Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

I was wondering if you have vegetarian recipes you can recommend that we can make a big batch of ahead of time and freeze or store to eat as quick meals when we’re rushed for time? I’m not a big fan of eating the same thing day after day, so vegetarian meals that can be changed up to make new things would also be appreciated.

My husband and I became vegetarian a couple weeks ago. We really appreciate all the delicious recipes and advice! It’s been a real help as we’ve made our transition to a healthier lifestyle. Thanks so much! Sarah P.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Sarah! Many of our vegetarian recipes can be made ahead in big batches and frozen or fridged!  That strategy is a big part of my vegetarian meal planning. I absolutely depend on having pre-cooked foods in my fridge for quick vegetarian meals: several kinds of beans, batches of bean soups, mung dhal, dosa mix, cooked brown rice and quinoa, leftover oatmeal, applesauce, etc. You can even make up big batches of dry pancake or muffin mixes. Muffins, quick breads and cookies freeze well too.

Please check out the Savvy Vegetarian soup recipes, grains and bean recipes, where you’ll find the most likely candidates for big batch vegetarian cooking. Vegetarian Chili is a good example. You can also cook beans and grains separately in large batches to freeze or fridge in small containers and use as needed for soups, stews, casseroles and salads.

Making quick vegetarian meals is a lot easier if you have what you need on hand. Keep your fridge and cupboards stocked with basic ingredients you’ll use often.

Here are some examples:

• Canned beans, tomato paste, tomato sauce, olives, coconut milk, veggie bouillon cubes
• Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce, various cooking and salad oils, vinegars and condiments like mayo, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, hummus, nut butters, miso
• A full range of herbs and spices you like, and spice mixes like masalas and curry paste. Store in tightly sealed glass jars to keep them fresh.
• For veggies, keep your fridge stocked with carrots and other root veg, green veg like broccoli and kale, celery, yams, sweet potatoes, peppers, potatoes, garlic, onion, squashes, salad fixings, parsley, and frozen veg like peas, beans and corn
• Have a variety of fresh and frozen fruit on hand for snacks, lunches, desserts, smoothies. Don’t forget avocados!
• Various flours and baking supplies like baking powder, baking soda, sugar, dried fruit, salt, etc.
• A variety of raw beans, grains (e.g. rolled oats, quinoa, rice, barley), lentils, nuts and seeds, noodles and pasta
• Packaged tortillas and breads to make sandwiches and wraps
• Eggs and dairy if you eat them, tofu, tempeh, seitan, non-dairy milks, yogurts, sour cream etc

Keep a list of things you need posted on the fridge, and shop once a week to restock your fridge and cupboards.  Running to the store every day is a huge time waster.  Shop local and seasonal for variety and freshness. Fruit and veg in season are often cheapest, and most nutritious. Shop at your local farmers market or join a CSA if possible. Make up possible menus on the fly according to what’s available.

Here are a few examples of quick and easy vegetarian meals you can make using what’s in your fridge & cupboards:

If you have black beans in the cupboard or freezer, and some cooked quinoa on hand, you can quickly make up a big batch of quinoa black bean salad, which you can eat for several meals, or just enough for one meal, as you prefer. Or you can whip up some quinoa black bean stew. Add a tortilla, hummus, guacamole, and you’ve got a satisfying meal.

Make a big batch of mung dhal soup using celery and yam or winter squash. Freeze what you don’t eat in amounts big enough for a meal for both of you. Add rice and steamed veggies or salad for a quick meal. Frozen soups heat up quickly in the microwave or on the stove top.

Make a veggie wrap, burrito, or quesadilla using refried beans, hummus, quacamole, salad fixings, leftover cooked veg, eggs, shredded cheese, sour cream, or whatever you like.

Make a quick veggie stir fry, adding beans, tofu, tempeh or seitan, coconut milk, nuts and seeds or whatever you like and serve sauced or un-sauced over quick cooking noodles or rice.

