Vegetarian Information

Tofu - that’s just for vegetarians, right?

Wrong.

Tofu is a highly nutritious food that, rather than being
seen as just an alternative to meat, should be included in
your baby’s diet on its own merits!

Tofu is part of the legume family. It is fermented soymilk
curd — the process by which it is made compares to the way
that cheese is made from milk. Tofu is a rich source of
protein, calcium, iron, fibre and fatty acids — key
components for good nutrition.

There are two basic types of tofu — hard/firm tofu, often
used in recipes that needs a consistency which holds
together well — and soft or silken tofu, generally used for
desserts, smoothies, soups and sauces.

Fresh tofu has a sweet aroma when opened — any sour odour
would indicate that it is stale and should not be used for
your baby. It will keep for seven days in the refrigerator
and should be placed in an airtight container of water. It
is, however, essential that the water is changed on a daily
basis. Tofu does not freeze particularly well — upon
defrosting it becomes somewhat spongy in texture and appears
discolored.

You can introduce this versatile and healthy food to your
baby once he/she is at least 8 months of age. (It is
important, however, to be aware that soy is a potential
allergen. When introducing it to your baby for the very
first time, watch carefully for any signs of an allergic
reaction. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stuffy or runny
nose, watery or red eyes and wheezing. Should you ever
suspect your baby is allergic to a particular type of food,
then contact a medical professional immediately).

It is very easy to incorporate tofu into your baby’s diet
because it has very little taste of its own. Instead, it
absorbs the flavors of any foods it comes into contact
with.

Initially, you could try blending tofu with cottage cheese
or avocado, for a simple, nutritious meal. Soft tofu creamed
with fruit would make a delicious dessert for baby.
Alternatively, tofu can be cut into chunks and served to
your baby raw, as a healthy finger food.

Taking into account tofu’s extensive nutritional properties,
along with its versatility, it would clearly provide a very
worthwhile boost to most babies’ diets.

Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/index.html, a site providing a range of recipes for baby’s first year, plus information, tips and advice for successful infant feeding.

Tags: baby, food, healthy, nutritious, tofubaby, food, healthy, nutritious, tofu

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Many people contemplate becoming a vegetarian at one point or another. Some consider a meatless diet because they feel sorry for the animals. Others think a vegetarian way of eating will improve their health.

However, out of those well-intentioned people very few actually follow through and change their way of eating. The idea of completely giving up meat forms a big stumbling block for most.

For some reason, when it comes to vegetarian cooking, most people only see the “extremist” approach: either give up meat completely or you might as well include the meat in every meal. This “all or nothing” thinking becomes a mental barrier that keeps a lot of people from eating more vegetarian meals.

How about finding a happy medium? Drastic changes to one’s diet never last. Do not beat yourself up for eating meat. There is no need to give it up completely. Just try eating a little less of it, that’s all.

Start right now by making one meatless dinner every week. Keep everything else the same. Eating just one vegetarian dinner every week is definitely doable and easy. It will be just a nice change instead of deprivation!

If you think going meatless one day a week would not make a big difference, consider these simple numbers: if everyone ate vegetarian meals just one day a week, it would save one out of seven animals. Out of 92 million animals that are consumed in the United States alone every year, over 13 million animals would be spared. This is a huge impact!

In addition to doing good for our planet, you’ll enjoy great health benefits by including more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, nutrients, anti-oxidants and fiber - all the things that are good for us. They can help with weight loss and prevent diseases. Numerous studies show that diets high in fruits and vegetables reduce the risks of deadly diseases such as cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Also, by trying out new dishes, you will break your food routine and discover new tasty recipes and food combinations. It’s really nice to eat something different once in a while instead of being stuck in a food rut.

This simple shift of mindset from “all or nothing” to a happy middle ground will do wonders. Vegetarian eating does not need to be a full-time commitment, sacrifice and strive for unattainable perfection. Just do what you can to eat a little less meat, have fun trying new vegetarian meals and enjoy the benefits.

About The Author

Melanie Mendelson is the author of “Vegetarian Main Dishes - Yummy Recipes That Even Meat Eaters Will Love”. Visit her website at http://www.vegetarian-recipes-cookbook.com

Tags: cookbook, diet, food, nutrition, recipes, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian recipes, vegetarianscookbook, diet, food, nutrition, recipes, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian recipes, vegetarians

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“It does not matter what you eat. Just don’t eat a lot, exercise, and your weight will not be a problem.” True? Not quite!

There is scientific evidence that a vegetarian diet keeps that weight down, whereas meat eaters put it on. What you eat does matter.

