Living Vegetarian For Dummies E-Book

Suzanne Havala Hobbs

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 518

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

Practical ways to explore and adapt a vegetarian lifestyle Are you considering a vegetarian diet for yourself or your family? Wondering if it's safe and how you'll get the right amount of nutrients? This authoritative guide has all the answers you need about living vegetarian, featuring healthful advice as well as delicious dishes involving vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy. Inside you'll find expert advice on adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, from creating a vegetarian shopping list and understanding the nutritional aspects of vegetarian eating, to using the right cooking supplies to vegetarian etiquette, eating out, and converting a kitchen-and your family's mindset-away from meat. You'll discover how to make it work when you're the only member of the house who is vegetarian, as well as how to support a family member, including a child. * Provides the latest information on vegetarian diets as they relate to health, the environment, and other areas of our lives * Includes tips for gradually reducing your meat intake * Explains the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle * Offers dozens of new recipes designed to ease the transition from omnivore to vegetarian Whether you're a long-time vegetarian or just starting out, Living Vegetarian For Dummies, 2nd Edition is your guide to evaluating and enjoying a meat-free lifestyle.

Leseprobe

Living Vegetarian For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Being Vegetarian: What It’s All About

Part II: Planning and Preparing Your Vegetarian Kitchen

Part III: Meals Made Easy: Recipes for Everyone

Part IV: Living — and Loving — the Vegetarian Lifestyle

Part V: Living Vegetarian for a Lifetime

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Being Vegetarian: What It’s All About

Chapter 1: Vegetarianism 101: Starting with the Basics

Vegetarian Label Lingo: Who’s Who and What They Will and Won’t Eat

From vegan to flexitarian: Sorting out the types of vegetarianism

The vegetarian continuum: Going vegetarian a little or a lot

Common foods that happen to be vegetarian: Beyond mac and cheese

When meat-free isn’t vegetarian: Bypassing meat byproducts

Going Vegetarian Is Good for Everyone

Eating for health

Protecting our planet

Compassionate food choices

Meatless Meals Made Easy

Mastering meal planning and prep

Shopping strategies

Mixing in some kitchen wisdom

Cooking creatively

Embracing a Meat-Free Lifestyle

Taking charge of your plate

Your public persona: Affirming your choice

Cohabitating harmoniously

Setting realistic expectations

Educating yourself with reliable information

Chapter 2: Vegetarians Are Sprouting Up All Over: Why Meatless Makes Sense

You’re in Good Company

Supporting Your Health with a Plant-Based Diet

Protecting yourself from disease

Getting more of what you need — and less of what you don’t

Saving the Planet One Forkful at a Time

Soil sense

Wasting water

Filching fossil fuels

Considering the Ethics

Philosophically speaking

Understanding animal rights and animal welfare

Chapter 3: Nutrition Know-How for Living Vegetarian

Consuming Enough Protein on a Vegetarian Diet

Examining protein facts

Debunking old rules about complementary proteins

Getting the protein you need: It’s easy to do

Avoiding protein pitfalls

Moooove Over Milk

Determining who needs milk: The bones of current dietary recommendations

Understanding the calcium connection

Making sure you get enough calcium

Hanging on to the calcium you have

Iron Issues

Ironing out the basics

Finding iron in plant foods

Balancing inhibitors and enhancers of iron absorption

Building B12 Stores

Getting educated about vitamin B12

Finding reliable sources of B12

Omega-3s and Your Health

Spotting the best vegetarian sources of omega-3s

Getting the omega-3s you need

Other Vitamins and Minerals

The sunshine vitamin: Vitamin D

For your health: Zinc

The other B: Riboflavin

Chapter 4: Supplement Savvy

Examining What the Science Says

Do supplements work?

Can they hurt me?

