I’ve heard that ‘real’ cheese is addictive, and I believe it. I think it’s the casein.

One of the hardest things for me to give up when I went vegan was parmesan cheese. I was used to eating it on just about everything.

Eventually, long after the parmesan addiction had lost its grip, I found a substitute, made with ground walnuts, lemon juice and nutritional yeast, among other things. I found the recipe in Bryanna Clark Grogan’s World Vegan Feast cookbook.

Now there’s a woman who understands that ‘real’ cheese is addictive! And how vegans suffer without it. Bryanna has no less than 11 vegan cheese recipes in World Vegan Feast alone, and possibly more in her many cookbooks put together.

Bryanna and other cookbook authors and food manufacturers have made valiant efforts to bridge the gap between ‘real’ and vegan cheese, with varying success.

I’ve tried a few brands of packaged commercial cheese substitutes. Mostly, they’ve convinced me that the phrase ‘vegan cheese’ is an oxymoron.

Some, called veggie slices or other names suggesting they are non-dairy, have casein from cows milk as an ingredient – so they melt well. That taught me to always read labels! It also taught me that the main problem with vegan cheeses is that they don’t melt easily. Never mind if they say they do. That’s just hype.

Commercial vegan cheeses also taste nothing like ‘real’ cheese, to me. That’s not necessarily a flaw, but it’s not what my taste buds expect. Plus, they are often strangely colored, especially the orange ones which claim to be cheddar flavor. Same goes for so-called ‘real’ cheddar cheese, come to think of it!

To my dismay, the cheese alternatives are often VERY expensive - 8 slices which probably cost 50 cents to make go for $3 – $4 in the grocery store. And each slice is wrapped in plastic which is tedious to remove, and has to go in the garbage and live in a landfill for a thousand years or something. Tsk. But it’s the same with ‘real’ cheese slices of course.

The best brand of vegan cheese I’ve found so far is Follow Your Heart. I’ve only tried the Mozzarella style, $4.26 for 10 oz at Earth Origins in Palm Harbor FL. That seemed like a decent price to me, maybe $1 more than the same amount of dairy Mozzarella.

I sliced my Follow Your Heart Mozzarella cheese alternative thin (1/8th inch) for grilled cheese sandwiches (my favorite comfort food). The cheese melted in the middle, and got quite runny, oozing out the long middle cut when I sliced the sandwich. The cheese at the outside edges remained stubbonly firm, and wanted to break apart and fall out when I cut the sandwich.

The taste of FYH Mozzarella straight from the package was bland, like dairy Mozzarella, but otherwise didn’t taste very cheesey to me. I thought a touch of lemon would’ve helped give it that slight cheesey tang of Mozzarella. Still, it had a decent texture, and my grilled cheese sandwich was more than edible.

Now, of course I don’t expect you all to give up buying those vegan cheeses - which hopefully will improve. After all, 10 years ago, they didn’t exist. And I certainly can’t fault anyone for wanting the cheesey taste.

But I must say that I’ve had more success making my own vegan cheese using the Suisse Melty Cheese recipe from World Vegan Feast. It was easy and cheap to make, with no soy or gluten, stored well and firmed up nicely in the fridge, and made a quite satisfactory grilled cheese sandwich. Next time I make it I’ll try leaving out the 2 Tbsp water to make a firmer cheese.

I’ve made the Walnut Parm from the same cookbook, and I look forward to trying the Vegan Gruyere, made with agar and other seaweed thickener so the cheese will melt properly. I’ve often used Vegan Cheese Sauce inspired by the sauce in the vegan fettucine alfredo recipe in Jolinda Hackett’s Everything Vegan Cookbook.

Making my own vegan cheese has shown me that even if cheese alternatives don’t taste quite the same as ‘real’ cheese, they can still be deliciously cheesey tasting and melty.

