We manage to eat well and economically on the road, without compromising our veg diets TOO much. And, I’ve learned to keep it simple. which is harder than it sounds.

The last time I travelled across country by car, I dragged along a huge cooler full of spreads, fruits, veggies, olive oil, and a travelling kitchen in a suitcase, with hot plate, slow cooker, fry pan, saute pan, 2 small sauce pans, various cooking implements, can opener, chefs knife, cutting boards, plates, cups, bowls, thermoses, utensils, a dozen or more different spices, dried beans, grains. WAY too elaborate. Bordering on obsessive!

During the summer of 2011, we travelled around California, which has far better than average vegan fare. Just one of the many reasons why I love vacationing in CA!

In CA, we ate sandwiches almost every day, and I often cooked in motel rooms. It’s amazing what you can do with a hot plate, 2 small pots, a paring knife, 2 bowls, 2 spoons, 2 cups, and a motel fridge the size of a medium suitcase. I ignored the microwave ovens, since I don’t want me or my food nuked, and invested in a small beverage cooler for the car.

Highlights of Motel Cuisine:

I used my 2 qt pot and hotplate to make black bean soup with canned black beans and tomato sauce, plus zucchini cut up with a paring knife, cilantro (leaves torn off stems and hacked with the paring knife), a slice of ginger, coriander, cumin, spike seasoning mix, and meditteranean herb mix. It had plenty of umami!

Every morning I made oatmeal on the hotplate, with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, currants, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. I used cooked brown rice to make rice pudding, with almond milk, a glob of tahini, a spoonful of veggie spread, raisins, currants, sunflower seeds, dried coconut, and cinnamon.

The rice pudding was very tasty and satisfying, sustaining me through a hike in the woods with 3 active grandchildren and a dog. Later in the day, I used the rest of the brown rice to make a stove top casserole with beans, summer squash, curry spices, coconut milk and more cilantro. That was a pretty typical meal.

When I didn’t cook and we didn’t go out, we ate sandwiches, nuts, dates and fresh fruit. I bought sliced sprouted grain bread, hummus, avocado, sprouts, salad mix, cucumber, tomato etc. So those were Healthy Sandwiches.

The best cooking experience was staying with family and friends and using their kitchens with real stoves and cooking utensils. The right thing to do in return is to buy the food and feed everybody who’s willing to eat what you eat.

Eating Out in CA on a Budget:

About half a dozen times during our month in CA, we ate in restaurants for a change of pace or because there was no other option. That was a great break from one-pot meals, sandwiches and oatmeal (I really missed toast).

We ate cheeseless pizza in San Francisco, organic vegan burritos and tasty Thai food in the small N. CA town of Willits, a scrumptious eclectic meal at the Mendocino Cafe in Mendocino on the N. CA coast, and a tasty low fat vegan lunch at Slice of Life in Sebastapol, next to Whole Foods Market.

By the way, WF has great delis, and they’re everywhere in CA. The food is delicious but on the pricey side. At a friend’s house in Mill Valley, we ate WF kale salad and coleslaw to die for!

After hiking through Montgomery Woods redwood forest, we visited the Mendocino Cafe and ate a lovely meal of guacamole with blue corn chips and fresh salsa, spicy lentil curry soup with home made crusty bread, a beautiful side salad with lime vinaigrette dressing, and apple blue berry crisp for dessert. We were happily stuffed.

All the restaurants we visited were economical, with generous servings. The Mendocino Cafe was pricier and fancier (actual tablecloths and attentive wait-staff), but we thought, a necessary indulgence. Slice of Life in Sebastapol had an extensive low fat vegan menu for a small diner size cafe. The service was great, the food was tasty, the prices were good. The kitchen was separated by only a half wall from the tables, there was music playing and it was busy so it was a bit noisy for me, although others might like that!

The best restaurant meal we ate in CA and perhaps the best restaurant meal ever was the wonderful lunch we had at Gaia’s Garden Vegetarian Buffet, 1899 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. I had a lovely build-your-own salad w. sesame dressing, corn chowder, brown rice w. dhal, spicy cooked veg (mostly greens & potatoes), whole grain bread baked on site. Most dishes were vegan, cheese available as a side.

It pays to find out ahead of time where the natural food stores and veg friendly restaurants are located along your way. I highly recommend Happy Cow as an excellent resource for finding veg-friendly restaurants, stores, and places to stay all over the world, but especially in the good old USA.

