Embracing Plant-Powered Goodness: Celebrating National Vegetarian Month

Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles are growing in popularity as millions of Americans choose to go meatless. Whether driven by a profound love for animals or a belief in the health benefits of a meatless diet, individuals across the nation are choosing to adopt these compassionate and sustainable dietary choices.

To shine a spotlight on all the health and wellness benefits of plant-based living, October is designated as National Vegetarian Awareness Month. This annual celebration was started with the purpose of enlightening people about the manifold benefits of vegetarianism.

Join the movement and delve into the myriad of reasons behind the growing popularity of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. This month-long celebration can be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in making the transition to a more plant-based way of life.

Types of Vegetarianism

Many people assume that being vegetarian means you just don’t eat meat, but there are many different types of vegetarianism. These types are based on how strict the diet is in eliminating meat.

Pescetarians: semi-vegetarians, only eat fish and seafood.

Pollotarians: semi-vegetarians, only eat poultry.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians: do not eat red meat, poultry, fowl, fish, or seafood. They do eat dairy products and egg products. This is the most common vegetarian type.

Ovo-vegetarians: do not eat meat or seafood, but they do eat egg products.

Lacto-vegetarians: do not eat meat, seafood or eggs, but they do eat dairy products.

Vegans: do not eat any form of meat or any animal by-products, honey, beeswax, or gelatin. They also don’t wear silk, leather, or wool.

6 Tips to Help You Embrace the Vegetarian Lifestyle

Incorporating more plant-based food into your diet doesn’t have to be hard! Here are some helpful tips:

Protein is not strictly found in meat products. Choose foods like beans, nuts, peas, soy products, and dairy products (for lacto-ovo vegetarians) for sources of plant-based proteins.

Iron is an essential mineral found in abundance in meat products. For vegetarians or vegans, it is important to choose iron-fortified cereals, spinach, kidney beans, lentils, turnips, peas, and whole wheat bread to make sure you’re getting enough iron!

Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, but if you are a vegan or ovo-vegetarian you may be missing out. Sources of calcium for you can include calcium-fortified soymilk, cereals, orange juice, collard greens, bok choy, turnip greens, and mustard greens.

Zinc intake can be affected by low meat consumption. Choose a variety of beans, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds for adequate intake.

Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin that some vegetarians and vegans can be deficient in. B12 is found in animal products and some fortified foods. Foods that contain B12 are soymilk, some breakfast cereals, veggie burgers and nutritional yeast.

Easy Ways to Incorporate Soy into Your Menu

If you are a vegetarian already, you are probably already familiar with all the tasty ways to incorporate soy into your diet. For those who are trying to limit meat intake, try these helpful tips to add more soy:

Tofu is made of curdled soy milk and can be used in many different ways. It tastes a little bland when eaten on its own, but it absorbs the flavors of foods it is mixed with. Tofu comes in four varieties: silken, soft, firm, and extra firm.

Silken tofu is creamy in texture and can be used in:

• Dressings: Use it as a substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream by mixing it with a dried onion soup or ranch dressing mix.
• Dips/Sauces: Use it instead of cream for a high protein Alfredo Sauce
• Desserts: It can easily be used to make a pie filling, custard, or cheesecake.  Chocolate icing could be made with silken tofu by mixing it with a chocolate instant pudding mix.
• Baked Dishes, Waffles, and Pancake Batters: Use pureed silken tofu instead of eggs in these recipes.

Soft tofu is slightly firmer than silken tofu but is still moist. Some ideas for using soft tofu are:

• Toss it into a pasta dish in place of soft Italian cheeses.
• Mash and blend it with Italian herbs and spices and use it to stuff large shells.  Pour your favorite sauce on top and bake.
• Make a shake by blending it with mixed fruit and low-fat milk and top it with dry cereal.

Firm and extra-firm tofu hold their shape and are therefore good for:

• Salads: Make an imitation egg salad by cutting the soy into small pieces and adding celery, onion, black pepper, mayonnaise and a little mustard.
• Stir fry: Try using it in place of chicken in a stir fry or a fajita dish; or grill with some vegetables and make a shish-ka-bob.

Tempeh is made of fermented soybeans and is smoky in flavor with a chewy texture. It can be marinated in BBQ sauce and put on the grill or cut up and mixed into casseroles, chili, or soup. A grilled tempeh, cheese, and tomato sandwich is another great use of tempeh.

Soymilk is the milk of soybean and can be used just like milk; try using it to make pudding, hot chocolate, and cream soups. Pour on top of your favorite cereal or just enjoy a nice tall cold glass.

Soy protein has similar characteristics to meat. It can be flavored to mimic chicken, beef, and other meats. Some examples are vegetable burgers, soy hotdogs, and meatless meat.

Soybeans. Add canned soybeans to any recipe. Try Edamame, which is a green soybean in the shell. They are typically packaged and sold frozen and can be added to any vegetable dish.

Soy flour is made from roasted soybeans and is ground into flour. You can replace ¼ of the total flour in a recipe with soy flour to make muffins, cookies, and cakes.

If you’re worried you’ll get “bored” of vegetables with a vegetarian lifestyle, make a point to try a new fruit or vegetable every week.  You’ll be surprised to see how your palate and food choices expand!

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