Recognizing When a Supplement Makes Sense

Special situations that call for a supplement

Nutritional insurance

Using Supplements Safely

Daily supplements versus high-potency formulas

Multivitamins versus individual vitamins and minerals

When supplements act like drugs: Being aware of interactions

Considering Herbs and Probiotics

Understanding what they are

Knowing how to use them safely

Locating Reliable Sources of More Information

Chapter 5: Making the Transition to Meat-Free

Finding the Right Approach

Going cold tofu: Instant vegetarian

Taking your time: The gradual approach

Easing the Way

Defining some simple steps

Setting your goals

Monitoring your progress

Making Sure It’s Meat-Free

Being wary of hidden animal ingredients

Communicating with food companies

Tracking down resources for up-to-date advice

Applying More Advice for Getting Started

Scouting out supermarkets

Scanning cookbooks and magazines

Listing vegetarian foods you already like

Part II: Planning and Preparing Your Vegetarian Kitchen

Chapter 6: Getting Familiar with Common Vegetarian Ingredients

Building the Foundation of the Vegetarian Diet

Bringing home the beans

Eating more vegetables and fruits

Choosing breads and cereals

Selecting seeds and nuts

Fitting in Specialty Foods and Products

Introducing soy foods and their variations

Making the most of milk substitutes

Incorporating egg replacers

Considering meatless burgers, dogs, sausages, and cold cuts

Including other vegetarian convenience foods

Exploring Natural and Organic Alternatives

Going au naturel

Opting for organic

Chapter 7: Shopping and Stocking Your Vegetarian Pantry

Figuring Out What You Need

Sketching out your meal plans

Keeping a grocery list

Let’s Go Shopping! Considering the Options

Your neighborhood supermarket

Warehouse stores

Natural foods stores

Farmer’s markets and CSA farms

Ethnic food markets

Food cooperatives

Gourmet stores

Web sites and catalogs

Other places to try

Making the Most of Your Shopping Adventure

Slowing down to see what’s new

Experimenting with new foods and products

Don’t see what you need? Ask the manager

Keeping Your Costs Under Control

Collecting the building blocks to keep on hand

Buying in volume — or not

Perusing private labels and store brands

Scaling back on specialty items

Getting the best value — nutritiously

Cooking meals at home

Chapter 8: Cooking Tools and Techniques

Tools You Really Need

Pots and pans

Knives

Assorted extras

Handy Appliances You May Actually Use

High-speed blenders

Food processors

Rice cookers

Pressure cookers

Slow cookers

Electric teakettles

Vegetarian Cooking Basics

Mastering simple cooking skills

Prepping fruits and vegetables

Cooking extra now for later

Discovering a few tricks for cooking with tofu and tempeh

Adapting Traditional Recipes

Replacing eggs

Cooking with dairy substitutes

Using meat substitutes

Factoring in other replacements for animal ingredients

Selecting Vegetarian Cookbooks

Part III: Meals Made Easy: Recipes for Everyone

Chapter 9: Beyond Cereal and Toast: Whipping Up Breakfast Basics

Getting Off to a Smoothie Start

Using Tofu to Take the Place of Eggs

Putting a Vegetarian Spin on Breakfast Favorites

Starting Your Day the Miso Way

Chapter 10: Serving Simple Starters

Making Dips and Spreads

Creating Other Easy Appetizers

Chapter 11: Enjoying Easy Soups, Salads, and Sides

Serving Soups for All Seasons

Going Beyond Iceberg Lettuce

On the Side

Chapter 12: Making Meatless Main Dishes

Beans: Versatility in a Can

Pasta-Mania

All-Time Favorites

Asian Alternatives

Chapter 13: Baking Easy Breads and Rolls

Chapter 14: Dishing Out Delicious Desserts

Chocolate Desserts

Fruit Desserts

Other Classic Comforts

Chapter 15: Celebrating the Holidays, Vegetarian-Style

Adopting New Traditions and Adapting the Old

Tips for Entertaining for Special Occasions

Holiday Recipes to Savor

Part IV: Living — and Loving — the Vegetarian Lifestyle

Chapter 16: Getting Along When You’re the Only Vegetarian in the House

Managing Family Meals

Fixing both meat and vegetarian foods

Making do when you need to

Finding the vegetarian least common denominator

Gaining Support from Nonvegetarians

Employing strategies for compromise

Setting a positive example

Negotiating the Menu When Guests Come

Giving your guests options

Serving meals with mainstream appeal

Minimizing the focus on meat-free

Chapter 17: Vegetarian Etiquette in a Nonvegetarian World

Mastering the Art of Diplomacy

Watching how you present yourself

Responding to questions about your vegetarianism

Being an effective role model

Handling Dinner Invitations

Letting your host know about your diet

Offering to bring a dish

Graciously declining nonvegetarian foods

Being a stealth vegetarian: What to do if your host doesn’t know

Managing Invitations to Parties and Other Special Events

Handling parties at private homes

Making your way through public venues

Dating Nonvegetarians

Working It Out: Vegetarianism on the Job

To tell or not to tell?

Handling meals during job interviews

Leaving a positive impression

Chapter 18: Dining in Restaurants and Other Venues

Adopting the Right Attitude

Staying flexible

Savoring the atmosphere and the companionship

Choosing the Restaurant

Chains versus fine dining

Vegetarian restaurants and natural foods cafes

Ethnic options

Working with Menu Choices

Asking about appetizers

Surveying the sides

Coming up with creative combinations

Making sensible substitutions

Working with Restaurant Staff

Traveling Vegetarian

Tips for trippin’ by car, bus, or train

Food for fliers

Meatless at sea

Coming up with alternatives: When plans go awry

Part V: Living Vegetarian for a Lifetime

Chapter 19: When You’re Expecting: Managing Your Vegetarian Pregnancy

Before Baby: Ensuring a Healthy Start

Maximizing nutrition before you get pregnant

Staying physically fit

Eating Well for Two

Watching your weight gain

Putting nutritional concerns in perspective

Keeping mealtime simple

Handling Queasies and Cravings

Dealing with morning sickness any time of day

Managing the munchies

Chapter 20: Raising Your Vegetarian Baby

Taking Vegetarian Baby Steps

First foods: Breast and bottle basics

Solids second

Adding foods throughout the first year

Tracking Your Toddler

Planning meals

Adjusting to food jags

Getting enough calories

Vegan or vegetarian? Determining what’s appropriate for young children

Serving sensible snacks

Chapter 21: Meatless Meals for Children and Teens

Watching Your Kids Grow

Understanding issues about growth rates

Putting size into perspective

Feeding Fundamentals

Making sure kids get enough calories

Reviewing the ABCs of nutrition for kids

Planning healthy meals

Teaching Your Children to Love Good Foods

Modeling healthy choices

Giving kids the freedom to choose

Getting kids involved in meal planning

Troubleshooting Common Challenges

Making the most of school meals

Supporting a healthy weight

Dejunking your child’s diet

Chapter 22: Aging Healthfully: Vegetarian Lifestyles for Adults of All Ages

Monitoring Changing Nutrient Needs

Getting more for less

Paying special attention to specific nutrients

Celebrating the Vegetarian Advantage

Being fiber-full and constipation-free

Heading off heartburn

Getting a grip on gas

Living vegetarian is good for what ails you

Staying Active the Vegetarian Way

Nourishing the weekend warrior

Giving elite athletes the edge

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 23: Ten Sound Reasons for Going Vegetarian

Vegetarian Diets Are Low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol

Vegetarian Diets Are Rich in Fiber, Phytochemicals, and Health-Supporting Nutrients

Vegetarians Are Skinnier

Vegetarians Are Healthier

Vegetarian Diets Are Good for the Environment

Vegetarian Diets Are Less Expensive

Vegetarian Diets Are More Efficient

Vegetarian Diets Are the Compassionate Choice

Vegetarian Foods Are Diverse and Delicious

Vegetarian Diets Set a Good Example for Children

Chapter 24: Ten Simple Substitutes for Vegetarian Dishes

Replace Eggs with Mashed Bananas

Substitute Soymilk or Rice Milk for Cow’s Milk in Any Recipe

Use Vegetable Broth in Place of Chicken Stock and Beef Broth

Stir in Soy Crumbles Instead of Ground Meat

Make a Nondairy Version of Ricotta or Cottage Cheese

Take Advantage of Soy “Bacon” and “Sausage”

Top a Tofu Hot Dog with Vegetarian Chili

Create a Nondairy Substitute for Buttermilk

Add Flaxseeds Instead of Eggs

Swap Tofu for Hard-Boiled Eggs

Chapter 25: Ten Vegetarian Lunchbox Ideas

Almond Butter Sandwich with Granny Smith Apple Slices on Whole-Wheat Bread

Bean Burrito

Easy Wraps

Fresh Fruit Salad with Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt

Granola Parfait

Leftovers from Last Night’s Dinner

Pita Pocket Sandwich

Soup Cup

Vegetarian Chili

Veggie Burger on a Bun

Living Vegetarian For Dummies®

by Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, MS, RD

Foreword by Michael F. Jacobson, PhD

Living Vegetarian For Dummies

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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About the Author

Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, MS, RD, is a registered, licensed dietitian and nationally recognized expert on food, nutrition, and dietary guidance policy. She holds a doctorate in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is a clinical associate professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, the nation’s top public school of public health. There she directs the doctoral program in health leadership and serves on the faculty of the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Department of Nutrition.