Consider adjusting your travel plans accordingly – it makes eating on the road so much easier! We were lucky in Willits CA, having a motel room right next door to Mariposa natural food store, down the street from a supermarket which stocks organic foods, and walking distance from veg-friendly restaurants. That goes for much of CA. In the past, we’ve often travelled all day before finding a store or restaurant that had something we could eat.

If you’re camping, it’s even more of a challenge to eat vegan. Or eat anything! I remember a camping trip with my daughter and her 2 small children. Much of our day was taken up with building fires and cooking food, then cleaning up under what we think of as primitive conditions (normal in much of the world). And keeping warm (the weather was very unseasonably cold).

We managed to get in a few hikes, with the 5 year old whining about the lack of videos, and the 1 year old (not yet walking) bouncing up and down in a pack on my daughter’s back.

Think canned and dried food, get a first class camp stove, and leave the kids at home with grandma until they’re at least 8. Grandma won’t mind missing the camping trip!

My Travel Food Philosophy:

Aim for Zen-like simplicity, bring along the bare minimum you need to produce food, be creative & flexible, do your research, think ahead, and take advantage of opportunities.

And don’t forget the can opener. Opening cans with a key and a paring knife or your trusty Boy Scout knife gets old fast. Fortunately can openers are available everywhere. Except maybe on camping trips.

Planning is important, but so is spontaneity when travelling. You might find yourself in an area where there are plenty of fast food restaurants and convenience stores, and not much else. Even those places will have something you can eat if you adopt temporary amnesia about organic, non-GMO, and food additives. Taco Bell and Subway are well known examples of fast food outlets (I wouldn’t call them restaurants) where you can get something veg and filling to eat in a pinch. Every town in North America has at least one supermarket, and many have delis where you can buy salads etc.

Always carry an emegency food supply – protein bars, nuts & seeds, dried fruit, trail mix, crackers, chips, fresh fruit, water – enough to keep you going for a day, just in case there’s no other food available. Especially if you’re backpacking or hitchhiking, which I saw many young people doing in CA.

A side note about panhandlers: In my much younger days, I hitchhiked around Canada and California, and sometimes found myself hungry and broke. I never had the nerve to beg for money, and I admire those who do.

I know, I know, there are professional beggars who make a good living from sitting on the street with hats in hand. I annoyed one in the NYC subway when I gave him a sandwhich instead of money which I didn’t have. Then there was the con artist at a rest stop who was working a real scam. But I also encountered a young couple at a rest stop who cried when I gave them some of our food.

Now that I usually have a few dollars in my pocket, I always give some to people who approach me, because I feel that most of them wouldn’t be doing something that humiliating unless they really needed a few bucks.

So, if you find yourself in the unimaginable spot of being broke and hungry on the road, don’t hesitate to ask strangers for a hand. Most people are kind, and know that what goes around comes around.

However, safety first. I never pick up hitchhikers in spite of having done it myself, and wouldn’t hitchhike now unless I were truly desperate.

Facts about junk food, weight gain and weigh loss. Information about food addiction and over eaters anonymous.

Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

Ref: Kick the Junk Food Habit, Go Veg, Lose Weight

So if the mice continued to grow fatter and fatter, even after switching back to the plant based low fat diet (aka vegan diet), is there anything we can do to flush out the bad bacteria or something so that when we switch to a low fat plant based (vegan) diet that we won’t continue to get fatter and fatter? – L. D.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi L. D. Good question! I don’t know the scientific answer to that – or whether there is one, truthfully. This is just a guess, but I’d imagine that de-toxing through juicing and raw food might help clean up your digestive tract. It helps a lot of other conditions, after all. Just cutting out animal foods and eating a lot more veggies and whole grains will do the same thing slower and easier.

I’ve got 3 points I’d like to make, and more info on weight loss to add:

1. On reading Dr. Mirkin’s article again, I don’t think he was saying that because that happened in mice, it had to be the same for humans. Humans aren’t mice. We’re both mammals, but that’s about it.

2. Human consciousness (though mostly unused) can influence events and bring about change through meditation, will power, attitudes, thoughts, intentions, desires, prayers, or whatever your preference. I don’t know if mice have the same ability.

3. Nothing is forever. All the cells in our bodies are constantly being replaced, right down to the level of our DNA. The human body is capable of amazing feats of rejuvenation when treated well.

Practically speaking, it is hard to lose weight and keep it off once you’re overweight from junk food or other causes. Those fat cells will always be hanging around hoping to be filled. It takes a hard heart to deny your own offspring!