If cheeses like the ones I’ve made were commercially available, they’d be more expensive to make and priced a lot higher. I’m not sure that I’d pay the price, although as things stand, I hesitate to buy a cheese alternative at any price!

But maybe people who don’t have time or inclination to make their own vegan cheese would pay for the improved taste and meltability. Would you buy vegan cheese if it wasn’t an oxymoron?

Enthusiastic convert to healthy plant based diet unintentionally loses weight along with the meat, and wants to know how to keep his weight up and eat healthy too.

Hello Savvy Vegetarian,

I recently started changing my diet. I am juicing fruits and veggies and cutting out meat. I feel GREAT! I am very excited about my new, far healthier diet.

The only problem is that I am losing weight. While this is generally considered a “good” thing, I’m not overweight and I would like to maintain the size I am.

Do you have any advice regarding good calories and how I can keep the weight on in a healthy way?

Thanks so much!! ~Max R.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Max,

Most people I’ve heard from consider weight loss the #1 benefit to a veg diet. But I have heard from a few like you who are alarmed by the weight loss.

From my own experience, I know that vegetarian or vegan diets are no quarantee of weight loss. It’s just that many new veggies naturally embrace low calorie foods like salads and smoothies with enthusiasm – they are fabulous! – but tend to neglect carbs and high fat foods, so they take in fewer calories.

That’s ok if you want to lose weight, but to maintain a healthy weight, you need a balanced nutritious diet which includes plenty of fresh veggies and fruit, but also whole grains, beans & tofu, nuts & seeds, a reasonable amount of added fat – and enough total calories.

What’s a reasonable amount of fat?

According to the latest nutrition theories, you should consume 10 – 15% of your daily calorie intake as fat. On a 2000 calorie diet, then, 200 – 300 calores should come from fat. Ideally, most of that would be fat from foods.

Meat and other animal foods such as dairy are often high in fat, which is why omnivores usually have no problem maintaining or increasing their body weight. When you cut animal foods out of your diet, you need to eat some high fat foods to get enough fat in your diet – unless you WANT to lose weight!

Most plant foods have some fat - some just have more than others.

1 Tbsp of added fat in the form of unprocessed cold pressed oil such as olive oil, coconut oil etc has about 150 calories, plus essential fatty acids and a few other nutrients which your body needs – in tiny amounts. So it makes sense to get most of your fat from nutritious foods such as avocados, coconut milk, nuts & seeds, and whole soy foods like tofu or tempeh.

Consult the list of high fat foods in the advice post How to Gain Healthy Weight on a Vegetarian Diet. And consider other ways to boost your calorie intake enough to maintain a healthy weight.

Each meal should include both carbohydrate and protein rich food, plus a bit of fat in addition to the fruit and veg. Grains and legumes (beans & lentils) together are the healthy alternative to meat. Except for B12, they replace the nutrients in meat, but not most of the fat. So that’s where the high fat foods come in.

By the way, carbs are important foods, worthy of respect. Unless you’re (diabetic, you can get carbs from all forms of grains and high carb veggies. Whole grains especially have valuable nutrients not plentiful in other foods, plus they’re high in fiber, so they digest slowly and sustain your energy for several hours. If you’re not getting enough carbs in your diet, your body will burn fat for energy – which you don’t need.

Try tracking your calorie intake for a week, using a free service like nutritiondata.com. Adjust what you’re eating and the serving sizes to bring your calories up to a level that keeps your weight up.

Families are trimming their budgets, and two areas of spending that create a drain on finances are food and health care. The two fields seem unrelated, but could not be more connected.

One easy way to eat better, improve health and lower the high cost of food is to adopt a vegetarian or plant based diet.

A plant-based diet is very nutritious and heart healthy. Vegetarianism is perfectly safe for children, and getting them started on a healthful path early in life will help them to have a financially sound future.

Some people feel vegetarianism is only for the wealthy, so they follow the Standard American Diet that leads to a lifetime of health complications. With soaring healthcare costs, it is imperative for Americans to re-examine their diets.