Sue was the primary author of the American Dietetic Association’s 1988 and 1993 position papers on vegetarian diets and the founding chair of the association’s Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. She serves on the editorial board of Vegetarian Times magazine and advisory boards of the nonprofit Vegetarian Resource Group and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

A vegan-leaning, lacto ovo vegetarian for 35 years, Sue explores topics related to food, nutrition, and policy issues in her popular newspaper column, On the Table. The column reaches more than 400,000 readers weekly in The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, and in The Charlotte Observer. An archive of On the Table columns, as well as Sue’s blog, may be found at www.onthetable.net.

She has written 11 books, including Get the Trans Fat Out (Three Rivers Press), Vegetarian Cooking For Dummies (Wiley), The Natural Kitchen (Berkley), Good Foods, Bad Foods: What’s Left to Eat? (Wiley), and Shopping for Health: A Nutritionist’s Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Smart, Low-Fat Choices at the Supermarket (Harper Perennial). She is a contributing writer for the “Bottom Line/Personal” newsletter and has been a regular writer for Vegetarian Times and SELF magazines and other national publications.

Sue is a member of the American Public Health Association, American Dietetic Association, Association of Health Care Journalists, Association of Food Journalists, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She served on the board of directors of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She also serves on the board of trustees of the North Carolina Writers’ Network.

She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Her family includes her husband, Michael R. Hobbs; their children, Barbara and Henry; and dogs Kailani and Sperry and cat Kodak.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to people everywhere who strive to eat well to support their health and to protect the well-being of our environment and the other living things with whom we share our beautiful planet.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Heartfelt thanks to the kind, competent, and hardworking team at Wiley Publishing who made this book possible: to Acquisitions Editor Michael Lewis, Project Editor Sarah Faulkner, Copy Editor Todd Lothery, and intern Beth Staton, who expertly guided this book from concept to completion, and to their very talented colleagues, who worked their magic in the design and production departments. I’m grateful to Patricia Santelli for her assistance with the nutritional analyses of the recipes, and to expert recipe tester Emily Nolan for her good work. I’m especially indebted to my longtime friend and colleague, Ginny Messina, for her help with the technical review. Many thanks as well go to my agent, Mary Ann Naples, and her colleagues at The Creative Culture, as well as to my former agent and good friend, Patti Breitman, with whom I worked on the predecessor to this book, Being Vegetarian For Dummies (Wiley). It is such a privilege and joy to be part of a team of so many outstanding professionals.

Many of my colleagues in the U.S., in Canada, and around the world have dedicated their lives and careers to advancing knowledge in nutrition science, the links between diet and health, and the practice of diet and health policymaking. My work builds on theirs, and I salute the collective efforts of this community of scholars and practitioners.

I am grateful for my family and friends and their continued support and good humor. Special thanks to my sisters-in-law, Laura Bridges and Karen Bush, for lending me a beautiful beachfront getaway on the North Carolina coast, where I wrote several chapters in record time under the spell of ocean breezes, sea oats, and swooping pelicans. My husband, Mike, helped me day-to-day with his encouraging words, brilliant ideas, and the occasional caipirinha on the back deck.

I am indebted, too, to readers of my newspaper column, On the Table. Their feedback and encouragement help me stay in touch with issues of primary concern to people trying to do their best to make wise food choices.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Foreword

Simply put, this book may be the most important book you read this year . . . or this decade.

When I was in college, I certainly could have used a book like Living Vegetarian For Dummies. Somehow, I had heard that a vegetarian diet was healthful, or perhaps just cool, so I tried it. The first evening I ate a pound of broccoli. The next night I ate a pound of cauliflower. And so on. Actually, my first bout with vegetarianism may not have lasted more than those first two days.

I thought that “vegetarian” meant eating only vegetables. I only wish that Suzanne Havala Hobbs had been around to hold me by the hand (as this book will do for you) and show me that vegetarian diets are typically more varied, more healthful, and more delicious than the typical steak-and-potatoes (or burger-and-fries in my case) American diet.

Truth be told, I never became a full-fledged vegetarian, let alone a vegan, and most casual claimants to vegetarianism probably also cheat a bit. Flexitarian is what we say we are, which often means eating mostly vegetarian, but dining on fish, chicken, or even beef or pork occasionally. Such folks gain most of the health benefits of well-constructed vegetarian diets, but can’t claim to be free of any responsibility for the maltreatment of farm animals (especially layer hens, dairy cows, and veal calves). At the other end of vegetarianism are vegans, who, notwithstanding all the temptations of daily life in North America, eschew even the lacto ovo foods that regular vegetarians eat plenty of. Fortunately, Sue Hobbs provides sensible guidance for people at every point on the vegetarian spectrum.

Some people (including me) have moved toward vegetarian diets mostly for health reasons, and those reasons are ample. Vegetarians (and I don’t mean people whose notion of vegetarianism is chowing down on soft drinks, cookies, quiches, and chocolate bars) have lower risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. (Because most studies include few vegans, it’s unclear whether vegans fare even better than run-of-the-mill lacto ovo vegetarian.)

Probably more people are attracted to vegetarianism for moral reasons. Eating animal products inevitably means that one is contributing to the miserable circumstances in which most farm animals spend their lives. Raising cattle, pigs, and chickens on grass and grubs certainly reduces the misery, but most vegans end up vegans because they don’t want to feel culpable for any part of the raising and killing of animals.