Thanks for writing! All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

First of all, let me thank you for your website! I’m a vegetarian college student (veg for almost 4 years now) and I want to thank you for this enormous resource. I’ve learned how to cook quinoa, how to prepare shopping lists, what to buy at the grocery store, how to deal with obnoxious carnivores and all sorts of great veggie things.

But here’s my question: what is a polite way to firmly and clearly say that I’m not interested in debating vegetarianism? This is my choice and no one else’s business. Too often, I feel assaulted by strangers, family members, dates…the list goes on!

I’ve tried a simple “I just don’t like meat”, the more aggressive “Actually, I don’t understand how you can eat meat!”, vaguely mentioning the environment, ethics and health… Nothing works.

How can I make it clear that my personal choice of a vegetarian diet is not up for debate, without seeming like a B-I-T-C-H?

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

I’m so glad that Savvy Vegetarian has been helpful for you!

You’re right that you don’t owe anybody an explanation about what you choose to eat. The fact that people expect one continues to flabbergast me 40+ years down the vegetarian road.

I think what you said, “This is my choice and no one else’s business” is your cue. All you have to say is “It’s a personal choice, and not something I want to discuss”. When pressed by the rude and clueless, you could say something like, “It’s your choice what you eat, and none of my business. Right?” Wait for emphatic affirmation. “And that works both ways, right?” Wait for reluctant agreement. Then say “Thank you!” and change the subject.

This is why I don’t urge people to go vegetarian, I don’t harangue them about animal rights or ethics or the environment or their health. Even though (of course) I feel that a vegetarian diet is the best, it’s not my right to tell people what they should eat, only to give encouragement and support if they decide to go veg. I’m counting on the hundredth monkey effect!

Speaking of which  – one thing to keep in mind is that sometimes people just want to improve their diets and be healthier. They may have heard that vegetarian diet is a good way to do that. When they see happy healthy vegetarian you, they want to know your secrets and be just like you. In that case, feel free to refer them to Savvy Vegetarian! :-)

As for the rest, don’t worry too much about being a B-I-T-C-H if all else fails. 

Thanks for writing! All the best, Judith Kingsbury

By Pamela A. Popper, Ph.D., N.D. Dr. Pam Popper is a naturopath, nutritionist and the Executive Director of The Wellness Forum.

One of the more inaccurate claims made by companies and individuals selling healthy products these days is that certain fruits, berries or juices are more nutritious and that eating or drinking these particular products offers an advantage over the every-day foods you might purchase at your local store. 

I disagree with these marketing techniques for many reasons, one of which is that they mislead people into thinking that they can improve their health with one product or food and the science is clear that it is the totality of the diet that makes the difference, not the inclusion of a single food or juice.

My other issue is that all plant foods are nutrient dense; you do not need to stand in the produce section and ponder which apples you should buy or which berries are have the most antioxidants.  They are all good, and some recent research at Ohio State University confirms this.

Dr. Gary Stoner at OSU has been conducting research on whole berries and their ability to prevent the development of esophageal cancer in rodents.  His research is unusual in that he uses whole foods instead of looking for the magic bullet nutrient in the berries that has the causative effect.  He has used black raspberries in much of his research. 

 Stoner and his researchers took seven types of berries, including regular, every-day blueberries, strawberries and red raspberries, as well as noni, acai and wolfberries, which are represented to be far superior.  The berries were turned into freeze-dried powders and mixed into the rodents’ chow. 

 The result – all seven berries were equally effective in preventing the development of esophageal cancer in the rodents.  The researchers concluded that although black raspberries have a higher concentration of anthocyanins and ellagitannins than the other berries, “…each type of berry contains unique compounds that are responsible for their cancer protective effects,” said Dr. Stoner. 

The next time someone tries to sell you very expensive fruit or juice, claiming that it has better benefits than all other fruits, you’ll know better!

 Kashappa Goud H. Desai, Karl F. Olsen, Susan R. Mallery, Gary D. Stoner and Steven P. Schwendeman   “Formulation and In Vitro-In Vivo Evaluation of Black Raspberry Extract-Loaded PLGA/PLA Injectable Millicylindrical Implants for Sustained Delivery of Chemopreventive Anthocyanins.”

Pharmaceutical Research, Volume 27, Number 4 / April, 2010

“Unfortunately, with the exception of a few national brands (check out Annie’s, Inc. Massa Organics, and Lundberg Farms for a good start), there is no easy way to avoid Monsanto.”

Good First Steps

While it’s extremely difficult to entirely avoid Monsanto, there are some basic guidelines that anyone can use to minimize the genetically modified organisms in their lives.

1. Avoid processed foods. In particular, eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from your diet and be sure to read labels. HFCS appears in everything from sodas to wheat bread.
2. Consider going vegetarian, limiting your meat consumption, or buying grass-fed varieties. Over 60 percent of genetically modified corn goes to feed cattle on polluting concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in America. 
3. Buy organic dairy products. This is particularly important for the parents out there. The hormones in regular milk have been shown to bring on early puberty and are currently under investigation for contributing to a host of other health problems in our little ones.
4. Buy organic cotton when you can. Even though cotton makes up only 2.5 percent of the world’s crops, it is doused with 16 percent of the world’s pesticides. Cotton pesticides, most of which are listed as “extremely hazardous” by the World Health Organization, turn up regularly in water sources around the globe.

“What most amazed me during my month without Monsanto was the influence that one corporation had in my daily life–without me knowing anything about it. Once I started looking, Monsanto was everywhere. Once I started making the effort to avoid it, I found something else that surprised me: the confidence that comes from really knowing what I’m eating.”  Read More

Savvy Veg Comment: Going veg, eating local, having a garden, buying organic food, cooking from scratch, avoiding processed food, are all the ways that my family avoids GMOs in our diet. Knowing that almost all processed foods contain GMOs is strong motivation! Stronger motivation yet is knowing about the nature of GMOs – what they are, and their far-reaching potential for harm in our lives. More Info on GMOs

The message that we need to eat at least 6 servings a day of fruit and vegetables seems to be having a positive impact on our food choices. By eating fruits and vegetables in a variety of different colors, you get the best all-around health benefits.

When it comes to children, we all know how fussy they can be! It’s often useful to offer them small amounts of different colored types of vegetables, that can be less overwhelming than one large portion of dreaded broccoli. More on getting kids to eat vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are ‘whole foods’, rich in a large amount of nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. Tomatoes for example are extremely rich in lycopene, a phytochemical that may reduce risk of cancer by activating special cancer preventive enzymes called phase II detoxification enzymes, which remove harmful carcinogens from cells and the body.

While many types of fruit and vegetables can be eaten uncooked, some can’t, and many of us choose not to eat them in their raw state. But what is the effect of different cooking methods on the macronutrients and antioxidants in vegetables?

Microwave cooking is an energy-saving, convenient, and time-saving cooking method. However, the effects on food are controversial. While the effects of microwave cooking on nutritive values of moisture, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, minerals, and vitamins appear minimal, it is the actual changes in the molecular structure of nutrients that still seem unclear. As a consequence many people choose to avoid or limit microwave cooking.

Generally, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables. Many of the vitamins and minerals in vegetables and fruit are water soluble. Any cooking process that involves contact with water will deplete levels of nutrients to different extents (boiling is the worst, whilst steaming is much more nutrient friendly).

Stir frying on the other hand, usually involves the use of some kind of cooking oil into which water soluble nutrients are unable to enter. Not only does stir frying vegetables help retain nutrient levels, but the resulting texture and color can be more appetizing than with other cooking methods  - and stir fry is quick!

There is always some nutritional value lost in cooking. However, the degree of vitamin and mineral losses is influenced by various factors, for example the type of food, variety of food, preparation techniques, duration and method of cooking.

Savvy Veg Note: Cooking vegetables in soups, stews and casseroles is another way, besides stir-frying, to get the most nutrition from your veggies. Any nutrients that dissolve are consumed along with the cooking liquid or broth. Or soaks into other ingredients.

Article author Dr. Nina Bailey, PhD, is a nutrition scientist working in the areas of dietary health and nutritional intervention, with emphasis on the role of essential fatty acids in conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. 

Let me start by saying I am not a vegetarian, however my 20 month old daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs, and all nuts. I am concerned that there are several key nutrients she may be either low on or not getting, among them protein.

Her doctor recently suggested I add tofu to her diet…is this enough? We already eat soy yogurt and soynut butter and soymilk. I have removed all allergens from the house…what other foods can I use to replace those she’s allergic to? I want to make sure she has as healthy a start as possible.

Thank you – Rebecca S.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi Rebecca, thanks for writing! Kids love tofu, and it’s high in protein. There are lots of great tofu recipes on Savvy Veg. Some kid favorites are tofu burgers, pasta, tofu & veggies, tofu quiche, and fried tofu.

But rather than focus exclusively on soy foods, you could add beans and lentils, mashed to make them easier to digest and also to disguise them, to her diet. Or cooked in veggie soups and stews, until very soft. Crockpot lima bean stew and mung dhal veggie soup are two easily digested examples.

Kids, even as young as 20 months, usually like mild hummus.  ( if you make the recipe on Savvy Veg , omit the garlic). Lentil burgers or black bean burgers might also appeal to her – something she can eat with her hands. Check our bean recipes for these and other recipes to try.

I’m assuming she can eat sunflower, sesame or pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds, ground up and added to other foods or made into a paste? Remember too that all veggies and most fruits have some protein, which adds up over the course of the day.  A one cup serving of avocado, for example, has 3 grams of protein, and a medium potato with skin has 4 grams. And whole grains like quinoa, brown rice and oatmeal have significant amounts of protein in each serving.

From what I’ve read, and my own experience, giving her lots of those foods should also help the food allergy situation by making her diet more alkaline and adding a wide variety of vitamins and minerals not found in non-plant foods.

I know that this is a challenge but here’s the upside: This will encourage the whole family to move toward a healthier diet!

By the way, it might be helpful to check out our article on Vegan Baking Substitutions.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Dear EarthTalk: I know that local food has health and environmental benefits, but my local grocer only carries a few items. Is there a push for bigger supermarkets to carry locally produced food?  Maria Fine, Somerville, MA

 By eating locally sourced foods, we strengthen the bond between local farmers and our communities, stay connected to the seasons in our part of the world, promote crop diversity, and minimize the energy intensive, greenhouse-gas-emitting transportation of food from one part of the world to another.

Since local crops are usually harvested at their peak of freshness and typically delivered to stores within a day, customers can be sure they are getting the tastiest and most nutritious forms of the foods they like.

Luckily for consumers and the environment, local produce and other foods are now more widely available than they have been for decades. The first national grocery chain to prioritize local producers, perhaps not surprisingly, was natural foods retailer Whole Foods, which was buying from local farmers and ranchers since it opened its first store in 1980 in Austin, Texas.

Today each of the company’s 270-plus stores in 38 U.S. states prioritizes local sourcing—so much so that its customers take it for granted. Whole Foods’ relationships and distribution arrangements with local producers serve as models for the leading national grocery chains, many of which are beginning to source some produce locally when the season is right.

 Some are taking more initiative than others. Perhaps most notable is Walmart. Back in 2008 the company committed to sourcing more local fruits and vegetables to keep produce prices down and provide affordable, fresh and healthy choices. Today more than 2,800 Walmart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets across the country rely on a diverse network of small local growers to provide produce—making Sam Walton’s company the nation’s largest purchaser of local produce. During summer months, at least one-fifth of the produce available in Walmart stores is grown within the same state as the given store.

The company’s Heritage Agriculture program encourages farms within a day’s drive of one of its warehouses to grow crops that the company would otherwise have to source from so far away that freshness would be jeopardized and the fuel burned and greenhouse gases emitted in the process would be substantial. While the Heritage program currently accounts for only four to six percent of the company’s total domestic produce sales, the company is aiming for 20 percent within the next few years.