It is easy to save money while eating a vegetarian diet and below are food options that are inexpensive and rich in nutrients and versatility, making them sound food investments.

While some vegetarian-specific items, such as soy hot dogs, can be costly, whole foods, which everyone should eat for good health, are not.

Legumes, for example, are common staples in vegetarian cooking. They are available for pennies per serving and can be used to cook a wide range of dishes from around the world.

Beans and lentils come in many varieties, and are packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, low in fat & cholesterol. Canned beans cost less than a dollar per cup cooked, and dry beans, even less.

In a spot check of a Safeway store on the west coast, a pound of 80% lean ground beef cost $2.99, on sale, while 1 lb of beans cost $1.99. 1 lb of the meat yields four servings, at 22.9 grams of protein per serving, but also packs in almost 15 grams of saturated fat. Meanwhile, that pound of dried beans can add up to eight one-cup servings, packing in 15.2 grams of protein per serving, and less than one gram of fat.

That means that you’re paying about twice as much for the protein in the hamburger meat than you are in the beans, while depriving yourself of dietary fiber, and increasing the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat in your diet. If you buy beans in bulk, the savings are as much as 4 times greater.

Every kitchen should stock pasta, rice, quinoa or other grains. They can be used in many kinds of dishes, and when kept in a cool, dry place, will keep for several months. Quinoa is a particularly good investment as it high in protein, and one cup cooked contains more calcium than 32 ounces of milk.

Tofu is an inexpensive, calcium-rich food. One 14 oz pkg of firm tofu has 4 – 6 servings, contains 40 – 50 g protein and costs $2 – $3. A single package of tofu, or even half a package, is plenty for most recipes.

Tofu can be used in place of meat, for stir-fries, sandwiches & burgers, salads, casseroles and pasta dishes. Sliken tofu varieties are good for smoothies, desserts and dairy food substitutes.

Frozen and canned fruits or vegetables are easy on the budget, store for long periods and are versatile. Frozen fruit can be used for smoothies and canned fruit is an easy snack or dessert. Frozen and canned vegetables are easily steamed or thrown into other dishes like soups.

For fresh produce, visit local farmers markets and roadside fruit stands. What costs $2.99 per pound in a grocery store can often be found for much less at a fruit stand or farmer’s market. It is not unusual to find organic produce in these stands, often for the same prices as traditionally grown items. If you can, grow your own veggies for a fraction of the cost in stores.

Beyond the price of food, healthy people don’t see the doctor as often. Office co-pays can really ding a household budget, and when we eat nutrient-dense foods, we see the doctor less because the body functions the way it should. This translates into more energy, which evolves into a more active lifestyle, will also stave off chronic diseases later in life.

When someone suffers chronic disease, such as diabetes and high cholesterol, in addition to seeing a doctor more frequently, she must then pay for prescriptions on a continued basis. Long-term use of prescriptions causes more problems than they treat, which creates a vicious cycle of doctor visits and prescription drugs.

If a person develops heart disease, in addition to the increased office visits and prescription drugs, a bypass surgery costs $60,000. It is more simple and cheap to take charge of one’s health by following a balanced, vegetarian diet, which has been proven to reverse symptoms of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Simply by moving toward a plant based diet, or adopting a vegetarian diet, you pay less money for better health. What a deal!

Author Bio: Kate Manning didn’t expect to find herself at the intersection of business, marketing, and the Internet, but with sound writing and editing skills, she makes the most of it with MBA Online.

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

First of all, thanks for creating the Savvy Vegetarian web site!

A little story about myself: I have struggled with weight issues most of my adult life. Recently I decided (educated myself) that there are tremendous flaws in the western diet.

When I first met my wife in college she was nearly a vegetarian, and used to have many militant vegan friends. These militants really turned me off about this style of eating. Their closed minded anger fueled rants about people and food had a tremendous negative effect on me.

