My sister and I have been vegetarians for a long time, for both of us, it has just been a simple distaste for meat. No big thing- I won't get into some hash out of why, what everyone thinks we're missing out on- no discussion about that. What I want to do is talk about some great websites for vegetarians. In a vegetarian diet you could be missing some important vitamins and have a harder time meeting your protein intake, so it is important to make sure you fill in any gaps that might exist from not eating meat. This isn't hard- it just takes a little education and attention to what you eat and it depends on what kind of vegetarian diet you follow. Some vegetarians eat egg and dairy products while others (vegans) eat only foods from plant sources. Some of the vitamins and minerals to pay attention to are iron, zinc, vitamin D and the B vitamins, as they are found in most meats- they are also in found in many vegetables, just in smaller percentages.Some vegetarian sources for protein include: beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, soy milk and nuts - eggs and dairy products if you eat them.Sources for iron: beans, dried fruits, whole grains, leafy greens (like spinach and kale), iron-fortified cereals and bread and if you eat them- eggsSources for zinc: nuts, fortified cereals (Total is a good one), wheat germ and legumesSources for B vitamins: fortified breads and cereals, non-dairy drinks like soy, rice and hemp and if you eat dairy products and eggsReading labels is a huge help- especially when it come to fortified products like cereal.My favorite online sites: Vegetarian Times the great vegetarian magazine with online publication of recipes and advice for vegetarians and vegetable lovers. allrecipes.com with a great variety of vegetarian recipes. vegweb.com the everything veg website, recipes, coupons, shopping and articles. Molly Katzen's, the vegetarian cookbook author, website- another good resource for great recipes.Bon appetito!
