BackpackWeight

• Vegetarian Diet Becoming More Mainstream
—A look at vegetarian diet and resources.

Chances are many of you grew up on beef, chicken or pork as the main meat at lunch and dinner at your house. However, it might be surprising to you that going vegetarian or meat-free is becoming more mainstream. Consider the following Veggie Facts:

Over 30 million Americans have explored a vegetarian eating pattern.
About one-third of U.S. teenagers think that being a vegetarian is "in."
Health and taste are the top two reasons consumers are eating more meat-free meals.

A vegetarian diet is consistent with many nutrition recommendations. For instance, the American Cancer Society's guidelines on nutrition and cancer prevention include getting most of your food from plant sources and limiting high fat foods, especially from high fat meats. The American Heart Association includes the use of soy and bean proteins to lower bad or "LDL," (low-density lipoprotein—the cholesterol associated with cardiovascular disease). A vegetarian diet will promote at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to provide vitamins minerals, antioxidants and fiber that you can't get from a pill.

Eating less meat leaves you with many options, but you need to plan carefully to create a nutritious meal plan.

Vegetarians usually fall into groups depending on the number and types of animal-based foods they eat:

Lacto-ova vegetarians omit red meats, fish and poultry but eat eggs, milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt, in addition to plant-based foods.

Lacto-vegetarians eat milk and milk products along with plant based foods. They omit eggs in addition to meat, fish, and poultry.

The lacto-ova vegetarian's meal pattern allows an adequate amount of protein, vitamin B-12, iron and calcium for growing children and teens. There are many non-meat sources of protein including soy burgers, tofu chili, beans and lentil products on the market. Peas, peanuts and other nuts, beans, breads and cereals all contain protein. You can get all your protein needs from these wonderful foods as long as you eat a wide variety.

Your body needs Vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. Vitamin B-12 is only found in the soil and animal products. If you consume milk or milk products and eggs, it is unlikely you'll be deficient in Vitamin B-12. Other sources are fortified soy, enriched breakfast cereals and fortified meat substitutes.

Iron is another crucial mineral to make red blood cells. Iron is essential to growth. Girls need iron to replace red blood cells lost during menstruation. Beans, peas, whole grain breads, spinach, raisins, apricots, nuts and seeds, iron fortified cereals and eggs are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb iron, "buddy up" an iron-containing food with foods rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes and broccoli.

Calcium is especially important in developing bones and teeth. Dairy products as well as fortified soy milks and tofu prepared with calcium should be eaten frequently. In addition, several foods on the market are enriched with calcium such as orange juice and Nutragrain bars from Kellogg's. Just make sure at least one of your dairy sources is enriched with Vitamin D to act like a "buddy" to help the calcium to be absorbed into the bone.

Maintaining a vegetarian diet can reduce your fat and cholesterol along with overall calories. With young children and teens, it is necessary to include many sources of fat such as dairy products; fish, if it is an option; avocado; butter; margarine; nuts; seeds and oils. If you find your vegetarian child is a picky eater or it is difficult to maintain a wide variety of foods in his or her diet, a multivitamin supplement suited to the age of the child may be necessary.

If you've ever been to the library or local bookstore, you'll find a wide array of vegetarian cookbooks and resources. There are several restaurants in the Twin Cities that offer tasty vegetarian foods such as Café Brenda, The Good Earth Restaurant and the French Meadow Bakery (check out their award-winning Black Bean Chili and breads—awesome!)

Almost any restaurant you go to will offer a vegetarian entree. Listed below are some resources you can check out:

• The Vegetarian Way. Virginia and Mark Messina; Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1996. A complete guide to vegetarianism for the entire family for all stages of life. Special guidelines for diabetics, athletes, children and teen vegetarians, including meal plans and recipes.

• A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian. Judy Kriznanic; Puffin Books, 1994. An excellent reference complete with meal patterns and recipes.

• OK, So Now You're a Vegetarian. Lauren Butts; Random House Books. A how-to book written by a teen for teen vegetarians. Excellent nutrition information is given as well as meal plans and simple, fun recipes.

• From Animal Crackers to Wild West Beans—Easy and Fun Vegetarian Recipes for Healthy Babies and Children. Carol Timperly; Contemporary Books, 1997. Dancing vegetables on the front cover of this fun cookbook leads you to down to earth information for the first year infant vegetarian meals to kids. How could you go wrong with Happy Hummus bean spread on crackers or Apollo soupÑan Italian-style soup with space ship noodles?

Teddy Bears and Bean Sprouts, The Infant and Vegetarian Nutrition. Guideline booklet available from Gerber Products Company. A classic and well-written nutrition primer for infant vegetarian foods and meal plans. Contact Gerber Products Company for a free copy. Gerber Products Company, c/o Consumer Affairs, 445 State Street, Freemont, MI 49413-0001, 1-800-4-Gerber, www.gerber.com.

Eating Well—The Vegetarian Way. A complete nutritional brochure with a meal pattern for everyone produced by the American Dietetic Association, 216 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60606-6995,312/899-0040, www.eatright.org. The brochure has a nominal fee. However the web site provides informational fact sheets from vegetarianism to nuts that can be downloaded on your computer free of charge.

Other fun web sites: The Vegetarian Resource Group/Vegetarian Journal, www.vrg.org; Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, 410/366-8343. Excellent, well informed vegetarian magazine and cookbooks. The Mayo Clinic's www.mayohealth.org web site is a wonderful resource for anything medical or healthy lifestyles. There are several vegetarian articles and recipes that can be downloaded at no charge.