Now I’m staring 40 in the face and have never been in worse shape and very overweight, bordering on obese. I have watched a couple of independent documentaries “Food Inc” and “Forks over Knives” as well as reading a few books on nutrition by doctors and scientists. They all come to the same conclusion; a whole foods plant based diet is the healthiest way for human beings to live.

So, I decided about a month ago to live as near a vegan diet as possible. No sugars, no white flour, no processed foods, no soda pop, no caffeine, no alcohol, no meat, and no dairy, no artificial dyes and flavorings. More whole grains and plant based foods minus all the bad stuff has already helped me to lose 10 pounds in the last month and a half. Internally I am feeling so much better.

I have already cooked several recipes from your web site and have enjoyed them very much. I am quickly winning my wife over, and even my 12- year old son, but am having a difficult time weaning my 7-year old son off of the sugar, and still have battles with him when it comes to eating my cooking.

Anyway thanks for making your vegetarian & vegan recipes available to those who want to make lifestyle changes in their eating habits. – Michael H.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Michael. You’re welcome. Thanks for your inspiring story! Three cheers for you!

I have a few comments about your sugar-addicted 7 year old reluctant vegan son.

Remember, a short while ago, before your conversion, that reluctant 7 year old was you! You didn’t want to know the truth until you were ready to figure it out for yourself. And he probably isn’t ready either.

Plus, it’s a lot to ask kids that age to make such major dietary changes, because their brains haven’t matured enough to follow the logic. Lecturing and forbidding just seems to make them dig in their heels.

So I suggest using the carrot instead of the stick approach, and weaning him gradually. First offer homemade treats that aren’t so full of sugar and other bad things, in exchange for his usual treats. If he’ll agree to that, check out Savvy Veg dessert recipes with him, or get a copy of the healthy dessert cookbook, Sweet Freedom. Get him involved in making the treats.

The only problem I can see with that idea is that you might be tempted to eat them! Or he might want to eat them all! So give some of the goodies to disgustingly skinny people you know. It’s the best revenge! Or a homeless shelter or something like that.

Then offer him rewards. E.G. My grandkids get a lot of candy given out to them at school (I know, it’s criminal!). My daughter has them put their candy in a quart jar, then when the jar is full, they get $5. Great motivator!

Give him a small glass of unsweetened fruit juice a day instead of pop. Real fruit juice in flavors he likes. Offer it as a reward for abstaining outside the home. It’s still sugary, but will satisfy his sweet tooth without all the horrible effects of all the bad things in pop. And it’s something special just for him. And of course, don’t buy pop or let him buy it. You have some control there.

Once he’s moved over that far from his present intractible position, it’ll be easier to nudge him along further toward eating your cooking. Try to make more kid friendly foods for him, and give him some healthy choices. Try my daughter’s weekly menu plan for kid friendly meals, and tips for getting your kids to eat more veggies.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury

Message for Savvy Vegetarian

Hi, i am a 15 year old pescetarian.

I originally wanted to become a vegetarian after doing an animal cruelty project in my school. But when I told my parents, they were against it.

After a long argument, they only allowed me to be a pescetarian, because i was a “growing boy”.

My friends have mocked me for “discrimminating” against fishes, and this has made me feel guilty. Furthermore, I volunteer at a local animal shelter, and I have to fix the dogs a meaty meal every time I go there. This duty is very uncomfortable for me.

So I ask, is my pescetarian diet actually right for me? Because I have already gone too far to back out of it now, and so I do not know what to do.

The consequences of my decisions are that I am now a great deal shorter than many of the other boys in my class. is there any advice you can offer me when it comes to getting protein in a pescetarian diet?

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this letter! L. Wolfe

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Hi L.

As far as protein, and nutrition in general is concerned,, you should eat a wide variety of veggies, fresh fruit, whole grains, beans & lentils, tofu, nuts & seeds, and being a growing boy, eat lots of all that so you get the vitamins and minerals you need. That’s in addition to fish, which has plenty of protein. I don’t know if you eat eggs and dairy, but if you do, continue for now.

Before you consider further dietary changes, read up on veg nutrition. I recommend the books, Becoming Vegan, or Becoming Vegetarian by Vesanto and Davis, long time veg dietitians. They have good info on teen veg nutrition. Vegan for Life, by Davis and Messina is another good one that was recently published.

Personally I feel that guilt doesn’t serve you well. It just makes you worry and obsess about your food, and that’s not good for anyone.

As far as I can see, you need to eat this way right now to keep your parents from worrying about nutritional deficiencies, and you are doing everything positive that you can with your diet in the circumstances.

As you grow older, you’ll have more choices. Right now is the time to prepare so when you are able to be 100% responsible for feeding yourself, you’ll know how to do it right.

Don’t pay any attention to your friends, who are just yanking your chain. And I’m sure the dogs are just happy to be eating regularly, and don’t care what. There’s not much you can do there so don’t take it on needlessly. If it makes you uncomfortable, you could leave, but that wouldn’t help the dogs, would it? And isn’t that the point of volunteering?

As far as being shorter than many other boys in your class, that may or may not have anything to do with your diet. It could just be that you have not yet hit your growth spurt. That’s a very individual thing. Some guys are full grown at 14 and some are still growing in college. And vegetarians can grow just as tall as anyone else – if they are well nourished.

Get blood tests to see if you have nutritional deficiencies like iron or Vitamin B12. and make improvements to your general nutrition, exchanging empty snack calories (e.g. pop, chips, candy) for nutrient dense calories (e.g. fruit, nuts, whole grains etc). and eating 3 squares a day. Don’t skip breakfast! The protein will take care of itself if your diet is healthy and you’re getting enough calories.

That’s about all the advice I can think of. And I’m sure it’s more than you bargained for! :-)

All the best, Judith Kingsbury

Healthy brown bag lunch ideas for a vegan farmer. Main dish salad recipes, wraps and soups are three of Savvy Vegetarian’s lunch ideas

Hi Savvy Veg! Love your website and newsletters.

My husband is a farmer, and often takes his lunch to the field. I would like ideas for brown-bag lunches consisting mostly of foods that he can eat on the go, as he prefers to keep working while he’s eating. (I know, a break would be good for him, but he’s a bit narrow-minded about stopping.)

He’s not as committed to the vegan way of life as I am, but he will let me pack his lunch, so I have a bit of control.

Thanks! Mary Beth A.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Mary Beth,

Thank you for your kind words – that means a lot to me.

I’m not a farmer, but I am a workaholic. I’d eat a sandwich at my computer for lunch – if I didn’t enjoy cooking, and want to live to a ripe old age. But I have a farming background, and understand your husband. Can’t waste those daylight hours!

I’m a student of ayurveda, and one of the important ayurvedic principles is to eat your main meal at lunch time. Another one is to give it your full attention. I have trouble with that because I like to read while I eat. The problem with eating while doing something else is that your attention is divided, which isn’t good for your digestion.

It would be better if your husband could focus on food for as long as it takes him to eat it – with both hands. In other words, take a short but vital lunch break. It would make a difference to his health and well being long term – if he’ll agree to try it. You said not, but I felt obligated to put in my 2 bits worth!
His lunch shouldn’t take too long to eat, or make him want a nap 2 hours later, but it should have a variety of whole foods, pack a nutritional punch, be satisfying (tasty) and energizing.

If he’s not quite as committed to vegan diet as you are, your might make him happier about the vegan food if you added some cheese or hard boiled egg to his lunch for a treat – if you can bring yourself to do it, or his diet allows it.

In case you were being literal about the brown bag, an insulated lunch bag or small cooler is great to keep food fresh.

For hot weather, I suggest a main dish salad with whole grains, beans or lentils and veggies, packed in a plastic or glass container, along with a sandwich or wrap, some nuts or seeds, raisins or dates or trail mix, fruit or juice, tortilla chips or cookies maybe. That would cover lunch and a snack if he wants one.

If he insists on eating while driving his tractor or truck, you could put the salad in a wrap, with hummus or other sandwich filling. If he’s not a salad kind of guy, call it something else. Like rice and beans.

When the weather’s cooler, a thermos of hearty soup or stew or casserole with whole grains and beans would give him something hot and satisfying to eat, along with the sandwich or wrap etc. But as I said, that would require both hands and his full attention. If he likes something enough, he may take the time to eat it even if it means stopping work for 5 minutes.

Main dish salads can be made the day or evening before, using cooked grains and beans or lentils, so they don’t take long to put together. Same with stews or casseroles, which you can fridge or freeze in serving size containers.

He could drink hot cream soup or cold smoothie from a thermos with one hand and you can sneak a lot of nutrition into those foods.

For sandwich fillings, try hummus, fried or baked tofu, seitan or tempeh, falafals, nut or bean spreads, veggie burgers etc, which you can keep on hand in the fridge. Add salad & sandwich fixings or other additions he likes. Make the bread or tortilla whole grain and substantial if possible.

Savvy Veg has loads of recipes that would work for you! Check out the bean recipes, soup recipes, salad recipes, rice, tofu and quinoa recipes. I do a lot of cross indexing, so you’ll get some recipes repeated in several sections. Those are the best ones imho! :-)

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes.php

Since I don’t know what your husband likes to eat, I’m not sure if my suggestions will be helpful, but I hope you and he can work out a lunch arrangement that makes you both happy.

All the best,
Judith Kingsbury

Response from Mary Beth A.

Thank you so much, Judith, for your fast reply and for all your input. I will print off your letter and let my husband read it. Sometimes we take heed to things when we hear them first hand.

My father used to get off his tractor, lean against a tree, and eat his lunch — usually leisurely, followed by a 15-minute nap. He had absolutely no health problems until his later years.

I am blessed to have a husband who will eat nearly anything, so at least I’m not dealing with a picky eater.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I’ll try to find time to spend browsing more of your recipes. He and I both would appreciate some variety in what he takes.

Warm regards,
Mary Beth

Question:

I cook quinoa often and love it however the last three times I made it my stomach got very upset.

Do you think it is because I put tomato sauce on it? Never bothered me before and that’s the only way I eat it is with sauce – Gina M.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Gina, my stomach has never been upset by quinoa, which is considered an alkaline forming food, but it has been upset by eating tomatoes, which are considered an inflammatory or acid forming food by ayurveda and other alternative medical modes.

From what I’ve been reading, tomatoes and other nightshade vegetables are alkaline in chemical composition, but are an acid forming food.

From Chi Machine International:
“There are two types of acid and alkaline foods:
1) Acid or alkaline foods, meaning how much acid or alkaline the foods contain.
2) Acid or alkaline ‘forming’ foods, meaning the pH condition foods cause in the body after being digested.

The second type is what you need to be concerned about. Lists of alkaline and acidic foods that you find online are often misleading because they focus on the first type, going just by the chemical composition of foods, rather than their effect on the ph balance of the body. I’ve seen tomatoes on alkaline food lists.

People prone to ulcers, acid reflux, IBS, arthritis, or other “inflammatory” disorders are often warned away from nightshades, which include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant. More information about nightshades and inflammation

If you don’t usually get negative effects from eating tomatoes, this could be a temporary thing. If tomato doesn’t agree with you right now, look at it as a chance to get a little more variety into your diet.