Other big grocery chains aren’t far behind. Safeway, one of the top three grocery chains in the country, prides themselves on local sourcing, getting nearly a third of its produce nationwide from local/regional growers. In heavy agricultural regions like California, the figure can be as high as 45 percent. The company has also made a big push into organic products, just like its biggest competitor, Walmart.

 If the chain grocer near you doesn’t do a good job stocking locally sourced food, there are alternatives. Community Supported Agriculture programs, in which consumers “subscribe” to the produce of a given farm by paying monthly dues that entitles them to a box of fresh produce every week, are more popular than ever, as are local farmers’ markets, food co-ops and independent natural foods markets.

To find local food near you, visit Local Harvest, which lists organic food sources by zip code and offers a wealth of resources for those looking to learn more about where their food comes from and how it is produced.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/o E – The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; Email: earthtalk – at - emagazine.com. E is a nonprofit publication.

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Hi L. N., Thanks very much for writing! You aren’t the first to bring this up.

There is a way to add nutrition data to our recipes, and that is to hire someone to feed each recipe one ingredient at a time into a site like nutritiondata.com, which will then generate a printable nutrition label to add to the recipe.

Or we can buy our own nutrition analysis program which costs anywhere from $400 to $4000 dollars,  but will do the job a little bit to a lot faster. Either way, it will be time consuming and expensive to add nutrition data to our recipes. We are willing to do it – we just need to find the time and money!

Personally, l feel that the basic nutrition label for foods is not all that useful, in deciding what and how much you should eat. Counting calories, grams of fat, protein and carbs can actually be counterproductive, interfering with the joy of food. But of course, not everybody feels the same way!

I agree that it’s good to be aware of what’s in your food, and how much you’re eating.  And sometimes as a reality check, it can be helpful to check the stats on your diet, if you want to gain or lose weight, or have allergies, or your health isn’t what it should be. But in those cases, a much more detailed, individual nutritional analysis is needed, along with professional help. And we can’t provide that.

Savvy Vegetarian recipes generally are nutritionally well balanced. And, if you are eating a diet of fresh whole foods with plenty of fruits, veg, whole grains and legumes, and not too much fat & sugar, you’ll be well nourished. A little knowledge about common ingredients, along with common sense, will tell you at a glance the basic nutrition info about a recipe.

 As a compromise, until we can do this for our recipes, I suggest using a free online service like nutritiondata.com which will generate a detailed nutritional analysis of any recipe or individual food. Also, the books  Becoming Vegetarian, or Becoming Vegan, by Melina & Davis, are extremely useful nutrition references which every vegetarian or vegan should own.

If anyone has suggestions or opinions about this topic, we’d love to hear from you.

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

My 8 year old daughter became a vegetarian two months ago. My husband and I who are not vegetarian are trying our best to support her choice.

She is also an avid dancer training two to three hours a day. This is HER choice, we are NOT pushing this on her. (I have 4 daughters and K. truly is her own unique little person) ;-)

We also homeschool so before she started she had to do her own research and decide what level she would be – lacto-ovo vegetarian.

I am concerned about her not getting enough calories. She has lost a few pounds and doesn’t have them to lose. How can I make sure that she is getting enough calories with her growth and her intense dance schedule? She will be training even more next year.

I’m sure we are going to be regular visitors to your site. We had the quinoa black bean salad for lunch today. Yummy!!!

Thank you for your help. Smiles, J. H.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi J.H., 

It’s not easy to keep active, growing vegetarian children from being skinny. They’ll plump out, then shoot up and get skinny again and so on. At least that was my experience. But losing weight isn’t so great!

My advice is to go heavy on the carbs and fats – no more than 50% whole grains, oatmeal and rice are good – lots of nuts and seeds, dried fruit, beans in whatever form she likes them. She should be eating a kid vegetarian diet, not a grown-up vegetarian diet.

