Meat Alternatives On A Vegetarian Diet.

Most meat alternatives today are made from soy protein. They can come in many forms. Fresh, frozen, or canned. Even regular grocery stores sell some meat alternatives.

You can get "dogs","sausages", and even some products claiming to be like a certain flavour, such as "bacon".

Being mostly from soy, these alternatives should provide plenty of protein for a vegetarian diet.
Tofu and Tempeh are also claimed to be meat alternatives, although I think they are in their own category.

There are many ways to prepare Tofu and Tempeh. Fried in slices you can put them on a bun with salad or chop the Tofu or Tempeh into cubes and make a curry.

A great Tempeh recipe from "The Book of Tempeh"by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi is Keripik Tempeh or Tempeh Chips.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1/2 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt (optional)
1/2 candlenut (optional)
1/8 teaspoon of fresh or powdered tumeric (optional)
1/2 cup of coconut milk or water
1/4 cup of rice flour
2 Tablespoons of wheat flour
1 cup of oil for deep frying
31/2 ounces (100 grams) Tempeh, cut into 1/8 in thick slices, then into any of the following shapes; 4 inch squares, 21/2 inch triangles, or 3x6 inch rectangles.
Method
Combine first three (or five) ingredients in a mortar (or blender) and grind until smooth. Add coconut milk and both flours, mixing until smooth. Heat oil to 400 F (210 C) in a wok, deep-fryer, or skillet. Dip Tempeh slices into batter then slide them into the oil and deep-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown.

Other great recipes about a vegetarian diet and becoming a vegetarian can be found on the Internet.

People's Perception Of A Vegetarian Diet.

I find it quite interesting to observe people's reaction when at a party or where ever, you mention you are a vegetarian.

You will always get the one about eating rabbit food, and of course there is someone who will come out with "How can you live without a burger?"

My response is that in 52 years I have never eaten a certain burger, which I won't mention the name, but will say it starts with m, and I have no desire to do so at anytime.

For me there is nothing to miss. A proper balanced diet consist of fresh fruit and vegetables anyway. Protein for vegetarians can be boosted by combining different foods, such as Tofu and rice, or many other combinations.

Of course the rabbit food is a good one, because I am sure that rabbits in their natural habitat would probably have a varied diet. Such as herbs and roots and green leafy plants.

So it is up to us to educate those around us as to the benefits of becoming a vegetarian.

Children And Vegetarian Diet.

Almost 25 years ago, when our first child was born, bringing up children on a vegetarian diet was still fairly unusual.But unlike ourselves when we became vegetarian,we did know a few couples who were bringing up their children as vegetarians, which made it easier for us.

For the first couple of years of any child it is fairly easy as all of our children were breastfed. As you know if mum is eating right, breast milk has everything a baby needs.

Once our children started on solid foods they had no problem devouring fruit. Although you have to watch their intake of citrus, as it can affect their teeth, similar to too much sugar.

When our eldest child was small the number of treats available in shops was very limited. Chips, or crisps were really all there was. Now you can buy chocolate and ice cream without dairy and candy type lollies without gelatin.

It is interesting that because our eldest was brought up with only home-made treats, even though he is an adult, he does not indulge in sweets or chocolate.

With all of the commercial choices available today your child will not feel left out when going to a party of a non vegetarian. If you have a word to other parents they may even supply a choice of vegetarian treats once they are aware of the choices.

If you want your child to become a vegetarian, with the choices of different foods and treats they can feel a part of any crowd.

Wild Weather And Steamed Orange Pudding.

Well it has been a day of high winds and dust storms across most of the east coast of Australia today. Visibility has been cut to about 300 meters or less in some parts of the country. Lots of inland soil now heading east to New Zealand.

I would like to share with you a great cool weather pudding recipe today. With the dust and wind the temperature has dropped quite a bit.

Steamed Orange Pudding

125g margarine (vegan)
125g sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
soymilk to mix

Beat the margarine and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the rind, then add some flour and mix gently. Adding soymilk if necessary to achieve a smooth, thick batter consistency. Oil a one litre pudding basin and spoon pudding into this.
Place the basin in a large pot of boiling water that reaches 1/2 way up the basin. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot with a lid and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. Serve by upending on a plate.

Recipe courtesy of Sue Belfitt from "Cake Vegan Cake Of Course"

If you are looking to become a vegetarian there are many great recipe books available online or at your local bookstore.

Health Benefits Of Becoming a Vegetarian.

There are many health benefits of becoming a vegetarian. Some of these are low cholesterol and minor intake of fats therefore reducing the incidents of obesity.
Apparently about 300,000 Americans die each year from obesity-related diseases*.

The immune system of vegetarians is also stronger. Since I have been a vegetarian I have had a cold maybe ten times in the last 30 years. The only major illness I have had was a viral sickness from mosquitoes. But within a few months I was back to normal. We were renovating a house and building another at the time so there was no time to stop and let the illness take over.I have heard of others taking anywhere up to 18 months to recover from the same illness.

The same goes for our children.They were all brought up vegetarian. We have three sons.When they were in pre-school and later at school other children would get colds a lot, but our children hardly ever came down with a cold. Some of the other children suffered from large intakes of cow's milk which seemed to exacerbate the cold.
Another illness vegetarians avoid is food-borne illnesses such as salmonella from contanimated meat.

If you become a vegetarian and eat a balanced diet you can be healthier and lead a more active lifestyle.

