent or even reverse one or more chronic, debilitating and often deadly diseases.” – NY Times article.

You can typically create a plate full of colorful fruits and veggies without worrying about overeating or gaining weight. If you choose them in season, they will taste better than anything arriving in a can or bag at your local grocery store.  While there are many nutrients in each, most colors stand out for certain health benefits. See the simple chart below to start eating your way towards better health and more energy.

Simple Color Nutritional Chart

Red for Lycopene, a cancer fighter found in tomatoes, cherries, watermelon, and beets.

White/Green for antioxident flavinoids and Allicin, which has anti-tumor properties found in garlic, onions, leeks, celery, asparagus, pears and green grapes.

Yellow/Orange for vitamin C to support the immune system and Carotene for heart and vision health, found in oranges, carrots,  yellow pears, lemons, butternut squash and sweet corn.

Blue/Purple for antioxidants to help protect cells from free radicals within the body. Antioxidants also helps to fight off aging, improves memory function, and can reduce the risks of some cancers. They can be found in grapes, blueberries, eggplant, and beets.

Green for cancer-fighting chemicals that can block carcinogens, found in broccoli, collards, brussel sprouts and cabbage. Green colored produce can also help promote stronger bones and teeth.

Diet changes can be challenging, but by focusing on things you can eat, instead of what you can’t or shouldn’t eat, you can start to experiment with new foods and recipes, instead of feeling deprived.  If you want to add more fruits and veggies to your diet, start simply by adding one veggie and one fruit to each to each meal. Even if you don’t make any other changes initially, you will began to immediately improve your health. If new recipes or foods feel intimidating, go back to basics. Add one serving of fresh fruit and a serving of steamed veggies to each meal. After a week, you may want to be more adventurous!

If something as a simple as a piece of fruit or a salad can “help to prevent or even reverse one or more chronic, debilitating and often deadly diseases”, what do you have to lose by giving it a shot? It almost seems irresponsible not to put it to the test. If you want to consider vegetarianism, check out Becoming Vegetarian and 25 Tips for Newbie Vegetarians. If you are trying to lose or maintain weight or just want to feel and be better, eat less and eat colorful, real food.

Recommended reading:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual