Do You Have What it Takes to go Vegetarian for a Week?

October 3^rd - 7^th, 2011 is World Vegetarian Week.  Are you up for the challenge?  Do you have what it takes to go Vegetarian for ONE WEEK??  Consuming a Vegetarian diet can be very beneficial to your health and to the environment.  Diets consisting of primarily plant based foods can lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and cancer while also preserving our planets natural resources.  Your choice to go Vegetarian can help to save water and fossil fuels that are required for the production of meat products.   Vegetarianism is defined as consuming a diet of mainly plant based foods.  Although, this is a very broad definition, there are many different types of Vegetarians that can range from eating no animal products at all to eating fish or poultry occasionally.  The most common types of Vegetarians are listed below; these types differ in the amount or types of animal products they consume.

·         Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian:  Does not eat meat, fish or poultry but does consume dairy products and eggs.

·         Lacto-Vegetarian:  Does not eat meat, fish, poultry, or eggs but does consume milk, cheese and other dairy products

·         Pesco-Vegetarians:  Vegetarians that include fish in their diet, but not meat or poultry

·         Vegan:  This is the most restrictive Vegetarian diet.  Followers of this diet do not eat any type of animal product or by-product.  Some even eliminate honey from their diets.

As you can tell from this list, the choice to go Vegetarian can greatly vary in the diet restrictions you place upon yourself.   When choosing to go Vegetarian, you should choose the type that works best with your lifestyle and food preferences.  It’s important to know that choosing to go Vegetarian does come with challenges.  Depending on how restrictive you choose to make your diet, it may be a challenge to find menu items at restaurants that fit your Vegetarian diet.  Yes, while most restaurants will always have salads, let’s face it, who wants to eat a boring side salad every meal??  Family events, potluck dinners, birthday parties and even tailgating can be a challenge for your Vegetarian diet.   There may not always be a good Vegetarian option available.  Solutions to this issue may include bringing your own Vegetarian dish to events such as potlucks, family gatherings or tailgating.  As for birthday parties, you may want to eat before or after you go because we all know that hotdogs and hamburgers top the list for party foods!  If you choose to go Vegetarian, you will experience your own set of challenges and develop your own ways of dealing with them.  Like many things, there is not a cure all solution to every challenge.  Along with physical challenges, there is also the nutritional challenge of meeting your daily requirements of nutrients such as protein, iron, calcium and Vitamin D.  Listed below are ways that you can include these nutrients into your diet without consuming meat.

·         Protein:  plant based foods high in protein include:  tofu, beans, nuts, seeds and soy milk.  The following foods provide approximately the same amount of protein as does 1oz of meat (7g of protein):

                -¼ cup cottage cheese                                   -1 cup soy or regular milk

-1 oz cheese                                                       -1/3 cup mixed nuts

-1 egg                                                                    -2 tbsp. peanut butter

-½ cup legumes, cooked                                               -¼ cup soy beans

-¼ cup tofu                                                         -¾ cup yogurt

·         Calcium:  Calcium is commonly provided by dairy foods in your diet but you can also find calcium in dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, legumes, tofu with calcium, dried figs, sunflower seeds, and calcium fortified cereals and juice.  The following foods provide the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk:

                -1 cup calcium fortified soy milk

                -1 2/3 cup sunflower seeds

                -1 cup collards, cooked

                -3 cups cooked dried beans

                -1 cup almonds

·         Iron:  Iron deficiency can occur in both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.  Remember that plant sources of iron are absorbed better when consumed with food rich in Vitamin C.  High Iron foods include:

                -Dark green vegetables

                -Dried fruits

                -Prune juice

                -Pumpkin Seeds

                -Soy nuts

                -Iron fortified breads and cereals

·         Vitamin D:  Vitamin D comes from both dairy sources and direct sunlight so if you are restricting dairy intake along with sunlight restriction, you should supplement with Vitamin D.  The following foods contain Vitamin D:

                -Cow’s milk

                -Soy milk

                -Rice milk

                -Nut milk (such as almond)

So, now that you know all about Vegetarianism and have weighed both the challenges and benefits, why not challenge yourself and see if you have what it takes to be Vegetarian for a week??  ECU Campus Dining is challenging you to go Vegetarian for World Vegetarian Week and let us know all about your experience.  You can experience it personally or follow the daily challenges and successes of some fellow pirates who take this challenge.  This challenge begins Monday, October 3^rd and ends Friday, October 7^th.  Follow this challenge at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ECUCampusDining.

 Good Luck!