Junk food has also been shown to be addictive. Just as an example, when was the last time you ate the actual serving size of 10 chips and stopped there? So, there’s another dimension to weight loss – food addiction. There’s a 12 Step Program for that, Over Eaters Anonymous, same as for alcohol & drugs, and it doesn’t mean that you can never eat another chip in your whole life. It just means that you are in charge of your food, not the other way around

7 well known facts about weight gain, weight loss and junk food:

• If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight, slowly or quickly depending on your constitution, metabolism, age, etc.
• If you consume an amount of calories equal to what you burn, you’ll tend to stay the same weight or gain weight slowly over time (especially after middle age, when body betrayal begins).
• If you consume slightly less calories than you burn you’ll tend to lose weight over time. If you consume a lot less calories than you burn for any length of time, that’s called starvation, and it gives rise to the yo-yo effect.
• Exercising regularly (3x or more per week vigorous, daily moderate exercise), helps you to lose weight, plus get healthier and happier.
• If you eat healthy food including lots of veg & fruit, whole grains and legumes, you’ll tend to reach a healthy weight over time. (think long-term)
• If you eat lots of junk food, you’ll get sick more often (garbage in = garbage out), plus feel yucky and depressed. Which means you’ll need more junk food to make you feel better. And so on until you’re fat.
• The more we have fascinating, absorbing and valuable things to do (e.g. we enjoy our jobs or have rewarding hobbies or do yoga or volunteer), the less time or energy we have for obsessing about food or sitting in front of the TV eating junk food.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Medical Disclaimer: Any changes that you make to your diet, and the results of those changes, are your decision and responsibility. Savvy Vegetarian and its employees do not claim to be health care professionals, dietitians, or nutritionists. We do not treat, or recommend treatment, for any illness or health condition.

Tips for delicious low-budget healthy eating on a vegetarian (or vegan) diet

From our own experience, we know it’s possible – and relatively easy – to have an excellent vegetarian diet on a low budget. You’ll also eat much healthier. It is a bit more work – you have to think and plan more, and be a creative opportunist.

It also takes more time, which may be in short supply, if you’re like most people. But it’s time well spent, and pays you back in so many ways for your whole healthy life. There’s always a trade-off, and we think this is a good one: spend less time chasing $$, and you might have less $$, but you’ll have more time to spend on eating healthy for less.

7 tips for healthy vegetarian meals on a low budget:

1. A pressure cooker to cook beans, soups and other foods -  one of the best vegetarian investments you’ll ever make, and will save you TONS of Time. A good one costs about $120, and will last 20 years or more. We recommend the Fagor brand. Are you due for a gift from someone who can afford it?

2. Crockpots or slowcookers are also great time savers, and inexpensive. Put supper on to cook, leave the house for the day, and come home to a cooked meal. What a brilliant invention! It’s handy to have both 4 – 6 qt, and 8 – 10 qt. sizes.

3. Get a good chef’s knife with a sharpener, to chop veggies, and learn how to use it. Otherwise prepping veggies is time consuming and difficult, the main reason most people can’t be bothered. But being a healthy vegetarian means eating vegetables! A good chef’s knife will last your lifetime, and you can get a 1st class knife for around $30.  My favorite is Victorinox – it’s one of the best & cheapest, recommended by Cook’s Illustrated.

4. Have at least one excellent all purpose vegetarian cookbook, with a large, informative ingredient section, nutrition information, cooking methods, and a vast array of delicious recipes for a varied vegetarian diet. Find used books in excellent condition online for half the price. See SV cookbook reviews.

5. Make extra, and freeze for later: beans, grains, soups, stews, breads, etc,. Not quite as nutritious or tasty as freshly made, although far better than most of the alternatives. Most of us can’t tell the difference, and don’t have time to cook three meals a day from scratch!

6. If your budget allows, buy bread, yogurt, sprouts, and other basics, such as canned beans, tomatoes, and frozen veggies like peas, corn, or spinach, to supplement what you make yourself. You’ll pay  more, but the time saved for other activities, such as earning money, may be worth it to you. Getting these things through a food co-op, or shopping sales, will save quite a bit, but the trade off again, is your time.

7. Shop Around For Fruits & Veggies: Prices can vary widely for produce from store to store. The cheapest fruits and vegetables are usually in season, and they also happen to be the freshest and healthiest. Basics like cabbage and carrots are always cheap and nutritious. Apples oranges & bananas are the least expensive fruits in winter. When foods like asparagus or peaches are in season, they’re relatively cheap, so go for the treats! Shop carefully at the local farmer’s market, and if you can, grow some of your own veggies – super cheap, but again, the trade-off is your time.

