Message: My girlfriend very recently became vegetarian again. She was vegetarian and then vegan many years ago and then slowly started eating some meat again for the past few years because of the ease of it. I am a non-vegetarian.

She is a strong animal rights advocate and that is why she chose to be vegetarian (rather than choosing because she believes it is a healthier lifestyle). We just had a conversation where she essentially said that she did not respect me nor anyone who while being an informed food consumer and knowing what is done on farms and slaughterhouses, still chose to eat meat.

She said that she would raise her kids vegetarian, which is ok by me but I still choose to eat meat. I asked her about a situation in which while our future children would be informed about the food industry but still chose to eat meat, she said that she would want them to get their own job to purchase the meat that they want to eat.

I disagree a lot with this latter issue because I believe that if our children are informed, I will not pass judgement and would respect them more in terms of what their food choices were (if they
choose to be vegetarian or vegan, than so be it). I do not disrespect my girlfriend but I am quite furious when she tries to push her propaganda on me (facts about the industry that I already know about) and I am extremely upset and disappointed about not being respected for a choice that I am making.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

I personally just feel that I prefer to prioritize my passions, and what I will fight/stand up for toward human rights and civil liberties. Animal rights just doesn’t rile me up in the same way as it does for her and others.

How do we get past this point of respect? What are conversation points that we can discuss to try to find a middle ground? She is on an extreme end and thinks that I am ultimately the complete opposite of her because I choose to eat meat. I just think we differ on this issue based on the priorities and passions that we have set our lives to focus on.

What do you think? Please help. She is the love of my life

K. Cheng

Personally, I feel that you two could use the services of a relationship counselor, which I’m not. Food and kids are a big source of conflict, and you’ve got both of them going.

But I ran this by my daughter Zoe, who is a life long vegetarian (but not vegan), with a non-vegetarian spouse. They’ve got a workable compromise, and they’ve worked hard at making mutual respect the foundation of their relationship.

Zoe made some good points, as follows.

Your girlfriend’s speech has taken you into endgame territory, which means your relationship is on the brink of being over.

Trespassing is the big issue. (I see it as a power struggle). Each wants to dominate the territory of food and kids that the other occupies.

The only way forward is to meet in the middle and establish ground rules for your NEW common territory. Keep these points in mind when you do:

Relationships are based on mutual respect. Respect means accepting the other person AS THEY ARE, not as who you think they should be. You can’t expect your adult partner to change themselves for you.

Choosing someone’s diet for them is like choosing their religion.

Children are people, not possessions. Both partners must agree that future children get to choose their diet when they’re old enough. Until then, parents agree on the primary diet in the household, WHICH EVERYBODY EATS.

My suggestions:

Since you don’t have a particular food idealogy, except a reluctance to change your diet, follow the principal that compassion for any group – people or animals – extends to all others, including the love of your life. But remember, the guiding principle for compromise is that you BOTH bend.

So, for example, you could agree that you’ll eat the food your girlfriend prefers when you eat together at home, with the agreement that you add what you want on the side or when you eat out. If she doesn’t want you to cook meat in the house, then work around that.

If you both can agree to a workable food compromise, great! If not, keep in mind that it’s possible to have more than one love of your life.

For more practical suggestions, download our free report, Veg/Non-Veg Together:

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/veg-nonveg.php

All the best,
Judith Kingsbury

This vegetarian pregnancy series is written by Zoë Keeland, the youngest and most pregnant daughter of Savvy Vegetarian. She’ll continue to produce new episodes until her brain completely dissolves into mush.

Veg gets pregnant

Having been married for almost six years, and casually trying to get pregnant for most of the time, I had mostly given up pining for a baby. I wasn’t even tracking my cycle, aside from the vague: it oughtta show up pretty soon, I think. So when my boobs got tender, and stayed that way for two weeks, I thought I had a heckuva bleed coming on, probably soon.