If better health for yourself and avoidance of cruelty to animals aren’t reason enough to eat a more plant-based diet, consider the benefits to the environment. Raising animals means using more energy-intensive fertilizer, much of which ends up polluting waterways. It means using huge quantities of water to irrigate fields of feed grains. Questionably safe pesticides endanger farm workers and wildlife. And the animals themselves emit greenhouse gases in the form of manure (which may also pollute rivers and streams) and cows’ belching of methane gas. Eating fewer animal products and more fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and nuts will help protect our increasingly crowded and polluted planet.

But back to basics: your taste buds will thank you, day after day, for moving in a vegetarian direction. Enjoy!

Michael F. Jacobson, PhD

Executive Director

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Washington, DC

Introduction

Vegetarianism has come a long, long way.

As a child, I wore a button that said, “Real People Wear Fake Furs.” I’d picked it up at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair when my older sister was in college at the University of Michigan. It was the late ’60s, and it wasn’t much longer before my mother announced to our family that from then on, she would be a vegetarian. She never said why, but for the next several years, the former Wisconsinite ate cheese omelets or cheddar-cheese-and-pickle sandwiches on whole-wheat toast for dinner while the rest of us ate the meat she prepared for us. That is, of course, until we kids followed her lead and, one by one and without fanfare, became vegetarians ourselves.

My dad worried we’d miss vital nutrients. He chided my mother for planting the idea. Mom, a registered nurse, was considered a bit odd by her hospital colleagues. By now, it was the early ’70s, and vegetarians lived on communes or wore Birkenstocks and long hair on college campuses. They weren’t kids and working, middle-aged moms.

A competitive swimmer in high school, I hoped that a vegetarian diet would boost my endurance and athletic performance, as Olympic gold medalist Murray Rose claimed it had for him. It didn’t help enough, but it did pique my interest in nutrition and set me on the path to a career in dietetics. It would be many years, however, before the scientific community came around to the idea that a diet of grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and nuts can be adequate — never mind superior — to a diet centered on animal products.

In college, I learned about vegetarianism in a lesson on fad diets. At that time, in the early 1980s, a blood cholesterol level of 300 mg/dl was considered normal, and patients in the coronary care unit in the hospital got bacon and eggs and white toast for breakfast.

My grandmother worried that I wouldn’t get enough iron if I didn’t eat red meat. She thought that my slender body wasn’t “healthy” enough in size as compared to her old-world, European standards. For baby boomers like me, this was the environment for vegetarians in North America 30 years ago.

Everything is different now.

In the last 20 years, the American Dietetic Association — long the conservative holdout on such matters — went from cautious at first, to later tentative at best, to now clearly stating in its position papers that vegetarian diets confer health advantages. U.S. government dietary recommendations now explicitly acknowledge the vegetarian alternative and advise all Americans to make fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes the foundation of a healthy diet. It’s as close as the government can come to a stamp of approval for a plant-based diet as it balances science with the economic interests of the powerful meat and dairy industries.

As a practicing nutritionist and vegetarian, I’ve observed these changes taking place over decades. The scientific rationale for eating a plant-based diet is well-documented. The advantages for everyone and everything on our planet are compelling. The next task is helping people everywhere make the transition to an eating style that, at this time, is still outside the cultural norm in many countries. Accomplishing this requires education and the political will to initiate and enforce policies to create an environment that makes it easier for you and me to sustain lifestyles that support health.

Living vegetarian is an excellent way to meet today’s dietary recommendations for good health. This book is for everyone who wants to understand the future of preventive nutrition and get a head start on making the switch.

About This Book

This book is for vegetarians and prospective vegetarians, too — for anyone curious about what a vegan is, for those who still have questions about where vegetarians get their protein, for parents who are wringing their hands because Junior has “gone vegetarian,” and for Junior to give to Mom and Dad so that they won’t worry.

This book is for vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike. Whether you want to control or prevent diseases such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, manage your weight, save money, or help keep the planet healthy and the animals happy, this book has what you need. That’s because the secret to living well is eating well, and to eat well, you need to make plant foods the foundation of your diet.

It’s the simple truth.

Don’t feel you need to read the chapters in this book in order or read the book from cover to cover. It’s designed to make sense and be helpful whether you surf it or read it in its entirety. Throughout the text, you’ll find cross-references to guide you to other parts of the book where you can find related information.

Conventions Used in This Book

To make this book easier to read, I adhere to the following conventions or rules throughout:

When I use the term vegetarian, I’m using it generically. In other words, it includes all the various subtypes — vegans, lacto, lacto ovo, and other variations of a vegetarian diet. When I want you to know something unique to a particular form of vegetarianism, I refer to the specific diet subtype. (Chapter 1 gives you definitions and explanations of each of these types of vegetarianism.)

I use italics to introduce new terms, and I give you definitions of the new terms shortly thereafter.

Bold text makes it easy to spot keywords in bulleted lists.

Web addresses are printed in monofont, like this.

When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that I haven’t put in any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book, pretending the line break doesn’t exist.

I don’t specify most recipe ingredients as being organic, conventional, low-sodium, or other possible variations. When you shop for ingredients, feel free to make these choices as you see fit.

Some recipes note the substitutions to make the dish suitable for vegans. In cases where I don’t provide that information, feel free to experiment and make the substitutions yourself. I provide lots of information about recipe substitutions in Chapter 8.

All margarine in the recipes is trans fat-free.

All temperatures in the recipes are in Fahrenheit.

What You’re Not to Read

It’s great if you read the entire book. You won’t miss any helpful hints and information that way. On the other hand, some information I include isn’t as critical for you to know as the rest. If you need to pare down your reading, here’s what you can save for later:

Material flagged with the Technical Stuff icon: These paragraphs contain information that, while interesting, isn’t vital to your understanding of the topic.

Sidebars: This information is scattered throughout the book in shaded boxes. It’s similar to the Technical Stuff: great if you have the time, but not critical for you to read.

Recipes: I include a collection of good starter recipes for anyone who wants to give them a try. No need to read these unless you’re ready to get started in the kitchen.

