Probably one of the most perplexing thoughts a person has when they transition to vegetarianism is keeping their diet filled with a variety of fun, diverse, and nutrient-dense foods. It can sometimes feel like you’re cutting many options out since you’re no longer consuming meat, and it may seem you’re losing even more options if you’ve also decided to cut dairy and eggs from your diet as well. With a little creativity, planning, and forethought, you might be surprised how much variety you can achieve with your new vegetarian diet – perhaps even more than your meat-eating days!
There are some simple substitutions you can experiment with and use as substitutions in your favorite meat recipes. Tempeh, which is cultured soybeans with a chewy texture; tofu (freezing and then thawing gives tofu a meaty texture; the tofu will turn slightly off white in color); and wheat gluten or seitan (made from wheat and has the texture of meat; available in health food or Oriental stores) are all great items to start with.
Milk and other dairy products can also be easily replaced with vegetarian-friendly items. Try soy milk, soy margarine, and soy yogurts, which can be found in health food or Oriental food stores. You can also make nut milks by blending nuts with water and straining, or rice milks by blending cooked rice with water.
A good way to introduce beans to the diet is to use them instead of meat in favorite dishes, like casseroles and chili. Because of their many health benefits, beans should be eaten often. Some great examples are chickpeas, split peas, haricot, lentils (red, green or brown), and kidney beans.
Many nuts and seeds are available both in
and out of the shell, whole, halved, sliced, chopped, raw, or roasted. Cashews,
peanuts, walnuts, almonds are some easy-to-find favorites. Sunflower and sesame
seeds are excellent choices for spicing up salads and other vegetable dishes.
And don’t worry that you’ll have to give up
your favorite Mexican, Italian, or other favorite dishes now that you’re
vegetarian. Many of them can still be enjoyed and only require slight
variations. Some popular and easily convertible dishes include: pasta with
tomato sauce, bean burritos, tacos, tostadas, pizza, baked potatoes, vegetable
soups, whole grain bread and muffins, sandwiches, macaroni, stir-fry, all types
of salad, veggie burgers with French fries, beans and rice, bagels, breakfast
cereals, pancakes, and waffles just to name a few. The freezer sections of most
big grocery stores carry an assortment of vegetarian convenience foods such as
veggie bacon, burgers, and breakfast sausages.
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