You know that weight loss is an industry. A money-making industry with many claims to make: Claims of weight loss pills, herbs and juices. Claims of exercise machines and exercise programmes. Claims of high-fat, no fat or lean diets. Which work? Which do not? How to find those things that work? It is bewildering. And expensive!

The US FDA has warned against the effectiveness of a number of products that are being marketed. They include fat or starch blockers, weight loss chewing gum and body wraps.

Even weight loss earrings and spectacles are in this list. Perhaps the last one is effective when your friends wear them to look at you?

By contrast, vegetarians and vegans know what they eat and why they eat it. They save money and lose weight.

Weight loss of both your body and your wallet? Why not.

Vegetarian food production is inherently cheaper than that of meat.

Just like a high fibre vegetarian diet goes through your system faster, the vegetarian food production chain is short compared to that of growing meat. Growing animals for meat is after all energy-intensive, time-consuming and expensive.

For instance, it takes five kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of beef. It is that concentrated energy that you eat. And it’s not high-fibre.

Short production cycles are better for the planet and shorter digestive processes are better for you.

Perhaps you do not even need special low calorie vegetarian recipes to lose weight. A vegetarian or vegan diet appears to be a recipe for weight loss in itself! At least it represents an excellent start.

Consider the latest research.

Vegetarian and vegan diets work

Recent British scientific research is based on a study of 22,000 people who were followed over five years. All participants put on weight over that time. However, meat eaters who changed to a vegetarian diet gained the least weight.

Prof Tim Keys, who led this study for the University of Oxford and Cancer Research UK, obtained interesting results that are contrary to popular beliefs. His study is published in the Journal of Obesity.

He said: “Contrary to current popular views that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein keeps weight down, we found that the lowest weight gain came in people with high intake of carbohydrates and low intake of protein.”

The study involved meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans. On average the entire human sample population gained 2 kilos over the five years and none of them were overweight. The less consumption of animal products, the less weight was gained, leaving the vegans on top, with vegetarians runners-up.

And the bit about exercising then? Well, it’s part of a holistic picture it seems. The study also found that those who became more physically active gained less weight than those who did not. No surprises there.

So, not good news for vegan couch potatoes and a ray of hope for raging carnivores? Well, the simple message is, whatever you eat, physical activity is part of the weight loss, and health-deal.

Good health

Health too? Yes, this study is part of a larger investigation by EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), comparing half a million people’s diets in 10 countries to learn how diet is linked to cancer. Results from EPIC’s investigation show that diet is a leading cause of some cancers.

A balanced vegetarian or vegan diet is good for your health.

Take diabetes, often a condition associated with inadequate diet and being over-weight. The EPIC study has revealed that diabetics carry three times the normal risk of developing colo-rectal cancer.

And a recent Australian study even suggests that a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruit can reduce the effects of asthma attacks.

The wider benefits of choosing a vegetarian or vegan diet for weight loss are obvious.

But perhaps you’d still rather take the ‘easy way’ out and continue to eat meat. Meat perhaps that has been engineered for your ‘health’?

Voila! Researchers at Harvard University have now engineered pigs to produce “healthy forms of bacon, ham and pork crackling.”

Three little pigs were genetically modified to carry Omega 3-converting genes of a nematode worm. This gives the meat of these three little research pigs the benefits of fats and oils found in fish and vegetables!

Talk about a long production process to get the same benefits from plants that take a fraction of the energy and time to produce.

I’m telling no porky: before long pigs will fly But do you want to eat them?

Motivation

Weight loss may be your focus but you can see that its achievement is connected to a holistic picture, including your health and that of the world we live in. That is why you could say that many vegetarians and vegans are socially responsible eaters.

Perhaps that insight will give you the motivation to become a vegetarian or vegan: to lose weightand to discover a whole new world!

Of course some people have medical conditions that cause them to be over weight.

It would be foolish to recommend a vegetarian diet as a miracle cure in those instances. But in all other cases of being over weight there is one over-riding thing that you need: motivation.

If you know why you want to lose weight you will do it. Motivation is everything. The evidence is in on effectiveness of vegetarian diets with respect to weight loss.

If you also know that you are doing your body and the planet a favour by losing weight through vegetarian or vegan diets then what are you waiting for?

It’s over to you!

Dr Erik Leipoldt PhD has been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 30 years and his children were raised vegetarian. He uses a wheelchair due to spinal cord injury and attributes much of his good health and normal weight to his vegetarian diet. He writes about vegetarianism from his personal experience and knowledge found along the track, in his blog: http://low–calorie–and–vegetarian–recipe.blogspot.com/

Tags: low calorie vegetarian recipes, vegan diet, vegetarian diet, weight losslow calorie vegetarian recipes, vegan diet, vegetarian diet, weight loss

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