I know it’s quick and easy to just open a jar of tomato sauce and plop some on top of your quinoa. But there are other easy-to-make sauces you could eat with your quinoa: e.g. chickpea or cashew gravy, vegan cheesey sauce, mushroom leek sauce – all found in Savvy Vegetarian’s Sauces Dips and Spreads Recipe Index

If you’re feeling slightly more ambitious, try these other tasty saucy recipes:
Veggies in Coconut Curry Sauce
Chili Beans in Vegetarian Gravy
Tofu Veggie Stir Fry

All those recipes are easy, and lend themselves to many variations. Including beans, tofu, or tempeh in the foods you eat with your quinoa ups the protein value of your meal.

We like many different kinds of stews on top of our quinoa – or rice – especially curries. Check Savvy Vegetarian bean or vegetable recipes for more possibilites.

Dear EarthTalk: I love to cook and when I have the time I make soups, stews and pasta meals in large batches and freeze them.

I use leftover plastic containers, but I know this is not good. What kinds of containers are safe for freezer food storage? — Kathy Roberto, via e-mail

Reusing leftover plastic food containers to store items in the freezer may be noble environmentally, but it might not be wise from the perspective of keeping food safely frozen and tasting its best when later heated up and served.

Many such containers are designed for one-time use and then recycling, so it’s not worth risking using them over and over. Likewise, wax paper, bread wrappers and cardboard cartons should not be used to store frozen foods; these types of containers don’t provide enough of a barrier to moisture and odors and also may not keep food fresh when frozen.

Luckily though, many other materials are suitable for use as freezer-safe storage containers, at least according to the National Center for Home Food Preparation. To qualify as “freezer-safe,” the Georgia-based non-profit maintains, food storage containers must resist moisture-vapor, oil, grease and water as well as brittleness and cracking at low temperatures, while being durable, leak-proof and easy-to seal.

They must also protect foods from absorption of off-flavors or odors. “Good freezing materials include rigid containers made of aluminum, glass, plastic, tin or heavily waxed cardboard; bags and sheets of moisture-vapor resistant wraps; and laminated papers made specially for freezing,” reports the group.

As to the leaking of unsafe constituent chemicals (BPA, phthalates, etc.) from certain plastics into foods, freezing is generally less of a threat than heating, but it is better to avoid plastics known to be problematic anyway just to be safe.

Polycarbonate plastic, marked with #7, contains BPA while polyvinyl chloride, marked with #3, contains potentially harmful phthalates. If a plastic item does not bear a recycling number on its bottom, steer clear as it may well be a mix, which classifies it as a #7 polycarbonate.

Of course, the majority of plastic containers designed for freezer use are safe and, since they can be washed and reused, are a better choice than disposable freezer bags and wraps.

For those still leery of using plastic at all, glass containers designed to withstand large temperature extremes, such as Ball Freezing Jars (Mason jars) or anything made by Pyrex—regular glass containers could break when frozen or if thawed too quickly—can be a sensible alternative.

Also, beware of loading up glass containers to the brim before freezing; some foods expand when frozen so leaving a little extra room between the top of the food and the bottom of the (airtight) lid is always a good idea.

However you store your frozen delicacies, keep in mind that freezing food may inactivate microbes like bacteria and mold but may not destroy them. According to dietician and author Elaine Magee on MedicineNet, just thawing out frozen foods doesn’t necessarily mean they are automatically safe to eat. Foods that require cooking still require cooking for health’s sake after thawing. Also, Magee recommends quickly labeling and dating any foods you are freezing to facilitate purging of potentially spoiled or tasteless food down the line.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine. Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Free Trial Issue of E-Magazine

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

I have been vegetarian, in various stages, for 35 years. I have 2 reasons for writing.

1) I have been out of work for 3 years. I have a cupboard full of dhals, beans and split beans that I have had for years – I don’t even know how long and some them I don’t know what they are. Can I still use them? Maybe with longer soaking time? I would use them in soup or stew.

2) For 2 of my years out of work, I went back to college (I am now 57; graduated in May). Due to a blog I read yesterday I came to realize that I have not been eating quality protein – possibly for all the last 3 years. The blogger mentioned that it took quite some time to notice an increase in energy (my main problem). I would like to use a supplement to boost my energy until I get my diet back on track. Can you suggest a supplement and an initial diet? I would be much beholden. – P.W.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi P. W. Congratulations on graduating at age 57! I’m sorry you’ve been unemployed for 3 years, and I hope that changes soon. More energy would definitely help.