Foolish Assumptions

If you’re holding this book, you or someone who loves you bought or borrowed this book to gain a better understanding of how to live a vegetarian lifestyle. I’m assuming that this book is appropriate for a variety of purposes, including:

Dipping your toe into the topic. If you just want a little more information to help you decide whether living vegetarian may be something you’d like to consider doing, this book is appropriate for you.

Digging in deeper. You may already have a general sense of what’s involved in living vegetarian, but you want more in-depth advice and understanding of how to go about it. This book is for you.

Sharing the knowledge. If you know someone with an interest in going vegetarian — or someone who may simply be curious and interested in finding out more — this book is a reliable resource.

Refreshing your own knowledge. Longtime vegetarians may benefit from the up-to-date information in this book.

Having a reference on hand. Health professionals often encounter vegetarians in their work and have to give them medical or dietary advice. If you’re a health professional and you have no personal experience with a vegetarian lifestyle, this book may be helpful as an accurate and quick reference.

You can make some assumptions about me, too:

I know what I’m talking about. I’m a licensed, registered dietitian with a master’s degree in human nutrition and a doctorate in public health. I’m a leading expert on vegetarian nutrition and have lived a vegetarian lifestyle myself for 35 years.

My advice is practical. It’s informed by my own experience of living vegetarian for more than three decades, as well as many years of experience counseling individuals on special diets, including both vegetarians and nonvegetarians.

I’m not giving individualized advice. As much as I wish it were possible, books aren’t an appropriate means of dispensing medical or dietary advice tailored to individual needs. I can give you general information that provides you with a good foundation of knowledge about the topic. However, if you have specific issues you need help with — particularly medical conditions that require you to follow a special diet — you should get additional, individualized guidance from a registered dietitian. I include information in Chapter 1 about how to locate a dietitian with expertise in vegetarian diets.

How This Book Is Organized

Living Vegetarian For Dummies is divided into six parts. The book is organized to take you through a logical progression of information, moving from basic to more in-depth, depending on your level of interest and experience.

Parts I and II provide fundamental information that you should know if you’re contemplating going vegetarian full time or part time. Part III includes recipes to get you started. Parts IV, V, and VI are important for anyone ready to dig a little deeper who wants more advanced-level skills.

Each part focuses on a different aspect of vegetarianism, from the basic who, what, and why to the nutritional underpinnings of a diet without meat, strategies to help you make the transition, and tips on how to maintain the lifestyle over time. Together, the six parts of this book lay the foundation for understanding the vegetarian lifestyle and building the skills necessary to successfully adapt.

Part I: Being Vegetarian: What It’s All About

This part peels away the first layer of mystery around issues of vegetarianism. It gets to the bottom of the various definitions of vegetarian diets, revealing once and for all what the word vegan means and how to pronounce it. It looks at what vegetarians do eat, including vegetarian traditions around the world, rather than stopping at what they don’t eat. This part also discusses the reasons people adopt a vegetarian diet and the nutritional aspects of vegetarian diets. It also guides you with good-sense advice and strategies for making the transition.

Part II: Planning and Preparing Your Vegetarian Kitchen

This part explains how to set up a vegetarian-friendly kitchen so that you can make more meals at home. It covers what you need to know about common and versatile ingredients, where to shop for them, and strategies for getting the best values. This part also focuses on practical equipment and basic cooking techniques you should know to help you get started.

Part III: Meals Made Easy: Recipes for Everyone

I provide a good set of starter recipes in this part, covering the major food categories and including recipes that are versatile and practical. Ingredient lists are short, and basic cooking skills are all that’s necessary to follow the simple instructions. You can modify most of the recipes to add or subtract animal ingredients, depending on the extent to which you want to include or exclude them.

Part IV: Living — and Loving — the Vegetarian Lifestyle

This part provides advanced advice for anyone who’s ready for intermediate- to advanced-level skills in living vegetarian. It includes strategies for families that have only one vegetarian in the household and tips for getting along in social situations outside your home. This part also includes information about how to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle when eating out at restaurants and traveling away from home.

Part V: Living Vegetarian for a Lifetime

Part V takes a life-course view of living vegetarian, with advice that’s specialized for whatever stage you’re in. I include information about living vegetarian during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and the teen years, as well as into adulthood and older adulthood.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

All For Dummies books end with The Part of Tens, a collection of handy tips, lists, and fun facts that are easy to read at a glance. The chapters in this part provide you with a quick list of reasons why it makes sense to go vegetarian, as well as practical advice about how to make it happen, including simple ingredient substitutions and easy lunchbox ideas.

Icons Used in This Book

Another fun feature of For Dummies books is the clever icons that flag helpful nuggets of information. Each icon denotes a particular type of information. Here’s what each icon means:

Tips are insights or other helpful clues that may make it more convenient or hassle-free for you to follow a vegetarian diet.

When you see this icon, the information that follows is a rule-of-thumb or another truism you should keep in mind.

If you see this icon, the information is meant to help you avoid a common pitfall or to keep you from getting into trouble.

This is information that, while interesting, isn’t vital to your understanding of the topic. In other words, some of you may skip it, but it’s there if you care to find out more.

Where to Go from Here

The science of nutrition is complicated, but being well-nourished is a relatively simple matter. It’s even easier to do if you eat a wholesome, plant-based diet. That’s where this book comes in.

If you want a clearer understanding of what vegetarianism is, start with the foundational information in Chapter 1. If you have a child or teenager who’s interested in becoming vegetarian, check out Chapter 21. If you’re ready to whip up some tasty vegetarian meals, head straight to Part III — you can start with the breakfast recipes in Chapter 9 or skip straight to the dessert recipes in Chapter 14 (I won’t tell!).

Whether you go vegetarian all the way or part of the way, moving to a more plant-based diet is one of the smartest moves you can make. I hope this book helps. Best wishes to you as you take the first step!

Part I

Being Vegetarian: What It’s All About

In this part . . .

To change the way you eat, you not only have to gain knowledge and develop and practice new skills, but you also have to change your mind-set. That includes replacing old traditions with new ones. That’s the fun of it, and that’s the challenge, too.