Things my kids loved to eat (over & over): refried beans & hummus in burritos, quesadillas, wraps, sandwiches or as dips, vegetarian chili, pasta tofu & veggies, tofu burgers, pizza bagels, mac’n'cheese, endless bowls of cereal, scrambled eggs, toast & nut butter, blanched almonds, tons of fresh fruit, juice, yogurt, pancakes, muffins, chips, cookies (I made healthy ones, preferably with oatmeal – the only way I could get them to eat it without a fight. That and granola. Moms have to be pro-active!).

They ate veggies of course. Potatoes were always good, carrot salad, broccoli & carrots, peas, green beans, baked yams & winter squash, raw veggies & dip often. They weren’t fond of leafy greens, but I could sneak them into soups, quiche, stir fries.

A childrens multivitamin is a good idea, imo. Rainbow Light makes a good one – Vita Cost has the best prices.

Here are links to a few articles and advice letters which might be helpful:

9 yr old goes veg, Mom worried 

Veg Protein Sample Menus

A Week of Menus for Vegetarian Kid-Friendly Meals

I highly recommend the book “Becoming Vegetarian” as a 1st class vegetarian nutrition guide. It has an excellent chapter on child veg nutrition.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury

Humans have been processing their food in various ways for thousands of years, right? Freezing, drying, preserving and canning come to mind.

So what’s the problem? I recently sampled a brand of veggie burger which shall remain anonymous as there isn’t much to choose between the various brands.

I found the veggie burger tasty, then I dug deeply into the ingredient list. My research strengthened my resolve, never to eat a “processed food” that has more than three or four ingredients, ones that I know are safe for me to eat.

Take a look at the long list of ingredients on most packages of processed foods, and you won’t find much actual food. What food there is has had the life processed right out of it, beyond recognition. Then there are all the ingredients whose names we can’t pronounce, and hidden ingredients the manufacturers don’t want us to know about.

The 100% hidden ingredient in processed food is genetically modified organisms or GMOs:

The main GMO crops are soy and corn, abundant in most processed foods in various forms: e.g. HFCS or high fructose corn syrup, TVP (soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate), soy sauce, preservatives and flavor enhancers like modified corn starch, xanthan gum, yeast extract and maltodextrin.

Jeffrey M. Smith, Institute for Responsible Technology, Explains Why GMOs Are Bad For You:

“Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are the result of laboratory processes which artificially insert foreign genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. Those genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Although banned by food manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but the U.S. does not require labeling. GMOs are not safe, but have been in the food supply since 1996 and are now present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US.”

“Genetically modified foods are linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. (See summary in Jeffrey M. Smith’s book Genetic Roulette)

For more information on GMO’s, browse our Non-GMO Articles Index.

Another common ingredient,  mostly hidden, in processed foods is MSG:

That’s right, even if MSG isn’t listed on the processed food label, chances are very very good, it’s in there, and lots of it. How else could they get us to want to eat that stuff? 

According to MSGTruth, the following, present in many processed foods, contain MSG: autolyzed yeast  extract (found in many processed AMERICAN foods), TVP or textured vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, soy sauce, carageenan, dough conditioners (e.g Microgard), mushrooms (naturally high in free glutamate), “natural flavors” (may contain up to 20% msg). 

The Fit Shack tells why MSG is so bad for us and makes us fat:

“I first learned a little bit more about MSG while reading the book “You On A Diet“. There is a small side line about it on page 117 that states that MSG may influence the body’s metabolism in a negative way. It “over stimulates the glutamine receptors of the brain”, which means that it heightens the salty and sweet tastes of the dish containing MSG, while at the same time, it dampens the bitter and sour tastes. Interestingly enough, MSG “may cause us to eat more” (Remember my post on HFCS? It does the same thing), and it can also cause higher levels of insulin to be produced.”

1. MSG stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. As mentioned above, “You On A Diet” pointed this out, however on MSGTruth, it is made a bit clearer to me. You see, MSG stimulates the pancreas to release insulin into the blood stream even when there are not any carbohydrates in the dish for the insulin to act on.