Fall 2001 Volume 5 Number 1 • Vegetarian Diet Becoming More Mainstream —A look at vegetarian diet and resources. Chances are many of you grew up on beef, chicken or pork as the main meat at lunch and dinner at your house. However, it might be surprising to you that going vegetarian or meat-free is becoming more mainstream. Consider the following Veggie Facts: Over 30 million Americans have explored a vegetarian eating pattern. About one-third of U.S. teenagers think that being a vegetarian is "in." Health and taste are the top two reasons consumers are eating more meat-free meals. A vegetarian diet is consistent with many nutrition recommendations. For instance, the American Cancer Society's guidelines on nutrition and cancer prevention include getting most of your food from plant sources and limiting high fat foods, especially from high fat meats. The American Heart Association includes the use of soy and bean proteins to lower bad or "LDL," (low-density lipoprotein—the cholesterol associated with cardiovascular disease). A vegetarian diet will promote at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to provide vitamins minerals, antioxidants and fiber that you can't get from a pill. Eating less meat leaves you with many options, but you need to plan carefully to create a nutritious meal plan. Vegetarians usually fall into groups depending on the number and types of animal-based foods they eat: Lacto-ova vegetarians omit red meats, fish and poultry but eat eggs, milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt, in addition to plant-based foods. Lacto-vegetarians eat milk and milk products along with plant based foods. They omit eggs in addition to meat, fish, and poultry. Vegans avoid all foods from animals. They eat only plant-based foods. The lacto-ova vegetarian's meal pattern allows an adequate amount of protein, vitamin B-12, iron and calcium for growing children and teens. There are many non-meat sources of protein including soy burgers, tofu chili, beans and lentil products on the market. Peas, peanuts and other nuts, beans, breads and cereals all contain protein. You can get all your protein needs from these wonderful foods as long as you eat a wide variety. Your body needs Vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. Vitamin B-12 is only found in the soil and animal products. If you consume milk or milk products and eggs, it is unlikely you'll be deficient in Vitamin B-12. Other sources are fortified soy, enriched breakfast cereals and fortified meat substitutes. Iron is another crucial mineral to make red blood cells. Iron is essential to growth. Girls need iron to replace red blood cells lost during menstruation. Beans, peas, whole grain breads, spinach, raisins, apricots, nuts and seeds, iron fortified cereals and eggs are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb iron, "buddy up" an iron-containing food with foods rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes and broccoli. Calcium is especially important in developing bones and teeth. Dairy products as well as fortified soy milks and tofu prepared with calcium should be eaten frequently. In addition, several foods on the market are enriched with calcium such as orange juice and Nutragrain bars from Kellogg's. Just make sure at least one of your dairy sources is enriched with Vitamin D to act like a "buddy" to help the calcium to be absorbed into the bone. Maintaining a vegetarian diet can reduce your fat and cholesterol along with overall calories. With young children and teens, it is necessary to include many sources of fat such as dairy products; fish, if it is an option; avocado; butter; margarine; nuts; seeds and oils. If you find your vegetarian child is a picky eater or it is difficult to maintain a wide variety of foods in his or her diet, a multivitamin supplement suited to the age of the child may be necessary. If you've ever been to the library or local bookstore, you'll find a wide array of vegetarian cookbooks and resources. There are several restaurants in the Twin Cities that offer tasty vegetarian foods such as Café Brenda, The Good Earth Restaurant and the French Meadow Bakery (check out their award-winning Black Bean Chili and breads—awesome!) Almost any restaurant you go to will offer a vegetarian entree. Listed below are some resources you can check out: • The Vegetarian Way. Virginia and Mark Messina; Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1996. A complete guide to vegetarianism for the entire family for all stages of life. Special guidelines for diabetics, athletes, children and teen vegetarians, including meal plans and recipes. • A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian. Judy Kriznanic; Puffin Books, 1994. An excellent reference complete with meal patterns and recipes. • OK, So Now You're a Vegetarian. Lauren Butts; Random House Books. A how-to book written by a teen for teen vegetarians. Excellent nutrition information is given as well as meal plans and simple, fun recipes. • From Animal Crackers to Wild West Beans—Easy and Fun Vegetarian Recipes for Healthy Babies and Children. Carol Timperly; Contemporary Books, 1997. Dancing vegetables on the front cover of this fun cookbook leads you to down to earth information for the first year infant vegetarian meals to kids. How could you go wrong with Happy Hummus bean spread on crackers or Apollo soupÑan Italian-style soup with space ship noodles? Teddy Bears and Bean Sprouts, The Infant and Vegetarian Nutrition. Guideline booklet available from Gerber Products Company. A classic and well-written nutrition primer for infant vegetarian foods and meal plans. Contact Gerber Products Company for a free copy. Gerber Products Company, c/o Consumer Affairs, 445 State Street, Freemont, MI 49413-0001, 1-800-4-Gerber, www.gerber.com. Eating Well—The Vegetarian Way. A complete nutritional brochure with a meal pattern for everyone produced by the American Dietetic Association, 216 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60606-6995,312/899-0040, www.eatright.org. The brochure has a nominal fee. However the web site provides informational fact sheets from vegetarianism to nuts that can be downloaded on your computer free of charge. Other fun web sites: The Vegetarian Resource Group/Vegetarian Journal, www.vrg.org; Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, 410/366-8343. Excellent, well informed vegetarian magazine and cookbooks. The Mayo Clinic's www.mayohealth.org web site is a wonderful resource for anything medical or healthy lifestyles. There are several vegetarian articles and recipes that can be downloaded at no charge. —Jackie Uglow, RD