I have just become vegetarian, I hate to cook. How can I have a healthy vegetarian diet? Use cooking gadgets, stay away from processed foods. Two of many tips.

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

I’ve recently become vegetarian, but I hate to cook. I would like to buy pre-packaged foods, pre-made foods, etc.  What do you suggest?  Where do you suggest I go?  I love tofu and that’s my main source of protein. Help! Thank you, K.H.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi K.H. – If you want to have a healthy vegetarian diet,  you’ll need to eat healthy: whole grains, beans and lentils and fresh fruit and veggies. You also need other sources of veggie protein than tofu.

So please try to overcome your cooking phobia a little bit. The nutritional benefits and increased variety in your diet will make it worth the sacrifice.  :-)

This list of 10 tips will make your vegetarian diet healthier without chaining you to the stove

1. Make full use of cooking gadgets: juicer, blender, food processor, rice cooker, crock pot, or pressure cooker to make any cooking you need to do quick and easy.

2. It’s extremely simple to cook whole grains, and you can make enough to last several days and put them in the fridge or freezer.

3. For beans you can use canned beans, and add them to things.

4. Many root veggies, like potatoes, yams, winter squash, carrots, beets, parsnips can be roasted in the oven or crockpot or baked in the microwave.

5. Steam  or microwave frozen veg or mixed raw veg packages to eat with a grain and some canned beans and a prepared sauce.

6. Raw veggies and fruits can be juiced or added to smoothies made with non-dairy milk, protein powder, nuts etc.

7. Make a crockpot soup once a week and freeze it in serving size containers to microwave or heat up on the stove.

8. Thaw and add a serving of brown rice, noodles or quinoa to a salad with some nuts or seeds or beans for a complete meal.

9. Make pasta or noodles, eat with fried or baked tofu or seitan, steamed frozen veg and a prepared sauce.

10. Stock your fridge and cupboards with foods for quick healthy meals with little or no cooking. Here’s a grocery shopping list of convenience or quick & easy foods you can buy at any well-stocked supermarket, or natural food store:

• Pasta and instant whole grain noodles
• Whole grain tortillas and breads
• Canned beans, refried beans, soups
• Tomato sauce and other prepared sauces
• Whole grain crackers and blue corn chips (blue corn isn’t gmo)
• Hummus
• Nut butters: almond, cashew, tahini
• Nuts and seeds
• Dried fruit (soak to make them easier to eat)
• Trail mix or energy bars (watch out for excess sugar)
• Washed salad mixes, baby spinach, mixed baby greens
• Raw veg like avocados, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, mushrooms
• Washed and chopped veggie mixes
• Fresh fruit
• Granola
• Dairy or non-dairy milk, yogurt, sour cream, cheese
• Frozen veg
• Frozen or dried organic vegetarian entrees
• Tempeh, seitan, baked tofu, miso
• Falafel or veggie burger mixes
• Frozen veggie burgers
• Fake meats
• Artichoke hearts, water chestnuts, etc.
• Condiments like curry paste, mustard, mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, salad dressing

Cautionary Notes:

Processed foods tend to be full of things that are Bad For You like excess sodium and fat, preservatives, flavor enhancers like MSG  (sometimes called natural flavoring), high fructose corn syrup, and toxic chemicals, so you should choose carefully what you eat. Read labels.

Buy organic and whole grain foods as much as possible. Avoid foods with corn and soy products as these are mainly Genetically Modified foods, have many proven health risks and aren’t even close to adequately tested before being approved by the FDA.

Consider taking supplements such as a one-a-day multivitamin, Vit. B12 and Vit. D to fill nutritional gaps. Plus buy enriched non-dairy milk and other packaged foods.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

There are many reasons people become vegetarian.  Ethical, environmental and economical to name few.  A vegetarian diet has many healthy food choices and tasty vegetarian recipes.

The average North American diet is high in animal fats, trans fats, toxic chemicals, and empty calories such as white flour and sugar.  Other research shows that a vegetarian diet has far less of these elements and is much higher in nutritional value. One of the best reasons to become vegetarian is that a vegetarian diet provides healthy food choices.