In this part of the book, I cover basic information you need to help you get started. I define the various types of vegetarian diets and explain the reasons many people make the switch. I give you the background you need to understand nutrition issues pertaining to meatless diets, including how to ensure you get what you need from whole foods. I also discuss the pros and cons of taking vitamin and mineral supplements.

I also share some good-sense advice about living the vegetarian lifestyle. I explain how to plan for meatless meals, and I coach you on practical ways to master the behavioral changes that are a part of the transition to a new eating style.

It’s exciting! Let’s get started. . . .

Chapter 1

Vegetarianism 101: Starting with the Basics

In This Chapter

Defining different types of vegetarianism

Explaining why meat-free makes sense

Fixing meatless meals

Adopting a new mind-set about food

Mention a vegetarian diet, and many people visualize a big hole in the center of your dinner plate. They think that to be a vegetarian, you have to like lettuce and carrot sticks — a lot. Just contemplating it leaves them gnawing on their knuckles.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however.

Vegetarian diets are diverse, with an abundance of fresh, colorful, and flavorful foods. For anyone who loves good food, vegetarian meals are a feast. That may be difficult for nonvegetarians to understand. Vegetarian diets are common in some parts of the world, but they’re outside the culture and personal experience of many people.

That’s why I start with the basics in this chapter. I tell you about the many forms a vegetarian diet can take and the reasons people choose to go meat-free. I give you a quick overview of what’s involved in planning and fixing vegetarian meals, and I introduce some important considerations for making the transition to meat-free a little easier.

Vegetarian Label Lingo: Who’s Who and What They Will and Won’t Eat

Most of us are pretty good at describing a person in just a few words:

“He’s a liberal Democrat.”

“She’s a Gen-Xer.”

It’s like the saying goes: “A picture (or label) paints (or says) a thousand words.”

People use labels to describe vegetarians, with different terms corresponding to different sets of eating habits. A lacto ovo vegetarian eats differently than a vegan eats. In some cases, the term used to describe a type of vegetarian refers to a whole range of lifestyle preferences, rather than to just the diet alone. In general, though, the specific term used to describe a vegetarian has to do with the extent to which that person avoids foods of animal origin. Read on for a primer on vegetarian label lingo, an explanation of what I call the vegetarian continuum, and an introduction to vegetarian foods.

From vegan to flexitarian: Sorting out the types of vegetarianism

In 1992, Vegetarian Times magazine sponsored a survey of vegetarianism in the United States. The results showed that almost 7 percent of Americans considered themselves vegetarians.

However, a closer look at the eating habits of those “vegetarians” found that most of them were eating chicken and fish occasionally, and many were eating red meat at least a few times each month. Most vegetarian organizations don’t consider occasional flesh-eaters to be vegetarians.

As a result, the nonprofit Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) in 1994 began sponsoring national polls on the prevalence of vegetarianism, wording the interview questions in such a way as to determine the number of people who never eat meat, fish, poultry, or byproducts of these foods. (The organization continues to conduct periodic polls, and you can find the results online at www.vrg.org.) Over the years, the number of people who fit the VRG definition of vegetarian has remained relatively stable at between 2 and 3 percent of the adult population in the U.S.

The fact is, people interpret the term vegetarian in many different ways.

Many people use the term loosely to mean that they’re consciously reducing their intake of meat. The word vegetarian has positive connotations, especially among those who know that vegetarian diets confer health benefits. But what about the true vegetarians? Who are they and what do they eat (or not eat)?

The definition of a vegetarian most widely accepted by vegetarian organizations is this: A vegetarian is a person who eats no meat, fish, or poultry.

Not “I eat turkey for Thanksgiving” or “I eat fish once in a while.” A vegetarian consistently avoids all flesh foods, as well as byproducts of meat, fish, and poultry. A vegetarian avoids refried beans made with lard, soups made with meat stock, and foods made with gelatin, such as some kinds of candy and most marshmallows.

The big three: Lacto ovo vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, and vegan

Vegetarian diets vary in the extent to which they exclude animal products. Historically, the three major types of vegetarianism have been:

Lacto ovo vegetarian: A lacto ovo vegetarian diet excludes meat, fish, and poultry but includes dairy products and eggs. Most vegetarians in the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe fall into this category. Lacto ovo vegetarians eat such foods as cheese, ice cream, yogurt, milk, and eggs, as well as foods made with these ingredients.

Lacto vegetarian: A lacto vegetarian diet excludes meat, fish, and poultry, as well as eggs and any foods containing eggs. So a lacto vegetarian, for instance, wouldn’t eat the pancakes at most restaurants because they contain eggs. Some veggie burger patties are made with egg whites, and many brands of ice cream contain egg. A lacto vegetarian wouldn’t eat these foods, either. A lacto vegetarian would, however, eat dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Vegan: Technically, the term vegan (pronounced vee-gun) refers to more than just the diet alone. A vegan is a vegetarian who avoids eating or using all animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and any foods containing byproducts of these ingredients. Vegans also use no wool, silk, leather, and any nonfood items made with animal byproducts. Some vegans avoid honey, and some don’t use refined white sugar, or wine that has been processed using bone char or other animal ingredients. Needless to say, vegans also don’t eat their dinner on bone china. (For more details on veganism, see the nearby sidebar.)

In academic nutrition circles, strict vegetarian is the correct term to use to describe people who avoid all animal products but who don’t necessarily carry animal product avoidance into other areas of their lives. In practice, however, the term vegan is usually used by both strict vegetarians and vegans, even among those in the know. In other words, technically, the term strict vegetarian refers to diet only. The term vegan encompasses both food and other products, including clothing, toiletries, and other supplies.

More than a diet: Veganism

Maintaining a vegan lifestyle in our culture can be difficult. Most vegans are strongly motivated by ethics, however, and rise to the challenge. A large part of maintaining a vegan lifestyle has to do with being aware of where animal products are used and knowing about alternatives. Vegetarian and animal rights organizations offer information and materials to help.

Sometimes vegans unwittingly use a product or eat a food that contains an animal byproduct. Knowing whether a product is free of all animal ingredients can be difficult at times. However, the intention is to strive for the vegan ideal.