My husband Bryan, who obviously pays way more attention to my boobs than I do, gave them a critical eye. “Go get a pregnancy test,” he said. I humored him, and picked one up at the grocery store. I got the box that has three in it. “That way I won’t have to run out for one next time Bryan gets paranoid,” I thought.

Anyone need a pregnancy test? I have two I won’t be needing….unless they stay good for a couple years.

Screw this pink line stuff, I thought, and bought the digital one that would either say: Pregnant, or Not Pregnant. I didn’t want to be squinting at the thing trying to decide about colors.

When it came up Pregnant, I nearly fell off the toilet. “Really?” I choked, squinting at it anyway. “Pregnant,” it said – no NOT anywhere in sight. I was stunned. I was thrilled. I wondered how the heck we were going to pay for this!

I sat on the steps and called Bryan with the news. Then I sat on the steps some more, my brain firing with all the things I would now have to do and worry about. You would think, after years of going wistful over other people’s babies, having the odd cry over my non-pregnant state, that I would be dancing and singing and posting it on Facebook. Nope. I went straight to worrying.

“Crap,” I thought. “I’ll have to give up coffee.”

If I had realized that I was still allowed to take Tylenol before I quit coffee abruptly, it could have been a less awful experience. As it was, I staggered through my work day, pale and headachey, worrying my coworker. I felt wretched. I went home from work and went straight to bed. Bryan kindly did some research and went out to fetch some Tylenol for me. My hero!

Having jumped that hurdle, I dreaded the prospect of facing the medical establishment. I worried that they would freak out over my vegetarian diet and try to convince me I had to eat meat to survive. Preparing myself to combat hidebound institutional veg-skepticism, I did what any angsty pregnant woman does – I called my mommy.

“Just cite the American Dietetic Association position paper on vegetarian diets,” she said. Aha! Now I was armed with medical clout! If anyone gave me trouble, I could just sneer and imply that their medical knowledge was sadly out of date.

“Don’t you people even read your own literature?” I would say, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. The doctor would be cowed, and never bring up meat again – to anyone.

It was disappointing, after all that build-up, to get only one ignorant comment, from a nurse. All she said, on hearing about my vegetarian diet, was: “Oh, well, you want to be sure and get all your protein.”

All my protein? Really? That’s all she could think of? Hadn’t she heard of B12, or Omega 3′s? Wasn’t there a nutrition class in her curriculum? There were too many scathing comments to pick from, and the moment passed before I could settle on one. Probably just as well. It’s not a good idea to flame the people who will be taking care of you.

The ObGyn was a total let down. She didn’t even blink about my diet. I suspect that since she had my lab results, she could already see I wasn’t anemic or otherwise malnourished. All she wanted to talk about was breastfeeding being the best option and not needing to supplement it with formula, no matter what some pediatricians say. I rather liked her.

So there. I guess the medical establishment does read its own nutritional studies – eventually. Or at least has learned that it’s not PC to ask a vegetarian to eat dead animals. They do still make you wear hospital gowns, though. And put your feet in stirrups.

Zoë Keeland

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:

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!

I agree whole heartedly with the idea of umami as the missing element in so many vegetarian foods. However, I tend to think more in Ayurvedic terms. Ayurveda names 6 tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. All six tastes should be present to make food tasty and satisfying.

Umami to me is a different twist on the same food philosophy. Whatever you call it, that’s what we’re going for in Savvy Vegetarian recipes, and it’s the reason why our recipes often have many more flavoring ingredients than basic ingredients. That doesn’t make them harder or longer to make – it just makes them more tasty!

Fiona states that meat has lots of umami, which raised my eyebrows because it’s been a long time since I thought of meat as food, and I don’t have fond memories. IMHO if anything, meat has way too much umami, so that the taste overwhelms all other tastes.

In fact, plant foods also have lots of umami, but our taste buds aren’t attuned at first to those more subtle flavors. Foods that seem bland now will become more flavorful as your taste buds recover from meat.

Freshness, good cooking and preparation allow the natural good taste of vegetarian foods to shine through, and they only need enough seasoning to enhance and complement their flavors to give them umami. Juicing carrots is a perfect example. Or sprinkling tofu with soy sauce and frying or broiling it.