Research shows that the primary cause of many health concerns and diseases is poor eating habits. Vegetarians don’t want to fill their bodies with toxic chemicals and hormones that animals are fed.  This is a strong issue for people who want to live long in healthy, pain-free bodies. That’s why a vegetarian diet usually starts with a healthy eating plan.

Many people have been told by their doctors that they must cut out all fats or they’ll get sick and die.  Or they’re already sick. That’s strong motivation for switching to a plant-based diet of heart healthy foods.

Health concerns aren’t the only reasons why people become vegetarian:

1) Ethical Many become vegetarian or vegan because they’re horrified by the inhumane conditions in which most animals are raised and they refuse to support the meat and dairy industries. They don’t want animals to suffer and die so that they can eat, especially when it isn’t necessary for good health. The meat packing industry is also notorious for having dangerous and/or unhealthy working conditions.

2) Environmental People also become vegetarian because they object to the environmental damage from animal agriculture. CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) are polluting streams and ground water with their waste products.  Methane gas from cows is heating up the planet.  The rain forest is disappearing so more people can eat hamburgers.

3) Economic A vegetarian diet can be far less expensive than a diet that includes meat. Many people these days find that meat is too expensive for their budget. They can save money on food, and eat better, by making vegetarian meals at least part of the time. When you compare the cost of a meal based on rice or pasta + veggies and beans to one based on meat, it’s obvious that you get a lot more nutrition for your $$ with a vegetarian meal.

4) Taste Here’s the big reason why people go vegetarian for life: Some of the tastiest food is vegetarian.  Non-vegetarians or new vegetarians are often delightfully surprised by the wide variety of delicious meals you can have on a vegetarian diet. Or by how easy it is to convert your favorite recipes to vegetarian.

Savvy Vegetarian has been inventing tasty vegetarian recipes for over 40 years. A few of our family favorites are Vegetarian Chili, Cashew Veggie Fried Rice, Tofu Burgers, and Quinoa Black Bean Salad.

Medical Disclaimer: Any changes that you make to your diet, and the results of those changes, are your decision and responsibility. I do not claim to be a health care professional, dietitian, or nutritionist. Savvy Vegetarian does not treat, or recommend treatment, for any illness or health condition – Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Tell us why you have become vegetarian. Just leave a comment below – we’d love to hear from you!

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

My daughter attends McMurry University in Abilene, TX. When she was interviewing at the school, they assured her it would be no problem for her to eat at the school. We are required to pay $1500/semester since she is in the dorm.

I wouldn’t mind that except her choices have been mixed pasta with pepperoni and sausage, chicken thighs, white rice, always mashed potatoes. She is always hungry and has to heat up veggie burgers before bed. She lost 15 pounds just last semester which puts her about 115 lb at 5’4″.

We have talked to the president of the University, to the Dean of Students and to the cafeteria manager. Nothing is changing. What do vegetarian college students do? I don’t think a bowl of cereal and mashed potatoes is a nutritous dinner. She has been vegetarian all her life – J.M.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

This is a familiar problem on college campuses these days. An estimated 5% of the US population are vegetarian or vegan, and while I have no statistics at hand, it’s a safe bet that a high percentage of those are college students.

College administrators are slow to adapt, but there are more colleges every year offering vegetarian (not so much vegan) options in their cafeterias. Some are doing better than others, and some, like your daughter’s school, are all talk and no action.

Perhaps your daughter might consider transferring to a more veg-friendly college for the rest of her college education. Peta lists 10 universities in the US which have adapted to the veggie trend (picked from 30 contenders):

http://www.peta2.com/college/c-vegschools-winners.asp

If that’s not an option, she could be active in changing things at the college where she is now. And in finding creative ways around the system. I recently wrote a short article with 10 tips for vegan college students, some of which could be helpful. Here they are:

1. Don’t waste time and energy on anger or self pity – just think about what you can DO.
2. Vegetarians & vegans are a significant, rapidly growing minority on campus. Organize, agitate, make change happen. Here’s an article from PCRM which has some good ideas. And this one, from Peta.
3. Study vegan nutrition. I recommend the books ‘Becoming Vegetarian‘ and ‘Becoming Vegan’ by Melina & Davis.
4. Choose the most nutritious food in the cafeteria. Eat ALL the veggies, beans, anything whole grain (like oatmeal).
5. Accept that you have to feed yourself, then get creative and push the dorm food rules hard.
6. Make your food $$ count: fill in the nutritional gaps with fruit & veg, nuts & seeds, whole grains – get your vitamins and minerals.
7. Pick the most unprocessed food you can find – think granola, trail mix, apples instead of cocoa puffs, oreos and fruit pops.
8. Take a high quality nutritional supplement including B12, Vit D and omega 3.
9. Exercise, get out in the sun, get enough sleep – just as important as what you eat.
10. Take it easy! You wouldn’t expect to become a concert violinist overnight, and you won’t go from junk food addict to healthy vegan overnight either.

