Which Comes First, the Dairy Product or the Egg?

Giving up meat but holding onto eggs and dairy products in your diet is a good way to start your vegetarian experience. Your menu options are far greater, and it’s easier to work enough protein into your diet than jumping straight to a macrobiotic or vegan lifestyle. Yes, there are good reasons to avoid eggs and dairy, and we’ll discuss that as we go along. But ovo-lacto- vegetarianism is perhaps the most popular, simple, and straightforward approach to vegetarianism.

Besides being a great protein source, eggs also provide your body with lecithin, a substance that emulsifies dietary fat and is needed to build cell walls. In fact, lecithin is very important in protecting your cells from oxidation and is vital in building the protective tissues that surround the brain. (Should you choose not to eat eggs, lecithin is still important; but
there are now lecithin supplements that have been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels.)

Eggs are an easy meal and, for many vegetarians, the veggie omelet is a great fallback meal that’s available at virtually every coffee shop. You should limit the amount of yolks you eat, though, as they’re high in fat and cholesterol; egg whites, on the other hand, are almost pure protein.

As for dairy products, you may find yourself going overboard when you first start your vegetarian diet, making up for the loss of meat by eating more cheese and drinking more milk. Keep an eye on the amount of fat you’re eating; changing your diet isn’t going to make you feel better if you start loading up on extra fat and cholesterol!

So … What Can I Have for Lunch?

If your first thought is that you’re about to embark on a way of eating that’s going to be boring, repetitive, and limiting, then you have a surprise in store. Vegetarians—vegans included—enjoy a widely varied diet made up of tasty and nutritious foods, most of which you already eat on a regular basis.

All of the same things that you eat today—burritos, burgers, casseroles, soups, lasagna, sandwiches—can be enjoyed as part of a vegetarian diet. All you need to do is remove or replace the meat. The key is to make sure you get enough protein from combining grains and legumes (which we’ll discuss in detail in chapter 5) and choose your meals wisely.

Take that burrito, for example. Skip the nonvegetarian style, and go for one that’s packed with beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and sour cream. It’s chock-full of protein and other vital nutrients and is absolutely delicious. Even something as decadent as Stroganoff can be adapted to a meat-free diet—cubes of Portobello mushrooms, marinated in soy sauce, make for a fine meat substitute when tossed with noodles, spices, and cream.

And don’t overlook the cuisine of cultures that have long celebrated vegetarian cooking. Miso soup, Spanikopita, hummus, vegetable curries, tabbouleh salad, samosas, and veggie stir-fry dishes are all on your menu—so enjoy!

Once you become accustomed to eating vegetarian meals, you’ll find that it’s much easier than you think. With a little creativity, you can even plan entire meatless dinner parties around foods so delicious that your most carnivorous guests won’t even notice that meat is missing from the menu— a dinner of hearty vegetable chili topped with shredded cheese and a
spring salad of field greens, toasted walnuts, and crumbled bleu cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette, followed by key lime pie for dessert … well, who wouldn’t love that?

By choosing to adopt the vegetarian lifestyle, you’re going to improve your health, help conserve the earth’s natural resources, eat more ethically and responsibly, and lower your risk of contracting meat-borne illnesses from E. coli contamination and additives like hormones, chemicals, and antibiotics. But that doesn’t mean your diet has to be boring; there’s a whole world of foods out there that you can enjoy!

Whatever the reason you’ve decided to remove meat from your diet, you’ll find that it’s the best nutritional decision that you’ve ever made. In the course of this book, you’ll learn about the fascinating history of vegetarianism, how you can transition from a nonvegetarian diet to a vegetarian one, the ways in which you can ensure that you’re getting proper nutrition, how to buy food and cook for your family, and how to stick with your diet in a world full of carnivores.

You’re about to embark on a journey that will make you healthier and happier. Congratulations on choosing to live as a thoughtful, caring eater; your body (and the earth) will thank you!