Complementary combinations of foods also add umami, e.g. rice and beans are tastier together than apart, even before adding seasonings. A little garlic, ginger, cumin and cilantro then make them sublime.

But enough of my blah, blah, blah. Over to Fiona’s great article about UMAMI!

Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Why Does My Vegetarian Meal Taste So Bland?

For those of you dabbling with or newly committed to a plant based diet, you will probably be having this problem. To me, a lot of vegetarian dishes suffer a lack of flavour that doesn’t seem to be fixed with salt. They taste rather one dimensional. They lack depth or fullness in flavour. To be blunt, they are bland.

This can especially be a problem for new vegetarians and flexitarians and I shall explain why. If it just doesn’t taste as satisfying as you expect, then it’s probably missing that wonderful essence known as umami.

Umami?

Umami is a taste sensation just like sweet, sour, bitter and salty. It is now considered to be the ‘fifth taste’. Most people haven’t heard of it but everyone knows when it is missing. It could also be called savouriness. It is that pleasant and even mouthwatering sensation that lingers on your tongue.

Meat has umami. Lots of it. There are plenty of veg friendly sources of umami, but if you are not aware of putting them in your cooking, that fullness of flavour they add will be missing. Which is why new vegetarians often struggle to hit that moreishness in their meals. With meat you don’t need to try. With vegetarian cooking, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way. It makes you a much more capable and versatile cook.

Vegetarian Sources of Umami

Mushrooms especially shitake, tomatoes, asparagus, celery (cooked), carrot, corn, onion (cooked), potatoes (cooked), soybeans, sweet potatoes, Chinese cabbage, spinach, seaweed, green tea, savoury herbs such as rosemary and thyme, yeast, fermented foods (ie beer, wine, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kim chi, soy sauce), aged foods such as cheese and also butter (for vegetarians).

Further Hints for a Rich Depth of Veggy Flavor

Perfume is designed to have bottom, middle and top notes that intermingle and come to the fore at different times. A well balanced recipe will have a complexity of flavours that make the taste feel round, rich and full. There are no ‘gaps’ in the tasting experience. It might help to think of a well rounded dish as having multiple layers of flavourings. One dimensional just doesn’t satisfy.

In practice this means, for instance, that even a simple one or two vegetable soup has a stock made from garlic, onion, celery and carrot, has some herbs such as bay leaf and thyme, a dash of salt and pepper, a slosh of wine and some spice such as a pinch of nutmeg. Or a pasta sauce has plenty of slow cooked onions and mushrooms, garlic, red wine, carrot, tomatoes and a multitude of herbs such as oregano and basil, some salt and perhaps a pinch of chilli.

What I’m trying to illustrate is that to get lots of flavour out, you need to put lots of flavour in!

• Be generous with your herbs.
• Learn to use spices.
• Never use plain water in your soups, stews and sauces. Always use stock or some sort of flavoured liquid.
• Make use of your vege umami sources.

Here’s to tasty vegetarian cooking!

About WhereFishSing:
Artist and long time vegetarian Fiona Morgan is on a blogging mission to show people how easy and tasty plant based food can be with her food-meets-art project. It combines the contemporary approach to vegetarian food as ‘meatless meals’ for everyone (not just hippies), and modern symbolist paintings inspired by the essence of each dish (without a traditional still-life-with-grapes in sight). Check out her website for all the umami filled recipes and artwork and follow the creation of the artvegecookbook.

Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

15 Satisfying Ways to Increase Calories & Nutrients at the Same Time:

• Add a small amount of flax or hemp seed oil to salad dressings or cooked cereals
• Add nuts and seeds - toasted or raw - to salads, stir fries, sauces, dips, and spreads
• Eat soaked nuts and seeds as snacks (a small handful a day)
• Add hemp milk or almond milk to cooked cereal, puddings or cream soups
• Saute your veggies in a little olive oil, or add a sauce or dressing to steamed veggies
• Eat avocados, bananas, yams, potatoes, and other high cal but healthy foods
• Eat bigger servings of whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley etc, bean dishes, hearty soups, sprouted breads & tortillas
• Eat dried fruit, soaked or in cereal or with stewed pears or apples or in puddings such as rice pudding
• Add a little coconut milk and curry powder to stir fried veggies (has saturated fat, but a little is actually good for you – if you’re trying to gain weight) or sauces
• Eat ground chia seeds or flax seeds in smoothies or cereals or sprinkled on or in things
• Add nutritional yeast to sauces, salad dressings, popcorn
• Eat hummus and nut butters with snacks or lunches
• Eat what feels good and satisfies your hunger
• Continue to eat 6 – 8 servings of fresh fruit and veggies daily along with the above foods
• Drink at least 2 quarts of water, and plenty of other fluids daily

A vegetarian diet is much healthier; it’s rich in fiber, vitamins, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Surely, if we’re not distracted by meat dishes, we’ll be more likely to eat fresh fruits and veggies, right?

This is logical- but ‘logical’ doesn’t always mean ‘true’. Take my diet yesterday, for example:

BREAKFAST: Cookie Crisp cereal and soy milk
SNACK: 3 Quorn cocktail sausages
LUNCH: Cheese sandwich made with white bread (no salad), 3 more Quorn cocktail sausages (I swear they’ve got cocaine or something in them, they’re so addictive), 2 plain crackers
DINNER: 2 Quorn sausages (full size ones this time), 2 frozen potato waffles, small can of baked beans
LATE EVENING: Half a large bag of cheese puffs, half a bottle of vegetarian white wine and more milk chocolate than I want to admit to

Pretty terrible, huh? Everything I ate was vegetarian – but was there any fresh produce in there? No. Fiber? Not as much as there could have been.

According to Fitday, a website with a huge database of nutritional information for all kinds of foods, white bread contains 0.58g of fiber per ounce, compared with 2.2g per ounce in wholewheat bread.

Quorn is lean protein, as are beans, but cheese certainly isn’t. And white bread and potatoes just don’t do that lovely slow-release thing that whole grains do. And their vitamin content is inferior.

On top of that, I consumed more alcohol than the recommended daily amount for a woman, a load of saturated fat and sugar from the evening junk food binge, and I only had one snack (the late evening intake hardly qualifies as a snack!).

The wisdom of eating three snacks a day was given to me by a hospital dietitian and I know I function better when I follow this advice. So why do I, from time to time, have ‘bad nutrition days’ when even the thought of peeling a banana seems like too much effort?

For the same reasons as many meat-eaters: Tiredness, laziness, the inner rebel coming out to play, lack of time, a bad day at work…and the fact that processed, refined foods and alcohol taste good and can give us a short-term boost in mood.

Just because we’re veggies doesn’t mean we’re immune from making bad food choices – and just because it says ‘suitable for vegetarians’ on the label doesn’t mean it’s a healthy food.

This morning I find myself looking back at yesterday through the haze of my hangover and wondering if I’ve blown it.

Will that 7lb I lost since going vegetarian pile back on? Will any future fresh produce simply pass straight through me and leave behind no benefits at all in its rush to exit my cholesterol-clogged obese body?

Or was yesterday just one day – an anomaly that will be corrected through continued good nutrition for at least the majority of the time? For the sake of my own peace of mind, I’m going to assume that the answer is ‘yes’. Many nutritionists and health fanatics might disagree with me.

They might point out that one should NEVER eat chocolate or drink wine, and that a pure and perfect diet is the only way to achieve that nebulous goal of ‘good health’.

I say that ideally people would never put these things into their bodies, but humans aren’t just machines using food for fuel. We are sensuous, hedonistic, unpredictable, whimsy-driven souls, free-thinking and strong-willed beings. On being told that we ‘must’ do this or that, we encounter a sometimes irresistible urge to do the exact opposite.