Would it be possible for your daughter to live off campus, in a shared apartment or other situation where she can cook for herself? At some point, she will have to take charge of her diet, and learn how to eat a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet under challenging conditions – which is the case for most vegetarians living in the real (non-veg) world. Going to college is a good place to start.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Message For Savvy Vegetarian:

Hello… I need some advice about my diet… I have been a vegetarian for about 4 months now. Over the last few weeks I have found myself feeling hungry a lot of the time. My body simply feels depleted and brain function seems slower!

I can not understand what I am doing wrong as I seem to be following all of the proper guidelines. I have a pretty comprehensive diet. In a typical day I will have:
Breakfast: Oats, Barley, Buckwheat, Wheatgerm, sesame seeds, banana, currants and soya milk

mid morning: snack bar, two pieces of fruit, yoghurt and rice cakes

Lunch: Salad with tomoato, cucumber, lettuce, celery, beetroot, sunflower seed, pepper, tofu, selection of cheeses, potato salad and wheat bread.

Afternoon: fruit or a scone

Dinner: Brown rice/potato/spelt pasta with cous cous or quinoa, vegetables including carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, sea weed, brocolli, cauliflower, cabbage, squash, sweet potato, rocket, with a sauce of some sort.

At night I have some more fruit or toast or cereal..

I am supplementing my diet with Iron and B12, and yet I still feel tired and am losing weight. Am I taking on too much Iron? I have been eating meat for about 24 years, Is this just a normal side effect?

Thanks for taking the time to look at my questions – B.J.

Advice From Savvy Vegetarian:

Hi B.J. – thanks for writing. You are getting plenty of variety in your vegetarian diet, and eating fresh whole foods, which is excellent! However, a few things pop out at me when I look at your diet. Here are some suggestions, which I hope will help.

I don’t see much fat in your diet, besides a bit of cheese. That would be fine if you were trying to lose weight, which I assume you’re not. Make sure that you’re eating a Tbsp or so of olive oil a day, plus add flax oil and/or ground flax seed to your diet, for the essential fatty acids (brain food). Eat more fatty foods such as avocados, nuts & seeds, (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. You don’t need a lot: half an avocado is good, or a handful or two of nuts & seeds a day.

You may not be getting enough calories or protein in your diet either. Nuts and seeds will help. But also, you may need larger servings of grains, and you could add more beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, and seitan to your diet, which along with the grains, will up your calories and protein. You don’t mention eggs, so I assume you’re not eating them. If you feel to do that, and can find fresh, local, organic eggs, they’re a good source of protein and iron.

You could have hummus, bean dip, or nut butter also with snacks or meals.

Depending on your age, your activity level, and your diet, you probably should supplement with B12, at least a few times a week, in addition to what you’re getting from foods enriched with B12. I’m not so sure about iron supplementation – unless you have iron deficiency anemia, you might not need it. There is a lot of iron in the foods you’re eating, and you’ll get more if you add more legumes. Iron availability from plant foods is enhanced with the addition of Vit. C. so you should eat something with lots of Vit C at your meals. For me, it’s usually lemon or lime, or a piece of fruit. A lot of veggies have plenty of Vit C too, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Another possibility is that your digestion isn’t coping well with your change of diet. Probiotics, more water, herbal teas, and physical activity such as walking, yoga, or swimming will help your digestion.

There are always physical changes associated with a change of diet, and going vegetarian is a pretty radical change for most people. There may be some detox symptoms, or initial weight loss, but feeling hungry and depleted all the time, with slower brain functioning doesn’t sound typical or desirable! Please consider getting some blood tests done for nutritional deficiencies.

Also, buy the vegetarian nutrition bible: Becoming Vegetarian by Melina and Davis, read it cover to cover, then use it as a reference. Here are some helpful veg nutrition articles to read too:

Iron and Vegetarian Diet
Omega 3s for Vegetarians & Vegans
Plant Based Protein Food Chart
Protein Sample Menus For Vegetarian or Vegan Diet
How To Get Enough Protein In Your Vegetarian or Vegan Diet
Vegetarians, Are You Getting Enough Vit. B12?

