I'm a Partial Vegetarian....and Had No Idea!

Do you know what your eating style is? I knew I didn't eat red meat, but I never knew there was a name for it. I've heard of vegetarian, vegan, carnivore, etc, but didn't realize there were more. Vegan, Lacto-ovo vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, partial vegetarian, and flexitarian are all terms for different eating styles. According to a recent article I read, flexitarian is the newest of these styles.


What's a Vegan?

• Only eat plant based food
• Avoid all food that's made from animals
• Includes avoiding: meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, honey

Eating vegan doesn't have to be hard, or taste bad. You may already eat some vegan items and not even realize it. For breakfast you could eat oatmeal, a bagel, or a fruit smoothie. For a snack try popcorn, sunflower seeds, or fresh fruit. What about lunch/dinner? Try a bean burrito, pasta with tomato sauce, veggie stir fry, or a baked potato.

Interested in finding a vegan friendly restaurant near you? Look  H E R E!!  It'll let you search for vegan restaurants all over the world.

Food, clothing, cosmetics, etc. that are Certified Vegan can carry this label. Find out more about veganism  H E R E!!

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What's a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian?

• Consume no meat, poultry, or fish
• Will eat eggs and dairy products
• According to Wikipedia, it's the most common type of vegetarianism in the Western world
• Nearly 2 million people in the US have this eating style

Examples of food you can eat: fresh fruits, brown rice, yogurt, tomato soup, whole grain rolls with butter, baked apples, collard greens, baked macaroni & cheese, pudding, veggie stuffed peppers, spinach salad, or tacos with avocado, rice, salsa, cheese, etc.

Here's  a blog on this eating style.

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What's a Lacto-Vegetarian?

• Avoids all mean, poultry, eggs and fish
• Will eat all dairy products except yogurt that contains gelatin

Here's  a blog by a lacto-vegetarian.

Examples of food to eat: egg free pasta, potatoes, soy, beans, barley, cous cous, fresh fruits, nuts, chickpeas, fruit juices, kale, tahini, whole grain cereals

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What's an Ovo-Vegetarian?

• Avoids meat, poultry, fish, and dairy
• Will eat eggs and honey
• Gelatin (made from animal bones, hooves, and tissue), rennet (can be made from stomach lining of lambs/calf's), and carmine (cochineal, or natural red 4 is a dye made from insects) are avoided

Learn more info, food substitutions, and nutritional info H E R E!!

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What's a Partial (Semi) Vegetarian?

• Avoids red meat
• May eat fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs
• No soy or gluten alternatives needed

Check out the blog of a Partial Veg  H E R E!!

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What's a Flexitarian?

• Has a flexible attitude towards food
• Eats mostly a vegetarian diet
• Includes occasional meat or fish
• About 3% of Americans are TRUE vegetarians, so if you flip flop this is you
• Called meat eating vegetarians by the Associated Press  H E R E!!
• What WebMD has to say  H E R E!!

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What's a Pesco-Vegetarian?

• Avoids all meat and poultry, except fish

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L I N K S!!

10 tips for healthy vegetarian eating

Dietary guidelines from the USDA

Build healthy eating patterns

Vegetarian resources for getting enough nutrients

Home delivery of meals made for specific eating preferences

Veg friendly recipes and info

A "Partial Vegan" blog

Learn some cultural history of vegetarianism

Blog on healthy veg lifestyle

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Do you know what a vegetarian looks like? How about a lacto-ovo veg or vegan?

Pamela Anderson- Actress & vegetarian

Leona Lewis- Singer & vegetarian

Bob Barker- Former Game Show Host & vegetarian



Albert Einstein- Vegetarian & Scientist



Edwin Moses- Vegan & Olympic gold medal holder

Andreas Cahling- Lacto Vegetarian & International body builder



Mahatma Ghandi- Revolutionist Leader & vegetarian



Forest Whitaker- Actor & vegetarian

Matisyahu- Reggae Musician & vegan

Bill Clinton- Former US President & vegan

Steve O- TV Personality & vegan

The list could go on and on. I know you've heard you can't judge a book by its cover. This applies to people and their eating styles too!! Try something new, you never know, you may like it. I personally think it would be extremely hard to be a strict vegetarian or vegan. It was hard for me to stick to my no red meat rule. I don't think I'll ever be 100% meatless, but generally speaking I don't eat much meat. When I do, it's usually ground turkey breast, and maybe chicken or seafood. Steak, burgers, and bacon are greatly missed by me!! After not eating specifically beef for so many years I'd be scared to try it for fear of how my body would react to it. My dinner plate definitely isn't empty and neither is my stomach! I've discovered tons of ways to satisfy myself when it comes to foods and different tastes that I have.