*Vegetarian Cooking Made Easy by Jennifer Scott PAGE 5 Introduction.

Persuasive Recipes To Become a Vegetarian.

Today I would like to share some recipes from our "How To Make Tofu In The Home Kitchen" ebook.

The book is only available in digital form.

MACADAMIA DATE PIE

• 2 cups chopped dates
• 500 grams soft tofu
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 cup macadamia nut butter*
• 1 prepared pie crust

Blend tofu with vanilla, and then add dates slowly, allowing time for them to blend well. Then add nut butter. Pour into prepared piecrust and refrigerate for a few hours to set. Garnish with fresh fruit.

* Other nut butters, such as almond or cashew would be suitable.

TOFU AND FRIUT CRÈME PIE

• 500 grams soft tofu
• 2 or 3 ripe bananas (small)
• 1 punnet of ripe strawberries
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• prepared base

Blend the tofu with the bananas, lemon juice, half the strawberries and half the mango. If it is too thick add some soy “milk” or coconut cream until you end up with a thick creamy mixture. On a prepared base put the rest of the strawberries, sliced, and the mango. Cover with the tofu crème mix and smooth over the top with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Use fruit available in your area.

If you want to become a vegetarian there are many delicious recipes to be found on the Internet.

Remeniscence of Becoming a Vegetarian.

First I have to apologize for the delay in posting, but as usual my excuse is computer related. The operating system decided not to work and I had to reinstall windows, which for some reason took several days. The joys of computers.

Anyway I was going to travel back in time to 30 years ago when I first became a vegetarian.
Things have changed a lot since then, mainly with the Internet. Information is now easier to come by. All you have to do to find out about different vitamins or certain foods is do a Google search or join a forum on the topic of interest.

Thirty years ago, or even ten years ago, I never even had a computer. When it came to gathering information it was books in libraries or other vegetarians.

The first vegetarians we met was in 1979. They have made a lasting impression on us, not only by their knowledge, but by showing us how to make Tofu and Tempeh, which we still make today. There is nothing like fresh Tofu and Tempeh.
Cyril and Ellie also taught us a lot about gardening and vegetable growing.

In 1982 we met a family running a restaurant in country Victoria.
From Murray and Dianne we learnt a lot about cooking and about bringing up children on a vegetarian diet. Later on about 1988 we helped Murray in the restaurant for a while and used to supply him with Tofu in exchange for his vegetable scraps which went into our compost bin. One of the quickest ways to gather information on how to become a vegetarian is by finding someone to mentor you and help you along the way.

B12 A Major Concern When You Become a Vegetarian?

Vitamin B12 is probably one of the most discussed among vegetarians and vegans today.

There are a couple of different opinions on sources of B12. A lot doctors and nutritionists say that B12 can only be obtained from animal products.

Others believe that certain fortified products, such as some soymilks, will give you enough B12.There is another line of thought.

That is, the human intestine can produce vitamin B12. I tend to belong to this group as I only take B12 supplements maybe 14 days of the year. I have been doing this for 30 years and have no side affects that I am aware of.

I will qualify that statement though. Many years ago I suffered from Ross River virus and Barmara Forest virus which affect the muscles. The quick fix was a multivitamin supplement along with Omega 3. Within a couple of days I could move about again.

What I didn't realize though was my body used up almost all of its B12 reserves fighting the virus. Because of this my levels were dangerously low and I had to have injections of B12.

That was over 10 years ago now and everything has been fine since.

If you want to become a vegetarian do some research first. There are many resources on the Internet.

Five Key Reasons To Become a Vegetarian.

Really there are many reasons why someone would become a vegetarian, but I think there are five key reasons.

They are – Ethical, Spiritual, Financial Cost, Health, and Environmental.

Even though one may decide to become a vegetarian because of a primary reason, given time you may find that all of the above will apply to you.

For example, when I first became a vegetarian more than 30 years ago it was simply because I could not afford to buy meat. But as I met other vegetarians and learnt more about unethical farming practices and the mistreatment of animals my reasons changed or even evolved.

Which brings me to the ethical reasons to become a vegetarian? Most people love animals. We love and care for our pets and treat them with respect. Why should it be any different for other animals, such as cows or pigs or sheep? We should respect all living creatures.

On the spiritual side there are many arguments that God did not want us to eat flesh but to survive on a plant-based diet (Genesis). Also killing is an act of violence and for me part of being a vegetarian is practicing non-violence.

As I said before I became a vegetarian because of the cost. What we are not told is the hidden costs to produce meat. These include the subsidies paid to farmers, the high cost of fuel and water. One set of figures I have seen states that it takes 390 gallons (about 1800 litres) of water to produce a pound (about 450grams) of beef.

There have been many studies done that show if you follow a vegetarian diet you can lower your risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure, and will have low or no intake of cholesterol. Other benefits include better digestion and lower weight. What this means in the long run is that because you are healthier and at an optimum weight you save money on health care.

Something that is just starting to become more widely known is the damage raising animals and certain farming practices is having on the environment. Almost every country on the planet has been subject to massive land clearing to raise animals. This has lead to salination and shortages of water. Here in Australia we have been in drought for many years. The town I live in is suffering from water shortages to the point where our dams are only holding 10% of their capacity.

These are just some of the reasons why you would become a vegetarian. As the saying goes “It is never too late”. Try it for a week and see how you feel.