Vegging
Out
by Deborah Southard
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Being vegetarian in
a non-vegetarian household may sound intimidating,
but with the right tools, herbivore and carnivore
can live in harmony
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Beth
Tagress couldn't figure out why she felt so sick. She had just
finished Thanksgiving dinner at her boyfriend's house. Tagress
is vegetarian, but hadn't eaten any meat, and the pains were
getting worse. Finally, she figured it out; the turkey had
been cooking in the oven above the sweet potatoes and some of
the turkey juices had dripped onto the potatoes. Now, you'd
think that a little bit of turkey juice wouldn't make her ill,
but Tagress has been a vegetarian her whole life, so her stomach
couldn't take meat in any form.
If
you're thinking about becoming a vegetarian, but are apprehensive
of how your family will react, you'll want to make sure you
can explain why you're doing this and what effect it will
have on the rest of the household. They'll ask questions like
"are you sure you'll get enough protein?" They'll probably
also worry that you'll try to force this diet change on them.
Do
Your Homework
Make
sure your reason for this diet change is a decision you can
explain. If you don't have any explanation, you won't last
long under fire--and you will come under fire.
The
reasons for becoming vegetarian include considering meat eating
cruelty towards animals, or wanting a healthier diet. Be
careful of the latter, however; being vegetarian does not
necessarily mean you're adopting a healthier or lower fat
diet. "There are plenty of high fat foods that aren't animal
based," warns Mark Kern, PhD, Associate Professor of Exercise
and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University. As
with any diet, you need to watch the amount of calories you
intake and regulate how much fat you eat.
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"There
are many types of vegetarians, depending on what they
are willing to eat, like dairy foods, eggs, fish,
etc."
--
Mark Kern, PhD, Associate Professor of Exercise and
Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University
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To
ensure that you are getting the necessary balanced diet, Oldways
Preservation & Exchange Trust, in association with the
Harvard School of Public Health, has published a vegetarian
food guide pyramid that outlines the food groups you should
make a part of your daily diet (see below).
Readjust
Your Culinary Strategy
You'll also want to figure out how you're going to cook in a
house full of meat eaters. It's really not all that complicated.
While the portion of the meal you prepare for your family stays
the same, your meal will need a meat substitute--a non-animal
based food high in protein. There are a number of foods high
in protein that can replace meat, such as members of the legume
family (including soy), and there are many cookbooks on the
market that can help you find tasty ways of preparing vegetarian
foods. Try Mollie Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.
If you currently eat out a lot, Tagress points out that becoming
a vegetarian may mean that you'll have to learn to cook. She
recommends Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,
which will help you learn if the world of the kitchen is new
to you.
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