Continue to follow my blog and you'll find out how! ^_~"

Which eating style do you have? Leave a comment and let me know!

To Buy or Not to Buy Organic

To buy or not to buy organic--that can be a hard question to answer. One of the first things I notice when I'm looking at organic and non organic produce is the price difference. Cost of food is a factor when it comes to grocery shopping, and can be a deal breaker. I prefer fresh produce over canned, and frozen over canned. Obviously fresh is healthier than both, but organic is even better. I don't buy everything organic, but there are certain things I seek out to be organic for a number of reasons. With all the labels on the shelves it can be tricky when it comes to narrowing down what you'll buy. Just because a label says "organic" doesn't mean it's a better product. There are some key words to look out for.

What does Organic actually mean?

If something is labeled as "organic" it means that there are at least 95% organic ingredients. The remaining amount must be ingredients from a National Organic Program (N P O) approved list. When the requirements are met the product can carry an U S D A Organic Seal.


This label can be green (above) or black. For more detailed information check H E R E !!

There's nothing necessarily "wrong" with products that say things such as:

• free range
• natural
• hormone free

BUT these descriptions do not make the item organic! Don't be tricked into paying more just for these labels. Items that this seal may be found on include: fruits, vegetables, milk and eggs.

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There are a few other things that you should keep in mind while deciding on "organic" products to buy. Organic labels don't have to apply solely to food. Cosmetic products, for example, can also be organic and have these labels too. Some labels you may see include:

• Made with organic ingredients
• 100% organic
• U S D A organic
• N S F
• National Products Association (N P A)

Labels & Meanings:

 

A minimum of 70% of the product must contain organic ingredients. This does N O T qualify the item to carry the U S D A Organic seal.



U S D A 100% organic S E A L: 100% of the ingredients are organic. No synthetic ingredients were used in the production, contains no toxic or persistent pesticides. Water and salt are not included.


U S D A organic

The product contains 95% organic ingredients. It also must be free from toxins, persistent pesticides, heavy metals, irradiation, and G M O's



Must contain at least 70% organic materials




N P A is a U S D A created program.

 Some requirements of the N P A are:

• Product must be made primarily of ingredients from a renewable source found in nature
• Must be "generally recognized as safe" by the F D A
• Can't contain any petroleum compounds
• Include biodegradable ingredients and be packaged in environment friendly way
• Small amounts of synthetic ingredients are allowed, B U T they can't pose any human health risks and must not have a natural alternative available
• No animal testing is allowed

On the N P A site (link above) you can find info on specific products. You can even do a location check to see where to shop near you!



G M O labeling isn't mandatory. Honestly a lot of produce that's found in stores genetically modified (G M O). There are a number of organizations that support the labeling of G M O foods, and/or the removal of them. You can find out about one non profit organization and more on genetically modified organisms H E R E !!



If interested in finding out more on the guidelines, ingredients, etc. of cosmetics check H E R E !!



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According to the Environmental Working Group (E W G) there are fruits/vegetables that should be bought organic whenever possible, because of pesticide residues. Different factors can make an item contain more chemicals than others. The thickness of its skin, and the location of the food (tree, grass, dirt) grows are examples of factors.

" The Dirty Dozen "

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Imported Nectarines
6. Imported Grapes
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Potatoes
9. Domestic Blueberries
10. Lettuce
11. Kale
12. Collard Greens

" The Clean 15 "

1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7. Mango
8. Eggplant
9. Domestic Cantaloupe
10. Kiwi Fruit
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

How many of these do you eat regularly? Are you big on fruits and vegetables in the first place?

You can find more information on these lists, and a helpful shopper's guide H E R E !!

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At the end of the day you'll have to weigh your options and decide what's best for you. Availability of organics in your area may decide for you. Budgets for food may be another decision maker, or mobility may be another.

Tips on buying organic:

• Look for specials such as "two-fors" at grocery stores
• Clip coupons from newspapers/magazines
• Visit manufacturer websites for email lists and coupons
• Support local farmers and vendors
• Check out Local Harvest to find places near you
• Visit Farmers Markets. Many operate most of the year

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Does any of this information affect how you'll shop in the future? Were you an organic shopper to begin with? Share, I'd like to know!!

