Nutrient know-how
Brush up on your nutrient know-how with myth-busting facts about a balanced
vegetarian diet.
Bounce with vitality
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Firstly research has shown that vegetarians are no more prone to iron
deficiency than meat-eaters.
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Even those who do eat meat get 86% of their iron from vegetarian sources.
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Iron is found in leafy green vegetables, pulses, wholemeal bread, dried
fruit and pumpkin seeds.
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Triple the amount of iron your body can absorb, by eating something high
in vitamin C or drinking a glass of orange juice with a meal containing
iron-rich foods.
Muscle building protein
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We need 8 different types of amino acid – the building blocks of
protein. Most veggie sources don’t include all eight but don’t
worry - your body keeps a pool of the amino acids it needs. So just eat
a variety different high protein food through the week.
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Good protein sources are pulses (beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas)
nuts, seeds, grains, Soya (eg tofu, soya mince), dairy products and eggs.
Vitamintastic
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Vitamin A . For healthy skin, growth of bones, resistance to infection
and night vision. Found in carrots, spinach, peppers, butter, margarine,
watercress, dried apricots, full-fat dairy products.
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Vitamin B12. For red blood cell formation, growth, and a healthy nervous
system. Found in eggs, dairy products and fortified plant foods including
soya milks, breakfast cereals, veggie burger mixes, yeast extracts and
herbal soft drinks.
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Vitamin D. For the absorption of calcium and phosphate and healthy bones
and teeth. Found in dairy products and margarine. Also produced by the
action of sunlight on the skin.
Freshen up your ingredients
Freshen up your table and try out some different ingredients.
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Avocado and artichokes – dive into new fruit and veg. Avocado is
great mashed with chips, used in veggie sushi or made into guacamole.
Artichokes are fab on pizzas, in risottos and tossed into salads.
• Tofu - As well as having a high protein content, tofu also contains
calcium, iron, and vitamins B1, B2 and B3. Tofu can be marinated, stir-fried,
deep-fried, sautéed, cubed and oven roasted with herbs. Once cooked
and flavoured it can be added to salads or casseroles.
• Spinach - fresh, tinned or frozen its all good stuff. A good
source of iron. Throw it into curries, salads or pasta dishes
• Veggie Worcestershire sauce – great for stews, stir fries
and sauces. Fancy a Bloody Mary without the anchovies? Then use a veggie
Worcestershire sauce.
• Lentils – a cheap tasty ingredient, ignore the past jibes
lentils have suffered and use in dhal, puy lentils in salads, green lentils
in lasagna and soups.
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Veggie mince – Veggie alternatives to mince, sausages and burgers
are well established in the market place, and are usually made from tofu,
soya, pea or wheat protein or mycoprotein. Use in a traditional shepherds
pie, chilli or BBQ.
• Chickpeas – Tinned varieties are convenient and quick.
They soak up herbs and spices beautifully – making a speedy nutritious
curry or main ingredient in houmous with lemon and garlic.
• Herbs and spices - stock up your cupboard with lovely herbs
and spices - cumin, pepper, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, basil and sage
will all add another dimension to your cooking. Fresh dill in paella,
smoked paprika in pasta sauce, bays leaves in stews, artichokes in oil
with garlic on pasta, marinated tofu with lemongrass and chilli in a
stir-fry, rosemary with chickpea stew and squash with chilli.
Veggie vitals – everyone
loves a number
•
People love veggie food – in the UK there are around 1.2 million
vegetarians (around 2 %) but there are a further 7% who eat veggie food
most of the time.
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Going veggie is an intelligent choice. Veggies have been shown to have
higher IQs than non-veggies. A recent study showed that young people
who made the decision to go veggie went on to have higher intelligence
ratings.
• 18% of world global greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock
production, whereas 13.5% comes from transport.
• Tropical forests are destroyed daily to create more land to
raise livestock and grow grain for animal feed. Livestock production
is responsible for 70% of Amazonian deforestation.
• Did you know that cows can live to the ripe old age of 25 years,
lambs would still be leisurely eating the grass at 15 years and hens
have a natural lifespan of 7 years.
• A Mrs J Brotherton wrote the first cookery book devoted to vegetarian
recipes in 1812.• It has been calculated that someone living on
a vegetarian diet in the UK requires less than half the area of land
to grow their food
than someone following a conventional diet.
Recipes for all
Enjoying delicious food is one life’s simple pleasures. The Vegetarian
Society press office has lots of tried and tested recipes available – from
gourmet to seasonal - and free high quality images. Just give us a call.
Picnic and BBQ pleasures – grab your bag, a blanket and head for
the park or beach. Sharing a picnic or a barbecue with friends is a fun
way to spend an afternoon.
Recipes - warm avocado salad with roasted red pepper dressing, spiced
sweet potato slices, potato salad with chopped mint and lemon balm, tofu
kebabs with mustard mayonnaise dressing, marinated halloumi cheese skewers
with mediterranean vegetables.
(Images available now)
