Vegetarian New & Views

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StirBlue

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Changing eating habits is very dangerous for children & teens. And it is just as dangerous for all adults too. This January my son decided he wanted to eat as a vegetarian. Whenever my children want to try something like this, I try it also. We have been eating vegetarian meals for three weeks.
Funny, but we both decided on the same day (today) that this was not working for us. Meat, poultry, fish, etc. are our comfort foods.
We have tried many new food products and learned to create new menus. I learned some cooking methods that I had never tried before.
We are both more adventureous when it comes to trying foods that we are not familiar or knowledgeable about.
 
What I like to do is eat 1-2 vegetarian meals a week. I don't think that I could totally become a true vegetarian. But some aspects of that form of eating does appeal to me. I have tried a few vegetarian products that I do really like. If you and your son like certain aspects of vegetarianism I would keep those and modify them to fit your eating habits and needs. For example, I really like the vegetarian version of mayonnaise. So, I make my sandwiches with that spread instead of regular mayonnaise. StirBlue, I give you many kudos by standing by your son and for being willing to try something new.
 
We eat meals that happen to be vegetarian a few times a week, partly because we like them and partly because it frees our budget to eat only he meat we are happy eating :) But the vegetarian meals we like best are eaten just because we like them, not chosen because they don't contain meat. Spinach stuffed pancakes are the current number one favourite, I love turnip curry and I make a potato and egg curry sometimes too.
 
Its interesting how kids change their minds. At certain ages it's more likely I guess to occur than others. My 9 year old son keeps wanting to eat more and more vegetarian food. He likes to eat what's healthy and is happy munching on a salad. My 6 year old picks is a meat kind of a boy. My husband is also a total meat lover.

I try to cook atleast 3 vegetarian meals a week, sometimes it's 4 but that makes my hubby really upset :)

I think it's easy to eat vegetarian food for me personally if it has a good variety. Most Indian vegetarian food is full of flavor and the dal (beans) that we make is very different from vegetable curries that we make. So it's like eating completely different things. I also like to make pasta atleast once a week and that makes my 3 different vegetarian menu items.

I can eat Dal and Rice for several days. For me that's my comfort food. That along with a simple lemon pickle and a roasted papaddum on the side and I am in food heaven.
 
I have vegetarian friends and enjoy the challenge of coming up with and cooking ballanced vegetarian meals. I'm not into granola loaf either, so these are real cuisine cooking dishes, yuno?

But a yummy veg lazagna, or a root vegetable dauphinoise, or various roasted root vegs with brown rice. Pastas, risottos, soups, beans, lentils, curries, etc are all naturals for this.
 
I think that true vegetarianism is something you have to "ease" into, although I have no intention of going that far.

My husband hasn't eaten any red meat or red meat products in 35 years. (Now that's discipline for you!!!) So our diet during our 20+ years together revolves around poultry, seafood, & vegetarian dishes. While there are a number of vegetarian products that I do enjoy, there are also many that aren't all that healthy for you - particularly from a sodium point of few. Just like any other processed food, you really do need to read the label. Some of the veggie/vegan foods available have so much "stuff" added to them, you'd actually be healthier just eating the meat - lol!!!
 
I'm with Sierra and Stir. We eat "meatless" quite often, several times a week. But one thing you have to learn is that when you cut out an entire food group from your diet, you have to look at your overall nutrition. Protein. Iron. Trace minerals. So if you decide to simply cut out a food product, you need to do it knowledgeably. Learn what foods have what nutrition in them. Mom and Home Ec taught me to eat by color: the more color on your plate, the better your nutritional balance is likely to be (yes, this is over-simplifying, but it is an easy way to learn).

People who are growing, be it teens or pregnant moms or ... well, you need to be more careful. Yes, even a vegan can get the proper amount of nutrition. But you have to try harder; think about it more. If you are eating a little of everything, chances are you'll luck out and get all the nutrition. If you're only eating a couple of categories of food, your nutrition may be lacking.

I may be wrong, but I simply do not believe that a pill (i.e., vitamin) can make up for good food eaten wisely and well. If you have to, or decide to cut out an entire group of food, then do your research first.
 
I think its great you try things your kids are interested in! I am a vegetarian going on six months. I didnt eat much red meat prior so it wasn't really difficult to change my diet. Ive really enjoyed learning about new foods and planning meals.

You can be a vegetarian and get enough vitamins & minerals without taking supplements. I make sure I'm getting balanced protein, good carbs and healthy fat in every meal. Thats a challenge on its own! ;)
 
We don't exactly 'go vegeterian' but we only eat red meat once a week, Fish once or twice a week and the rest of the time we eat beans, vegetables in either pasta sauces or stir fries or in curries or stew as accompanyments(sp)
 
I always claim to be a 96.7% vegetarian. I love cheese, I eat eggs, I very occasionally eat (minced) beef, I might eat the occasional sausage, I ate a small bit of chicken breast yesterday for the first time in about 6 months, and I'll eat fish and seafood when I'm at the beach. Add it all up, divide by 12 months and you get 96.7%...
Having said that, I'll eat ANY vegetable alive (or dead).
If you've decided to become vegetarian, you need to learn to balance your diet. It's no good just eating, for example, spinach and potatoes, because there are vitamins and minerals you'll need to make up.Pulses (lentils, beans, peas) are "2nd class" protein; ie. they have protein, like meat, but in much smaller quantities. Spinach and greens are rich in vitamins and iron. Tomatoes are full of vitamin C, etc., etc. You need to investigate this a bit in order to ensure proper balance, and I suggest the quickest way is to browse through your local book shop and find a good vegetarian cook book.
Cooking with vegetables is far, far more exciting than cooking with meat. I mean, how many ways can you skin a cat?:ROFLMAO: Boiled, fried, roasted, grilled, poached, or sautéed.!
And what gives meat loads of flavour? The vegetables and herbs and spices you add, of course!!:LOL: :LOL: What's more, you can combine lots of vegetables together, which you can't do with meat. Where would your burger be without pickles, lettuce, tomato, onions and FRIES??
Try making a chili without vegetables...:LOL:
Or a casserole with just meat...:rolleyes:
 
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