Don't forget to subscribe via email in the box at the very top!! Thanks ^_~"

Broccoli Soup

The "recipe" I have for this soup has to be the most bootleg one in my possession. It's written on a random page in a notebook, and I can't even remember where I found it at originally. The recipe for broccoli soup simply reads:

"Equal Parts of:

Flour

Chicken Broth

Water"

Yes, that is it. There were no instructions on what to do with those equal parts, no times, or temperatures given. That is all that the entire page said so, I free styled this one. Last winter was the first time I can remember having broccoli soup. It was so good and I fell in love with it. Don't ask me why I've never had it before, but I've been missing out! Besides the obvious broccoli, I knew there was cheese involved, and both were absent from the recipe list of equal parts.

Broccoli is one of my favorite veggies! Many people have to be bribed, or tricked into eating this green vegetable. There are a few recipes I can think of off the top of my head that use broccoli as the main ingredient. I love it, so you'll be seeing more of it. Your whole life you've probably heard how healthy and good for your body broccoli was, but weren't convinced. Well it's true and it doesn't have to taste bad!!

Did you know...

~1 cup of broccoli can have as much protein as 1 cup of rice or corn, but with HALF as many calories

Broccoli is full of many vitamins and nutrients such as:

• Potassium- promotes regular muscle growth and brain function
• Magnesium & Calcium- helps regulate blood pressure and for bone health
• Vitamin C, Zinc, & Beta-carotene- helps skin repair and strengthens immune function
• Fiber- maintains low blood sugar and helps with digestion
• Vitamin A- good for structures of the eyes as you mature

The list of benefits can go on and on. One key to making sure these nutrients stay in the vegetable is to not over cook it! For example, if you boil vegetables until they're limp and colorless all of the vitamins have been pulled into the water. This leaves it tasteless and nearly void of nutrients.




Soup!!!!


Using my large trusty measuring cup (holds up to 4 cups) I poured 4 cups of water in a large pot to boil. I chose four, because I had enough bouillon cubes left to make 4 cups of chicken stock! I followed the instructions to make the chicken bouillon, reduced heat to medium, added equal parts of flour (4 cups) and stirred.

Since this was a huge amount of dry ingredients being quickly added to wet, it became very chunky. To fix this, I added the 4 cups of water (equal parts) and continued to stir. The mixture was still thick, so I tossed the spoon, upped the temperature, grabbed my potato masher, and added a little more water. Yes, it was that thick! Next time I make this soup I'll mix all of the wet ingredients before adding the flour. I think this will help prevent any chunks.

After seeing the chunky base, I started having second thoughts on this equal parts recipe. I didn't want to waste my good cheese and broccoli if it was going to be thrown away. My stomach suddenly spoke up--So I continued on! To make this soup quickly I used frozen broccoli spears. If you can picture what the small squares of frozen veggies look like--the bag of frozen broccoli I used was a little bigger than that. Just slightly thawed, I cut the spears into bite sized pieces, tossed 'em in, and occasionally stirred. When the ingredients started to come together I added a small bag of monterrey cheddar cheese.

I was still giving this concoction the side eye and worried it would be bland. I didn't know about this flour, water, and cheese biz, so I sprinkled in enough ground pepper to cover the top of the soup. This probably equates to 1 tablespoon, roughly. Once, all of the ingredients were in the pot I kept stirring to make sure everything was mixed well. To melt the cheese and cook the broccoli I put a lid on the pot, and let it simmer. Every few minutes I'd check on it, stir all sides, and walk away.

After about 10 minutes of simmering, the broccoli soup was finally looking like the soup that inspired this adventure! Taste testing every couple minutes let me know when the soup was done. I didn't want the broccoli to be too tender, so I let that guide me too  ^_^  Ladled into a bowl, this broccoli soup was very much enjoyed.

This recipe can be easily modified to meet many needs. I thought of this AFTER I wanted to share it with a friend, and then remembered I used the chicken base, and they're of the meatless persuasion!

Possible Mods:

1. Use a vegetable or beef stock instead of chicken
2. Want more soup? Use less broccoli
3. Want more veggies? Use bigger bags/bunches of broccoli
4. Like it spicy? Try pepper jack instead of cheddar
5. Want it healthier? Try whole wheat, or gluten free flour
6. Need smaller quantity? Try using 2 cups equal parts instead of 4
7. Need larger quantity? Try doubling the equal parts to 8 cups

Are there any other ways to modify the recipe? Comment below!! Try it out and let me know how it goes. Once I got through a few kinks at the beginning it was smooth sailing. I'll definitely be making this broccoli soup again!!