Just what is your garden-variety vegetarian?
Someone who cringes at the sight of Golden Arches? Or a person who quietly savors a bowl of lentil soup, self-righteously humming the James Brown mantra, "I feel good. . . !"There are various degrees of vegetarianism, and depending upon the particulars, 12 million Americans and countless others throughout the world consider themselves among the group.
And they're not necessarily tree-hugging, carrot-wielding wackos wrapped in tie-dye.
With mounting evidence that eating more vegetables and less meat can reduce girth and add to longevity, mainstream eating styles are changing.
We're welcoming more vegetables, pasta and whole grains to our tables. The previously dominant dinnertime Chunk O' Meat is being pushed to the back burner.
Folks of all ages are looking at meatless meals for a number of reasons. A Vegetarian Times survey showed some of the motivations for changing to vegetarianism:
Health reasons - 48 percent.
Animal welfare - 15 percent.
Influence of family and friends - 12 percent.
Environmental concerns - 4 percent.
Ethical reasons - 5 percent.
Not sure - percent.
Vegetarians aren't one-dimensional but vary in their choices of edibles.
It can get confusing. Most vegetarians never eat red meat, but most do eat dairy products and eggs. The Vegetarian Times categorizes them in this way:
Partial vegetarian diets include seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts.Pesco vegetarian diets are basically the same as partial vegetarian diets but eliminate poultry.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets include eggs, dairy products, vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts.
Lacto-vegetarian diets include dairy products, vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts.
Ovo-vegetarian diets include eggs, vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts.
Vegan diets exclude animal foods of all types. Followers consume only food from plant sources: vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits, seeds and nuts.
Frutarian diets include only raw or dried fruits, seeds and nuts.
Macrobiotic diet followers observe a strict eating plan that progresses in stages, sequentially eliminating more and more foods. At the "highest" level only brown rice and small amounts of water or herbal tea are consumed. At the higher levels, this diet has resulted in malnutrition and even death.
Not officially considered among the leafy treetops of vegetarianism is the "Texas vegetarian" whose one exception is eating barbecue.
Deseret News movie critic Jeff Vice decided to go vegetarian (lacto-ovo) three years ago after a bad reaction to some shrimp he ate. The shellfish ordeal activated his gastronomic "greening," although he had already been leaning toward meatless meals.
Health concerns were the major motivation for Vice's change in food choices. His father and two uncles, all overweight, had died of heart disease. They were heavy red meat and bacon eaters.
His twin brother had been vegetarian for some time; so, with a meatless mirror of himself for an example, the transition wasn't a shock.
He quickly dropped 5 pounds, and lost another 5 - a reduction he's maintained.
One difficulty for a vegetarian is eating in restaurants, especially fast food.
"When they grill your food on the same grill they cook meats," he says, "sometimes they don't even clean the grill."
Vice says he doesn't miss eating meat.
"I think of eating animals. That's how I associate eating meat now," he says.
"It's like walking out into the middle of a pasture and biting a cow."
He doesn't consider himself a militant vegetarian and is comfortable around meat-eating people while dining out.
The question of whether a vegetarian's diet is healthful depends upon the food he eats.
"A lot of vegetarians have poor diets," Vice notes. "They think if there's no meat, it's healthy."
A can of Spaghetti-Os with a Mountain Dew chaser may technically fall into a vegetarian category, but certainly these aren't the stuff healthful diets are made of.
Vegetarians who eliminate all sources of animal protein such as dairy foods and eggs, may risk deficiencies in iron, calcium, copper, zinc and vitamin B12. Paul Saltman, professor of biology at the University of California at San Diego, recommends that anyone embarking upon a vegetarian diet seek nutritional counseling.
"I see plenty of young women on campus who've gone vegetarian and given up red meat," he says. "They're anemic as a result."
The American Dietetic Association recommends that vegetarians who don't eat dairy products or eggs consume breakfast cereals and other foods fortified with vitamin B12 or take a vitamin supplement.
The ADA has affirmed that vegetarian diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate when properly planned, although they stress the importance of consuming adequate amounts of protein, iron and calcium.
The following foods are good sources of nutrients for the vegetarian:
Protein - Lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, tempeh, peas
Iron* - Dried beans, spinach, chard, blackstrap molasses, bulgar, dried fruit. (*Iron absorption is improved if vitamin C-rich foods are consumed at the same meal, or iron cookware is used.)
Calcium - Collard greens, broccoli, kale, turnip greens, fortified soy milk, fortified tofu.
If your palate is piqued, consider Vice's advice for wanna-be vegetarians:
"Get to like the taste of vegetables."
Pick up a basic book on vegetarianism. The Internet has a treasure trove of veggie-sites. Mollie Katzen cookbooks ("Moosewood," "Enchanted Broccoli Forest," "Still Life With Menu") are vegetarian favorites.