Regarding the legumes that you’ve had for years: I also have had some legumes for years, stored in glass jars in a cool cupboard. As long as they don’t look or smell bad, I would use them. They could need extra soaking (probably double) and cooking. If it’s hot in your kitchen, try soaking in the fridge. If you don’t know what they are, go to a natural food store that sells bulk beans, and do a bit of detective work. Or search online for a site with pictures of beans. Like Athena Foods.

Regarding your lack of energy: it’s could be that a lack of quality protein isn’t actually the culprit. It could be not enough calories, or poor nutrition in general, which means there could be several possible deficiencies. Nutrition is holistic and synergistic – all the nutrients work together for good health and energy.

My advice is to get tested for Vit D, Vit B12, and iron deficiencies. Any of those would affect your energy levels dramatically. It’s a good idea for anyone over 50 whether vegetarian or not to supplement with Vit D & Vit B12. Calcium & Vit C deficiencies are possible, but those are plentiful in a healthy varied diet with plenty of fruit and green veg. While you’re getting those deficiency tests, get a few other routine tests if you can: cholesterol, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, hormones for example, just to rule out other problems.

Protein: Many people I know boost their protein intake by adding protein powder to smoothies, along with other ingredients such as non-dairy milk or yogurt, green veg, fruit, ground chia seeds, nut butters. You could also add nuts & seeds & non-dairy milks to grains or breakfast cereals. Hummus is a great energy booster to have in your fridge, with a good balance of fat, carbs & protein. . Yummy in a sandwich or wrap, or with chips or crackers.

It’s easy for a vegetarian to get enough quality protein, by eating enough calories from a good variety of whole foods: whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds, a little added oil, lots and lots of fruit and veggies, very little sugar and processed foods. Please read the article “How to Get Enough Protein in Your Vegetarian Diet”.

I repeat:It’s important to eat a high quality whole foods diet with a big variety of fresh foods, for optimum vegetarian health, with minimal supplementation, e.g. Vit D and B12 separately and possibly a one-a-day multi-vitamin. That’s according to the veg nutrition bible, Becoming Vegetarian, by Melina and Davis, and I also cover those basics in my Vegetarian Nutrition Report.

If possible, please consider consulting a veg-friendly dietitian or nutritionist for help designing the best diet for you. That’s a job that’s far beyond my qualifications!

Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

When cooking with quinoa would I consider this as a carb or a protein when dieting? It appears to be extremely high in carbs but is said to be 100% protein.

I am summer-sizing and must eliminate and combine foods properly. Please help. Thanks. – D.S.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi D.S, with plant foods there isn’t a natural division between protein and carbs, they all have some of both in various quantities. So you have to look at your overall carb intake over a day, if that’s your concern. Same with protein. Do that by looking at nutrition data for all the different foods you eat.

Quinoa Nutrition:

Quinoa isn’t 100% protein. But cooked quinoa has 4 – 6 g complete protein per 1 cup serving, and you’re right – like most grains it’s high in carbs – and lots of other good stuff.

It’s better to get more of your carbs from nutrient dense foods like quinoa, and less from empty sources like white flour. All carbs are not created equal, is what I’m saying :-)

By the way, it’s not so much the carbs as the fats that make you fat. Consider this: 1 tsp oil averages 50 calories and not much else. 1 cup cooked quinoa has 155 calories, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 3 g dietary fiber and 5.5 g protein. So my advice is eat the quinoa and veggies, and skip the oil, to summer-size effectively.

For more about cooking with quinoa, and quinoa nutrition, check out Savvy Vegetarian’s Basic Quinoa Recipe.

Hope that helps! Judith Kingsbury