Your blood sugar ends up dropping because of this flood of insulin, and then you end up hungry again an hour or so later. Reading this gave me a “Wow” moment because of that saying “No matter how much Chinese food you eat, you still end up hungry an hour later.” I never connected this with the additive MSG. This really gives you something to think about, especially if you are working on losing weight.

2. MSG tricks your body into thinking that the food you are eating is nutritious, even if it is not. The reason for this is that your taste buds detect the free glutamic acid that is in MSG. In “taste bud language”, this translates to “hey, there’s protein in this food I’m tasting!”. Therefore, your brain gets the signal that the food you are eating is actually nutritious, while more than likely, it is not.

The pervasive pairing of fat and salt:

Processed food, including fast food, often is loaded with fat and salt, because that’s what makes it taste so good. It’s also what makes you fat, clogs your arteries, and aggravates high blood pressure, putting you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If you have a lot of processed foods in your diet, chances are very good that your intake of fat and salt is far beyond the recommended daily limit. 2400 mg of sodium is 100% of the RDA. So is 16 grams of saturated fat.   There is no RDA for trans fat – i.e. you shouldn’t eat any if you can help it.    In comparing a daily omnivore menu with a vegetarian menu - both reasonably healthy – we found that adding a hamburger and fries to  an otherwise reasonable healthy daily diet boosted fat and sodium into the danger zone. Substitute more processed and fast food at other meals, and you could easily get double or triple the RDA for fat and sodium. Read the labels, or save yourself the trouble and just say no to processed food.

And then, there’s High Fructose Corn Syrup:

Even though the veggie burgers I sampled didn’t have high fructose corn syrup, it’s in so many processed foods, I had to talk about it. 

We all know by now that HFCS is bad for you, but we’re a little fuzzy on the details, and we don’t realize how widespread it’s use in processed foods. And HFCS is also a hidden food, often listed only as “sugars”. I searched onHFCS and here’s what I found out:

First of all, High Fructose Corn Syrup is made from GMO corn. See Institute for Responsible Technology for why this is bad. Second, during the manufacturing process,HFCS is contaminated by mercury, which puts you in danger of mercury poisoning if you eat a lot of processed foods containing HFCS. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable.

An excellent article, by Christopher R. Mohr, MS, RD, LDN provided a lot of useful information about HFCS.

Common Foods High in HFCS

• Regular soft drinks
• Fruit juice and fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice
• Pancake syrups
• Popsicles
• Fruit-flavored yogurts
• Frozen yogurts
• Ketchup and BBQ sauces
• Jarred and canned pasta sauces
• Canned soups
• Canned fruits (if not in its own juice)
• Breakfast cereals
• Highly sweetened breakfast cereals

Problems Caused by Too Much HFCS

• It can lead to higher caloric intake
• It can lead to an increase in bodyweight
• It fools your body into thinking it’s hungry
• It increases the amount of processed foods you eat, thereby decreasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods
• It may increase insulin resistance and triglycerides

Here’s Chris Mohr’s advice on how to avoid HFCS:

If HFCS is one of the first ingredients listed on a food label, don’t eat it. Make a mental list of the worst culprits, such as regular soft drinks and many highly sweetened breakfast cereals. HFCS alone won’t make you fat, but when HFCS is high on the ingredient list, the food is not the best choice. As part of a lifestyle that has many of us eating too much and moving too little, we’re putting our health at risk if we don’t choose our foods carefully.

So what’s the answer? It’s easy. Avoid HFCS by reading food labels and shopping the grocery store’s perimeter: Produce is on one side, seafood, meat and poultry on another, and dairy products, eggs and bread on the third. Avoid the center aisles, which are mostly stocked with highly processed foods.

The more you stick to fresh whole foods and avoid commercial and highly processed foods, the less HFCS you will consume.

Savvy Veg Note: Eating a healthy vegetarian diet with lots of fresh fruit and veg, nuts & seeds, legumes and whole grains, is a great way to avoid not only HFCS, but also GMOs, MSG, and excessive fat and salt.