Vegan and Vegetarian Meals

Many new vegetarians may wonder what to eat when changing their diets. However, the food you can eat on a vegetarian or vegan diet doesn't get narrowed down---it actually expands in diversity and taste. You can easily buy vegan foods at supermarkets. If you miss the texture of real meat, many meat substitutes are available, including mock meat made of wheat and soy products.

Identification

For health, ethical, environmental or religious reasons, vegans and vegetarians don't consume animal flesh. They're typically healthier than people who consume meat products as they eat more vegetables, legumes and fruits. According to the Vegetarian Starter Kit, a vegan is a person who avoids the consumption and use of all animal products, including dairy and eggs, as well as fur, leather, wool, silk and other goods coming from animals. A vegetarian is a person who doesn't eat animal flesh, including poultry and seafood, but who will consume dairy products, including milk, cheese and yogurt.

Benefits

According to the American Dietetic Association, well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarians have lower body-mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower death rates from heart disease; lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.

Meal Ideas

For breakfast, vegetarian and vegan eaters can try oatmeal or cold cereal with fruit and soy, rice or nut milk; toast, bagel or English muffin with fruit spread and peanut butter or vegan cream cheese; vegetable or fruit juice; a fruit smoothie made with soy yogurt; or a tofu scramble with hash browns and veggie sausage.

For lunch and dinner, the following options are available, among others: veggie (grain or soy) burger or dog with fries or chips; bean burrito; falafel pita sandwich with hummus; tofu lasagna; seitan casserole; pasta and tomato sauce; baked tempeh or tofu sandwich; miso soup with seaweed; bean chili over pasta or wild rice; mock meat with gravy and mashed potatoes; and stir-fried vegetables with brown rice.

Snacks and desserts can include vegan pie, cookies, cake or ice cream; seeds, nuts or dried fruits such as raisins, figs, dried apricots, peanuts, almonds or walnuts; popcorn or pretzels; and chips and salsa. When baking, substitute eggs with egg replacers, cornstarch or bananas.

Warning

Simply avoiding animal products won't ensure good health. There are various nutritional issues that could cause you to feel unhealthy on a vegetarian or vegan diet if you're not careful. Make sure you consume enough calories, protein, vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D.

History

Vegetarianism has been around for most of human history, but the vegan diet is relatively new. British vegan Donald Watson created the word "vegan" from the beginning and end of "vegetarian" and founded The Vegan Society in 1944. Since then, veganism has been practiced in an organized way in many parts of the world. Research and experience suggest that people, even athletes, can thrive on vegan diets, provided they inform themselves about nutrition and plan their diets properly.