So a vegan, for instance, wouldn’t use hand lotion that contains lanolin, a byproduct of wool. A vegan wouldn’t use margarine that contains casein, a milk protein. And a vegan wouldn’t carry luggage trimmed in leather. Vegans (as well as many other vegetarians) also avoid products that have been tested on animals, such as many cosmetics and personal care products.

The list goes on: Semi-vegetarian, flexitarian, and others

Lacto ovo vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, and vegan are the three primary types of vegetarian diets, but there are more labels for vegetarians, including the following:

A semi-vegetarian is someone who’s cutting back on his intake of meat in general.

A pesco pollo vegetarian avoids red meat but eats chicken and fish.

A pollo vegetarian avoids red meat and fish but eats chicken.

These terms stretch the true definition of a vegetarian, and in practice, only the term semi-vegetarian is actually used with much frequency.

In recent years, another term has been introduced as well. A flexitarian is basically the same thing as a semi-vegetarian. It refers to someone who’s generally cutting back on meat but who may eat meat from time to time, when it’s more convenient or on a special occasion.

Don’t leave out: Raw foods, fruitarian, and macrobiotic diets

The list actually goes even further. One adaptation of a vegetarian diet is a raw foods diet, which consists primarily of uncooked foods — fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains and beans, and vegetable oils. Though raw foodists never cook foods in an oven or on a stovetop, some of them eat ingredients that have been dehydrated in the sun.

In practice, most raw foodists in North America actually eat a raw vegan diet. The proportion of the diet that comes from raw foods is typically anywhere from 50 to 80 percent. Most raw foodists aim for a diet that’s 100 percent raw, but what they can realistically adhere to still includes some amount of cooked food.

Another adaptation, the fruitarian diet, consists only of fruits, vegetables that are botanically classified as fruits (such as tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and avocados), and seeds and nuts. Planning a nutritionally adequate fruitarian diet is difficult, and I don’t recommend the diet for children.

Macrobiotic diets are often lumped into the general category of vegetarian diets, even though they may include seafood. This diet excludes all other animal products, however, as well as refined sugars, tropical fruits, and “nightshade vegetables” (for example, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers). The diet is related to principles of Buddhism and is based on the Chinese principles of yin and yang. Therefore, macrobiotic diets include foods common to Asian culture, such as sea vegetables (including kelp, nori, and arame), root vegetables (such as daikon), and miso. Many people follow a macrobiotic diet as part of a life philosophy. Others follow the diet because they believe it to be effective in curing cancer and other illnesses, an idea that has little scientific support.

The vegetarian continuum: Going vegetarian a little or a lot

Pop quiz: What would you call a person who avoids all flesh foods and only occasionally eats eggs and dairy products, usually as a minor ingredient in a baked good or dish, such as a muffin, cookie, or veggie burger?

Technically, the person is a lacto ovo vegetarian, right? But this diet seems as though it’s leaning toward the vegan end of the spectrum.

As a nutritionist, I see this kind of variation — even within the same category of vegetarian diet — all the time. One lacto ovo vegetarian may eat heaping helpings of cheese and eggs and have a high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol as a result. In fact, this type of vegetarian may have a nutrient intake similar to the typical American’s — not so good. Another lacto ovo vegetarian may use eggs and dairy products, but only in a very limited fashion — as condiments or minor ingredients in foods. This person’s nutrient intake more closely resembles that of a vegan.

What am I getting at? That labels are only a starting point, and they have limitations. Even if you know generally what type of vegetarian a person is, you may see a lot of variation in the degree to which the person uses or avoids animal products.

Many new vegetarians find that their diets evolve over time. At the start, for example, many rely heavily on cheese and eggs to replace meat. Over time, they learn to cook with grains, beans, and vegetables, and they experiment with cuisines of other cultures. They decrease their reliance on foods of animal origin, and gradually, they consume fewer eggs and dairy products. Some eventually move to a mostly vegan (or strict vegetarian) diet.

You might say that vegetarian diets are on a continuum, stretching from the typical American, meat-centered diet on one end to veganism on the other (see Figure 1-1). Most vegetarians fall somewhere in between. Some may be content staying wherever they begin on the continuum, while others may progress along the spectrum as they hone their skills and develop new traditions, moving from semi-vegetarian, or lacto ovo vegetarian, closer to the vegan end of the spectrum.

Figure 1-1: The vegetarian continuum.

Common foods that happen to be vegetarian: Beyond mac and cheese

Your eating style is a mind-set. For proof, ask someone what she’s having for dinner tonight. Chances are good she’ll say, “We’re grilling steaks tonight,” or, “I’m having fish.” Ever notice how no one mentions the rice, potato, salad, vegetables, bread — or anything other than the meat?

Many vegetarians eat these common foods — side dishes to nonvegetarians — in larger quantities and call them a meal. Others combine them in new and delicious ways to create main courses that replace a burger or filet. Your skills at assembling appealing vegetarian meals will improve over time.

Until they do, going vegetarian doesn’t have to mean a whole new menu. Many vegetarian foods are actually very familiar to nonvegetarians as well. Some examples include:

Falafel

Pasta primavera

Salad

Tofu

Vegetable lasagna

Vegetarian chili

Vegetarian pizza

Veggie burger

When meat-free isn’t vegetarian: Bypassing meat byproducts

Living vegetarian means avoiding meat, fish, and poultry, and it includes eliminating ingredients made from those foods, too. Vegetarians don’t eat soups that contain beef broth or chicken stock. They avoid meat flavoring in pasta sauces, Worcestershire sauce (which contains anchovies), and many stir-fry sauces, which contain oyster sauce. They don’t eat marshmallows and some candies, which contain gelatin made from the cartilage and skins of animals. In Chapter 5, I cover all this in more detail, listing foods that may contain hidden animal products.

Going Vegetarian Is Good for Everyone

Some people go vegetarian for the simple reason that they don’t like meat. They chew and chew, and they still have a glob of aesthetically unpleasant flesh in their mouth. Some people just like vegetables better.

Others go vegetarian because they recognize the link between diet and health, the health of ecosystems on our planet, the welfare of animals, or the ability of nations to feed hungry people. Whichever issue first grabs your attention, the other advantages may reinforce your resolve.