One last thing: Not everybody agrees with me on this, and you should honor your own feelings – but try to think long term. From my experience, there’s no advantage in straining to go vegetarian, and no harm in relaxing, or back-tracking a bit if necessary for your well-being. I’m not saying “eat meat”, just cut yourself some slack, give your body time and space to adjust.

You have the rest of your life to get it right. And the next lifetime or two as well, if it comes to that!

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Message For Savvy Vegetarian:

Hello, I don’t know if you know the answer to this question but I am trying to incorporate Quinoa into my diet and want to make it in some sort of portable form.

For example, I wonder if anyone has had success in cooking it (with some spices perhaps), frying patties of it in olive oil or guana butter, and putting patties in the freezer in zip lock bags so that they can be grabbed on the run to work, heated moderately in a microwave and eaten mid-morning.

I am trying to find a way to make healthy foods in my own fast-food manner so that a healthy diet is more realistic for a busy working business owner.

Do you know if this way of cooking -freezing/reheating quinoa would keep it full of it’s nutrients? Do you know of other ways or foods that are high-nutrient that can be made into fast-food self-packaging, any books on this, etc.

Thanks for your help or guidance on this…J. R.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi J. Thanks for writing!

Here’s a recipe for quinoa burgers that I developed in response to your letter.

Other quick quinoa recipes that you can make and take to work – not in baggies, but in serving size plastic containers which you can freeze or refrigerate:

Quinoa Tofu & Veggies (substitute beans for tofu if you like)
Quinoa Black Bean Salad (delicious! serve cold or warmed)
Quinoa With Almonds & Cranberries
Crockpot Quinoa Red Lentil Stew

Also try:

Lentil Loaf (sub quinoa for bulgar if you like)
Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Soups and stews are quick to make, and marvellous take along foods. They’re easy to make in large batches (think crockpot) and freeze or refrigerate in serving size containers. Savvy Veg has lots of substantial one dish meal type soup recipes.

Hummus, tempeh and baked or fried tofu are other quick veggie wrap or sandwich fillings with many other uses – very good to make in quantity and keep in the fridge for speedy meals.

I think you should be able to expand your food horizons a little without taking up a lot of time. Crockpots are wonderful time savers, pressure cookers, blenders and food processors likewise.

There is inevitably some loss of nutrients when freezing, fridging, storing, transporting & reheating home cooked foods, but in my opinion, the nutritional advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Taking your own food to work is far healthier (and cheaper) than eating out.

When re-heating food in the microwave, of course, don’t use the plastic container, because plastic is Bad For You. Use a ceramic or glass container or dish, or paper plate or towel (not planet friendly however).

Please be consious of food safety issues – food poisoning at the very least isn’t fun and can kill you. Re-heat food hot enough to kill nasty bacteria. Refrigerate or freeze foods promptly after cooking in sealed containers. Invest in a food thermos and/or an insulated food carrier to keep food cold until you can re-heat it, or hot so you don’t have to.

Books on fast veggie food for busy people – there are quite a few, actually! You’re not alone! Here are several I recommend:

Quick Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson
The 5 Ingredient Vegetarian Gourmet by Nava Atlas
30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld & Jennifer Murray

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Hi – just found your site and am excited to have a good resource. Have been reading some “real food” blogs that are wonderful but not vegetarian. Feel a bit overwhelmed by the soy buzz (have eaten and fed to my 9 yr old boys for years – now feel scared of what I have done!).

So 2 questions:

Is tofu ok? How is it that Japanese have been ok with soy all these years – how does it differ from what we are eating (I do recognize the difference b/w soy protein isolate).

Also – what is a good vegetarian women’s one a day multi-vitamin for good energy! I do eat some dairy eggs and some fish but have been meatless for 23 yrs or so.

I appreciate any advice you can give me ! S. T.
Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi S. T.,

About Soy: The great thing about tofu is that you can do just about anything with it, and kids will eat it! Like any other food, you shouldn’t try to live on it. But I think that traditional soy foods like tofu, tempeh, miso and soy milk are fine to eat, as part of a balanced vegetarian diet, including a variety of whole grains, beans & lentils, nuts & seeds, hemp, rice and almond milk, fresh & dried fruit and lots of fresh veggies.

Read this excellent article about soy by Virginia and Mark Messina, RDs – The Truth About Soy.

One big difference between the traditional soy products of Japan, and the soy products we get in this country is genetic engineering. It’s so important to eat organic, non-gmo soy food, because GE is scary stuff! Here’s an article from non-GMO expert Jeffrey M. Smith. He explains why you should avoid GMO foods like the plague that they are.