Then stroll down the garden path (or produce section of your supermarket), pick a variety of veggies and try going "meatless" for a day.
You needn't wear flowers in your hair, but edible nasturtiums would add a tasteful touch.
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RECIPES
SUN-DRIED TOMATO, VEGGIE AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA
3/4 cup oil-pack sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes, divided
5 to 6 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 pound mild goat cheese
10-inch prebaked pizza shell (Boboli)
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 ounces large mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, combine sun-dried tomatoes, half the tomato oil, basil and goat cheese. With a spatula, spread the tomato-goat cheese mixture over prebaked pizza shell to within 1 inch of outside edge. Scatter onion and mushrooms over cheese. Grind fresh pepper over all, then sprinkle with rosemary. Drizzle remaining oil over pizza; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at once, cut in wedges. Serves 4.
- Each serving contains 554 calories, 26g fat, 60g carb, 911mg sodium, 34mg cholesterol, 41% calories from fat.
- From "Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner's Guide"
GARDEN BURGER
1 medium eggplant, sliced crosswise into six 3/4-inch slices
1 large Bermuda onion, peeled and sliced into 6 disks
1 large zucchini squash, sliced lengthwise into 6 strips
1 large yellow summer squash, sliced lengthwise into 6 strips
6 1/2-inch slices beefsteak tomato
Marinade:
3/4 cup virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed basil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
6 ounces V8 juice
1/3 cup herb-flavored wine vinegar (such as tarragon vinegar)
6 whole wheat pitas or 6 sliced Italian rolls
Celery salt
Marinate the vegetables for at least 2 hours. Grill vegetables on both sides over medium-hot coals until they are tender and slightly charred. Lightly grill the bread. Layer the vegetables in the bread. Sprinkle with celery salt. Serves 6.
- Each serving contains 296 calories, 11g fat, 46g carb, 566mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 32% calories from fat.
- From Claire McIntosh
ROASTED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS
2 large portobello mushrooms (about 4 ounces each, with caps measuring approximately 41/2 inches across)
1 tablespoon roasted garlic olive oil
Salt to taste
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 F. Trim off the earthy root ends and lightly wipe the portobello caps and stems with a damp cloth. Leave the gills intact. Slice off the stems and cut them lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Set the mushroom caps gill side up in a shallow oven-proof baking dish just large enough to hold them and lightly brush with half the oil. Season with salt to taste, turn them over and brush with the remaining oil. Roast, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Flip over and scatter the sliced stems between the caps. Roast until the mushrooms are just tender, about 5 more minutes. Serve the caps whole, or slice each one on the bias (by holding the knife at a slant) to create about six or seven "fingers." Scatter the stems on top. Serves 2.
- Each serving contains 91 calories, 9g fat, 3g carb, 538mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 75% calories from fat.
- From "Short-Cut Vegetarian" by Lorna Sass
YELLOW RICE AND BLACK BEANS
6 ounces brown rice
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 bay leaf
2 teaspoons corn oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
8 ounces drained and rinsed canned black beans
2 tablespoons chopped pickled sweet red pepper, with 1 tablespoon of pickling liquid from jar (or 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Hot red pepper sauce, to taste
In medium saucepan, add 2 cups water, rice, turmeric and bay leaf. Cover and simmer until tender, 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Meanwhile, place medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Add oil and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds; stir in green pepper, onion, carrot and garlic. Saute 3-4 minutes, until onion is soft; stir in vegetable broth and cook until carrot is tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in beans, red pepper, pickling liquid, oregano and salt; simmer, stirring gently until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. (If you'd like thicker beans, mash a few of the beans with the side of a spoon and stir in.) Place cooked rice in serving bowl. Top with bean mixture, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot red pepper sauce on the side. Serves 4.
- Each serving contains 280 calories, 4g fat, 52mg carb, 600mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 13% calories from fat.
- From USA Rice Council
PROVENCAL RED LENTIL SOUP
5 cups water
1 heaping tablespoon instant vegetable stock powder
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 cups chopped leeks (white and green parts only) OR onions
3 large carrots, peeled and scrubbed, trimmed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices, OR 8 baby carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
In a heavy soup pot, bring the water and stock powder to a boil. Add the lentils (if they've stuck together after rinsing, separate them with a fork), leeks, carrots and herbs. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are very soft, about 20 minutes. Stir frequently and well, as lentils tend to sink to the bottom. Stir in salt and pepper to taste, garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve. Serves 4.
- Each serving contains 322 calories, 3g fat, 61g carb, 849mg sodium, 2mg cholesterol, 7% calories from fat.
- From "Short-Cut Vegetarian" by Lorna Sass
- *NOTE: To make your own Italian seasoning blend, combine: 1 tablespoon dried basil, 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, 2 teaspoons dried summer savory, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, 2 teaspoons dried marjoram, 2 teaspoons dried chervil (optional). Be sure to use whole leaves, not ground herbs.