In my case, there are no pre-existing health conditions that could be aggravated by certain foods , and I don’t eat like this most of the time (this was one day in maybe 20 for me).

Why not just accept that rules are being relaxed for a time, enjoy the food and drink, chalk it up to experience and then get back on course as soon as possible?

Why would we NOT want to look after ourselves by choosing to eat healthy? It’s simply not sensible. And yet, I’m nowhere near accepting it without question.

Correct thinking, like correct nutrition and good health, is a journey rather than a destination. For those of you on the same path, I hope that my experience will encourage you to take heart, and continue on your vegetarian journey without feeling guilty about occasional lapses.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author Vicki (Vix) Chamberlain lives in the vegetarian mecca of Brighton, England, with her husband and two home schooled children. She studies English at the Open University and works part-time.  Vix has been both meat free and dairy free – but never at the same time! Her most recent post is Pro-Choice Vegetarian: I Don’t Care What’s On Your Plate

Vicki has just self-published her first novel for Amazon Kindle -  a confessional-style novel about a young woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Question for Savvy Vegetarian:

Hi – I have been a vegetarian all my life. Recently I have been to my naturopath who has put me on my blood type diet. Thankfully this wasn’t a huge change in my diet as I’m type A, however I’m not doing so well as I’m constantly craving sugar and finding I need more energy.

About a year ago my blood test results indicated that I’m B12 deficient so i have been taking supplements and increasing fish and green veg in my diet I was having shots but haven’t had one for quite some time.

I find myself having coffee every morning and ready for a sleep at midday then at around 2pm I’m reaching for sugar and chocolate. For brekky I’m having a bowl of muesli with nuts etc and soy milk and I’m not finding that I’m hungry until 1pm but because I’m so tired at midday i eat my lunch tuna and salad or left over dinner.

My Naturopath has advised that I should eat more protein and include snacking on nuts. However I did this for a while and it appeared to work but now I cant stand to eat any nuts.

Can you suggest anything that I can do to stop the sugar cravings and increase my energy levels?

Kind regards, C. B.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

I’m far from expert on blood type diets, but from everything I’ve read, I get the impression that they aren’t really meant for vegetarians. I wondered if that’s why you’re eating fish, when you’ve been vegetarian all your life.

I’m not a nutritionist or dietitian, and I don’t want to contradict your doctor. But I’m happy to share a few thoughts on vegetarian nutrition -to follow up or not - as you think best.

It could be a good idea to have your B12 levels re-tested, along with iron, folate, Vit D & blood sugar levels. It can take quite a while – a year or more – to recover from a B12 deficiency, and it needs to be monitored regularly. And you could have some other undiagnosed deficiency or condition. So get yourself thoroughly checked out.

It’s not normal for your energy levels to be so low, and I know from personal experience, sugar and chocolate don’t help. You get a temporary boost, but then you crash, weakening your immune system & digestion, messing up your blood sugar levels, getting headaches, digestive upsets etc.

Maybe you need a wider range of foods to satisfy your nutritional needs. I recommend reading the excellent book, Becoming Vegetarian by Melina & Davis, for sound information on vegetarian nutrition.

It could be that you need more calories in your diet to maintain your body and your daily activities. I’m not saying you need 2000 calories a day, as recommended in the standard nutrition guidelines. But you could keep a calorie count for a week or two to see if you’re getting a reasonable amount. If it seems low, eat more and see if that helps your energy.

I understand getting tired of eating one kind of food a lot. BUT – nuts are packed with nutrition – good fats, protein, vitamins and minerals, and a little goes a long way. Eat a variety of nuts in small amounts: almonds, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, hazelnuts etc - and seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame. Try creative ways to eat them: ground up in sauces,  puddings, or smoothies, in salads and stir fries, spreads, on or in cereal or breakfast cookies.