Eating for health

Many people view their health (or lack thereof) as something that just sort of happens to them. Their bad habits catch up with them, or they have bad genes. Their doctor just gave them a clean bill of health, and then they had a heart attack out of the blue. (Well, we all have to die of something.) Who could have foreseen it? They lived reasonably — everything in moderation, right? What more could they have done?

A lot, most likely. You may be surprised to discover how much power you wield with your knife and fork. The fact is that vegetarians generally enjoy better health and longer lives than nonvegetarians.

In comparison with nonvegetarians, vegetarians are at lower risk for many chronic, degenerative diseases and conditions. That’s because a diet composed primarily of plant matter has protective qualities. I cover the diet and health connection in more detail in Chapter 2.

Protecting our planet

A disproportionate amount of the earth’s natural resources is used to produce meat and other animal products. For example:

It takes about 25 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of wheat, but it takes about 390 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef.

A steer has to eat 7 pounds of grain or soybeans to produce 1 pound of beef.

Animal agriculture — the production of meat, eggs, and dairy products — places heavy demands on our land, water, and fuel supplies, and in some cases, it contributes substantially to problems with pollution. You should understand how your food choices affect the well-being of our planet. I discuss the issues further in Chapter 2.

Compassionate food choices

Many people consider a vegetarian diet the right thing to do. Their sense of ethics drives them to make very conscious decisions based on the effects of their food choices on others. You may feel the same way.

In Chapter 2, I describe more fully the rationale for considering the feelings and welfare of animals used for their flesh, eggs, or milk. I also discuss the implications of food choices for world hunger. A strong argument can be made for living vegetarian as the humane choice — not just in terms of the effect on animals, but also because of what it means for people, too.

Meatless Meals Made Easy

Making vegetarian meals doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult. Despite all the gourmet cooking magazines and high-end kitchen supply stores around, you and most other people probably don’t anticipate spending much of your free time fixing meals.

Not to worry. You can make the best vegetarian meals quickly, using basic ingredients with simple techniques and recipes.

Mastering meal planning and prep

After nearly 30 years of counseling individuals on many types of diets, I’ve found one thing to be universally true: Nobody follows a structured meal plan for very long. Though it may be helpful for some to see a sample meal plan, following rigid diet plans doesn’t work well for most people. That’s because you, like me, probably juggle a busy schedule that requires a fair amount of flexibility in meal planning.

You find a good deal of advice in this book that pertains to planning and preparing meatless meals in the most efficient way possible. In general, though, your meals should follow the guidelines I present in Chapter 7.

The best way to prepare meals with a minimum of fuss is to remember the key word — simple.

You need very little equipment and only basic cooking skills — boiling, baking, chopping, and peeling — to prepare most vegetarian foods. The best recipes include familiar, easy-to-find ingredients and have short ingredient lists.

The recipes I include in this book in Part III are a great place to start. You may also find, as you dig a little further into living vegetarian, that you don’t have to rely on recipes at all to fix great meals. My hope for you is that you gain confidence in your ability to put ingredients together in simple and pleasing ways so that you can quickly and easily assemble delicious, nutritious vegetarian meals.

Shopping strategies

Grocery shopping doesn’t take exceptional skills, but smart shopping habits can help ensure that you have the ingredients you need on hand when you need them. Because you probably don’t have lots of free time to spend roaming the supermarket, you want to shop efficiently, too.

A few tips to keep in mind:

Keep a list. Post on your refrigerator a running list of ingredients you need to pick up the next time you’re at the store. You’ll be less likely to forget a key item, and you’ll be less likely to spend impulsively, too.

Shop for locally grown, seasonal foods. Stop at your local farmer’s market or roadside vegetable stand. Fruits and vegetables grown near your home taste better and retain more nutrients than foods that spend days on a truck being shipped across the country after being picked.

Mix it up. Visit different grocery stores from time to time to take advantage of new food items and varied selections across stores. Ethnic markets and specialty shops can give you good ideas and offer some interesting new products to try.

In Chapters 6 and 7, I describe various commonly used vegetarian ingredients, and I give advice about shopping and stocking your vegetarian kitchen.

Mixing in some kitchen wisdom

If the idea of fixing meatless meals is new to you, harboring some concerns about your ability to plan and prepare good-tasting meals is understandable. Until you’ve had some experience, you may mistakenly believe that living vegetarian means buying lots of specialty products or spending hours slaving over the stove.

Not true. Going vegetarian — done well — will simplify your life in many ways. You’ll have fewer greasy pans to wash, and your stove and oven should stay cleaner longer. Foods that contain fewer animal ingredients are likely to be less of a food safety concern than those that contain meat, eggs, and dairy products.

And living vegetarian costs less.

Of course, you can spend as much time and money as you want to on your meals. Living vegetarian, though, is all about basic foods prepared simply. The staples — fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans — are generally inexpensive and easy to use.

Cooking creatively

Vegetarian meals invite creativity.

After you’re free of the idea that a meal has to be built around a slab of meat, the variety really begins. After all, you can put together plant ingredients to make a meal in an almost endless number of ways. Plant ingredients come in varied colors, textures, and flavors. The sampling of recipes I include in this book (see Part III for these recipes) are an introduction to what’s possible. Don’t hesitate to experiment with these — add a favorite herb or substitute Swiss chard for kale.

You’ll soon be spoiled by the variety and quality of vegetarian meals. After you’ve practiced living vegetarian for a while, you’ll find that you don’t have space on your plate for meat anymore, even if you still eat it! The vegetarian foods are so much more interesting and appealing.

Embracing a Meat-Free Lifestyle

At this point, you may be distracted by such thoughts as, “I need a degree in nutrition to get this right,” or, “I wonder whether I’ll be vegetarian enough.” Your mind may be leaping ahead to such concerns as, “Will my family go along with this?” In this section, I help you put issues like these into perspective.

Taking charge of your plate

You have no reason to be afraid to stop eating meat. I haven’t touched a hamburger in more than 35 years, and I’m alive and well.

In the opening of his book Baby and Child Care, Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote these famous words: “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” You may not have studied the Krebs cycle or be able to calculate your caloric needs, but if you’re reading this book, you probably have enough gumption to get your diet mostly right.