Rainbow Light makes a good food based one a day multi-vitamin for women. It’s a lot cheaper at Vitacost ($17.95 vs $31.95)

Here’s a liquid multivitamin which I haven’t tried: Adult Complete Liquid Nutrition from Go Natural Health.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Message for Savvy Vegetarian: I am on a fixed income and I want to know if two people can go vegan with only $299 a month. If so how. And where I live there are no specialty stores. I am dedicated to making the switch but I have to be able to afford it. J.B.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

You should be able to go vegan successfully on a tight budget, if you’re careful what you buy, and you make all your own food from scratch. You probably already know how to squeeze a dollar ’til it begs for mercy. If you’re going from meat eating to vegan, you should also know that vegans on a tight budget need to make every penny count nutritionally.

This subject deserves a long well researched article. It’s at the top of our list, but meanwhile, here are a few tips for getting by:

20 Ways to Squeeze the Most Nutrition from Your Tight Food Budget

1. Buy all your food as close as possible to it’s natural, unprocessed state. Frozen or canned veg and fruit is sometimes an exception, but go for fresh whenever possible.

2. For protein, focus on beans, lentils and split peas, with whole grains, nuts and seeds in small amounts.

3. Eat whole grains such as brown rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, oats rather than store bought breads – way cheaper and more nutritious.

4. Buy dried beans or lentils, cook them in big batches, and freeze what you don’t use for future meals. Most big grocery stores have some bulk foods, and you can also find what you need in the grocery aisles.

5. If you can afford to, and have the time, you can make your own yeast bread, pizza, pancakes, quick breads, muffins, or cookies, much cheaper and better than store bought. However, compared to a bowl of brown rice, any of those are much more expensive for the ingredients and energy used to cook them.

6. For extras, I recommend spending your money on dried fruit, nuts and seeds. They are pricey, but you only need small amounts. Soaking makes them easier to eat and to digest.

7. Choose fresh fruit and veg over prepared convenience foods. Focus on buying the lowest cost and in-season items. E.G. fresh spinach is usually pricey, but cabbage never is. Carrots, celery, peppers, potatoes, parsley, bananas, apples, oranges are usually the most reasonably priced. Other fruit and veg may be low cost when it’s in season and plentiful, e.g, avocados, asparagus, grapes, mangos, strawberries, peaches, etc.

8. Make sure you eat something green everyday, even if it’s just parsley in your soup. Also something yellow, orange or red. And something raw.

9. Making your own sprouts is a very economical way to get fresh raw food packed with vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

10 . With an inexpensive coffee grinder, you can grind your own spices, or flax or chia seeds. Ground flax or chia seeds are a good source of protein and Omega 3′s. Sprinkle on your cooked cereal, or add to baked goods or pancakes.

11. Instead of expensive veggie spreads, use vegetable oil in your baking, have a small amount of nut butter or hummus on your toast.

12. Skip soy based dairy substitutes. They’re expensive, high in calories, and loaded with ingredients nobody should eat (read labels).

13. If you can get to a farmer’s market, you might be able to find fresh local produce at reasonable prices. Sometimes not.

14. You can save significant amounts buying in bulk or stocking up on sale items, but you have to plan carefully to take advantage of it. It doesn’t help you if you haven’t got the cash when the opportunity arises.

15. If you can find a food buying club in your area, it’s a good way to get bulk or case lot foods cheaper, and split them with others in the group.

16. Buy bulk herbs and make your own teas. There’s good nutrition in herbal teas!

17. If you can, grow some of your own food. You don’t need fancy equipment, and seeds are still relatively cheap, especially if you can get them in bulk.

18. Make sure you’re covered for Omega 3′s, Vitamin D (get out in the sun! ), and the B vitamins, esp B12 , and minerals – like iron, zinc, magnesium. You’ll get most of what you need if you have a variety of fresh whole foods.

19. A daily multivitamin will help fill nutritional gaps, if that’s in the budget. Even if you’re getting Vit. B12 in foods like soy or hemp milk, you probably will need to take a B12 supplement. It’s inexpensive, and you don’t need to take it every day. Methylcobalamin sublingual is best, Country Life brand has it, and Vitacost.com has the best prices.

20. For more information on vegan nutrition, read the book ‘Becoming Vegan’ by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis – it’s the nutrition bible I recommend for all vegans.