According to Ayurveda, digestion is at it’s peak at mid-day, and lunch should be your main large meal for maximum nutritional benefits. Include lots of veg, whole grains and legumes and other foods (like nuts) to give you all 6 tastes - sweet (grains), salty, pungent (e.g. ginger, pepper), sour, (e.g. lemon or yogurt), bitter (greens) and astringent (legumes).

Eat lunch or any meal when you’re hungry, but before your energy level is down around your ankles, maybe have your meals a bit closer together, to help keep your energy up.

If you need a snack, whole grain + protein is a good bet. Fresh fruit and a handful of nuts will give you energy, plus vital nutrients, without the blood sugar crash. If you’re sick of nuts, try sprouted grain bread or crackers with pesto or hummus.

Carbs from whole grains are important energy sources, because they digest slowly, maintaining even blood sugar levels over a number of hours. That’s why your breakfast sustains you so well. Give lunch & supper the same opportunity.

I don’t know if legumes are an option on your diet, but for vegetarians, they are a major source of protein, vitamins & minerals, such as iron, and should be eaten every day, with whole grains.

More information on vegetarian nutrition:

Getting Enough Vitamin B12

Healthy Vegetarian Protein Foods

Iron and Vegetarian Diet

Minerals Nutrition

 Q & A on Vitamin D

Savvy Vegetarian Nutrition Report

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Nutritionist Lori Zito’s article, Dear Ego of Dr. Ignorant, responds point by point to an actual email written by a doctor to his patient who has gone vegetarian. Apart from her understandable angry sarcasm (the doctor is astonishingly arrogant in his ignorance), Lori’s responses are a handy guide for those whose doctors also express unbelievable ignorance about vegetarian diet, or nutrition in general.

When my pregnant daughter encountered “concern” from her doctor about her vegetarian diet, she went online and did a boatload of research, then put together a 10 page report, which had the desired effect – to shut him up. You don’t need to go through all that. Just read the article.

“I have a friend who has made the transition to a vegetarian diet, under my guidance, over the past few months. She has been feeling great, with many notable health improvements. However, her doctor, who shall remain anonymous and who from this point forward shall be referred to as Dr. Ignorant, expressed some ‘concern.’ I use the term ‘concern’ loosely. ”

“I have quoted his statements made to her in an email (yes, these are REAL quotes), and provided my response. I am not presenting this to say that ALL medical doctors have these views. In fact, I hope and believe this ego-inflated man is the minority in the medical profession. I know many doctors who embrace and support the choices of their vegetarian patients. But I also know that many vegetarians and vegans know deep down they are doing the right thing, but just don’t know how to verbalize it when they are attacked like this.”

This is a long article – the doctor didn’t just put his foot in his mouth, he chewed and swallowed! Here’s just one of Lori’s great responses:

Doctor: “True vegetarians can survive, just not healthily.”

Lori Zito: “Einstein was a vegetarian and he seemed to do all right… so was Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, George Bernard Shaw, Dr. Spock, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Olympic star Carl Lewis… to name a few. Actually, the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras was vegetarian, and until the mid-19th century, people who abstained from meat were known as “Pythagoreans.” I think we vegans are in good company…”

Some facts to consider include:
-the advances of many cancer cells can be stopped and reversed by sticking to a vegan diet (shown in the China Study)
-vegan athletes report surges in stamina, speed, reflex sharpness, strength and significantly shorter healing times between workouts
-only 2% of vegans are obese, compared to 30% of the general population (over 60% of which are considered overweight)
-vegetarians have a 50% lower risk of developing heart disease than meat eaters
-vegetarians have a 40% lower cancer rate
-vegetarians have the lowest rates of coronary disease
-every meat, egg and dairy eater also consumes antibiotics, steroids, saturated fat, cholesterol, feces, uric acid and pus… does that sound healthy???

Lori Zito is an animal-loving, life-loving vegan who is passionate about spreading the message of better health through a vegan diet. She works as a certified holistic health and nutrition coach, a yoga instructor, and a physical therapist. Learn more at her website Live In The Balance and follow her on Facebook or Twitter@LoriZito.

Read Dear Ego of Dr. Ignorant

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