Vegetarian Diets and Recipes

Vegetarianism is not a modern phenomenon. Indeed, as a lifestyle vegetarianism began with the Greek aesthetes and was subsequently adopted by many Romans who thought a frugal lifestyle to be beneficial to themselves and to the state.

However, through much of human history people have relied on a mainly vegetarian diet to survive. The great civilizations of central and south America also had a predominantly vegetarian diet. This actually isn't as easy as it sounds, as the human body needs to source a number of proteins from the diet. Now, one way to ensure that these proteins are gained in adequate quantities is to combine grains and beans.

This is why almost all cultures have their mix of the 'grain and bean' staple either as part of their current cuisines or as parts of their historical cuisines. In Africa, historically this was a millet pap or porridge served with a black eyed pea stew. Today it tends to be a maize-based porridge with the same beans. In Europe it was a grain-based gruel (oats, barley or wheat) with the broad (fava) beans or peas stirred into it. Asian diets had rice and dishes in which beans, if not a direct part of the meal were a condiment (soy sauce, black bean paste, yellow bean paste).

In Central and South America it was a mix of maize and beans. The interesting thing about this diet was the inclusion of chillies. Chillies both act to spice and flavour the food. However, the fresh chilli fruit are also a good source of vitamin C which is critical in a vegetarian diet as it aids in the uptake of non-haeme (ie non-blood) iron into the body.

 This may well explain why chillies spread worldwide so quickly and why they remain very important in countries and regions where meat remains, or historically was, a very small portion of the diet (Asia, the Caribbean, Africa and India).

However, you don't have to have a subsistence diet to be a vegetarian, far from it. But the rules of the subsistence diet remains in terms of eating a healthy vegetarian diet. Mix grains and beans or mushrooms to ensure you get all the necessary dietary proteins. Add nuts for proteins and essential oils and ensure you have plenty of vitamin C in the diet. Beyond these basic rules what you eat is very much limited only by your own imagination and the number of ingredients you have to hand.

Here, however, are some classic vegetarian dishes to get your started.

Chanterelle Risotto

Ingredients: 

1 small red onion, finely chopped 

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

1 tbsp finely-chopped basil leaves 

250g chanterelle mushrooms 

90g butter 

60g freshly-grated Parmesan cheese 

180g Arborio (or other risotto) rice 

150ml white wine 

450ml vegetable stock

Method:
Add half the butter to a frying pan and use this to gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and golden. Now add the basil and chanterelles and cook for a few minutes before adding the rice. Fry to coat the rice grains in the butter and continue cooking for 4 minutes before adding the wine and half the stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then cover and allow to continue cooking. Check every now and then, topping-up the liquid when the risotto becomes too dry. Continue cooking until the rice is creamy and just al dente (about 30 minutes). Add the remainder of the butter and the parmesan cheese at this point.

Cook for a few more minutes, stirring all the while then serve with crusty ciabatta and a green salad.

Chickpea and Lentil Stew

Ingredients: 

4 tbsp olive oil 

2 onions, chopped 

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

60g coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped 

140g lentils, soaked over night and drained 

450g cooked chickpeas 

4 tomatoes, chopped 

1 tsp ground cumin 

1/2 tsp dried thyme, chopped 

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 

1/4 tsp harissa 

750ml water 

60g green olives, sliced 

2 tbsp lemon juice 

salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and use to fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and coriander and fry for 3 more minutes. Now stir-in all the remaining ingredients (except the olives and lemon juice). Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water, as necessary).

Season to taste with salt and black pepper then add the olives and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes more then serve on a bed of couscous.

Dyfed Lloyd Evans is the creator of the Celtnet free recipes site where you will find hundreds of traditional and modern vegetarian recipes as well as a wide range of recipes with wild ingredients, many of which are vegetarian in nature.

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How Vegetarian Diets Can Help You Lose Weight

Trendy meal plans are frequently taken on in order to drop some weight however in recent years no-meat diets are actually increasing in attractiveness because of their noted effectiveness along with the rewards they offer for the dieter. Even though eliminating almost all based goods within your diet regime could be difficult, the extensive benefits significantly overcome any downsides. Starting every weight loss plan calls for a robust self-control in order to adhere to and a vegan diet regime will likely be no exception.
 For most people, any vegetarian diet might actually come to be simpler in order to comply with when compared with regular meal plans because they don't really currently have predetermined personal preferences for foods that they like.

Vegan practitioners get a lot of choice in what precisely they eat and should not feel trapped. Because tofu absorbs tastes so effectively it can generally be used as an awesome meat replacement without giving up any quality. Vegan practitioners can easily take pleasure in pretty much unlimited portions of nutritious foods such as whole grains, vegetables and fruit while still being able to readily shed extra pounds.
Vegan diet plans won't leave you constantly being starving such as various other diet plans. The significant benefit of this is that it increases your current probability of exceeding your weight loss target.

A lot of weight loss diet plans have a far lower success rate than a straightforward change over to a vegan diet program. People on standard diet programs often experience food cravings, diet-related depression and weakness due to a reduction in the normal intake of food that makes good results tough. Because dieters can eat normally on a vegan weight loss plan they do not put up with most of these ill effects. Since you will get stuffed on whatever plant-based food, you are able to set about your typical routines feeling powerful and empowered.

 On any diet plan you want a steady supply of nourishment to enable your whole body to function properly but vegetarian eating habits make this straightforward. A number of meal plans give the dieter the capability to drop a remarkable number of pounds in an exceedingly small amount of time. Sadly most of these weight loss plans are really detrimental and cause a great deal of problems for the dieter. On these diets, many people usually feel very unhealthy for most of the time and end up giving up the diet plan in spite of the results.
Regaining the lost weight in addition to a few supplemental pounds is a really common side effect of such eating plans.

Naturally, nobody desires these outcomes but they are not really abnormal and it doesn't appear to impact the attractiveness of the lousy meal plans. Thankfully, a vegan food plan can be a genuinely good diet that will result in maintainable fat loss instead of the common weight loss yo-yo. Beginning a vegetarian weight loss plan may very well be a life changing decision and you could actually notice that you do not hunger for animal products after some time. You'll rapidly adjust to a vegan eating routine once you notice how much healthier you feel even though the hard adjustment might not make this appear likely.
Becoming a lifelong vegan is just the trick of feeling great and healthy on daily basis.

Losing weight from a vegan healthy eating plan is really amongst the best choices in the area of dieting. Vegetarianism is a healthier long term alternative than gimmick weight loss plans though the results might take additional time to achieve. Scientific studies have demonstrated that obesity is not regarded as a common concern amongst people that follow a vegetarian weight loss plan.
The chance for acquiring life threatening medical conditions which include high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease are shown to be reduced through a vegetarian healthy eating plan.
Therefore, should you be trying to find a safe weight loss routine that will provide extensive health benefits, you should give veganism a try.

Stacey Davis has been a vegan since 2005 and is one of the foremost experts on veganism. She enjoys educating people about vegetarian diets and their positive lifestyle benefits. Learn more about Veganism For Weight Loss [http://vegetarianlifechange.com/veganism-for-weight-loss-great-diet-wrong-reason/]

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Tips to Become a Healthy Vegetarian

As more and more people start being aware of their quality of food goes into their body, the lifestyle of vegetarian is getting more attention than ever before.

What is a vegetarian?

Generally speaking, a vegetarian is a person who chose not to eat any sorts of meat, including beef, chicken, pork, or fish. However, there are many different kinds of vegetarians with different philosophies.

• Flexitarian - like a vegetarian beginner that occasionally eats meat.
• Pesci - eats daily products, eggs and fish but no other meat and poultry
• Lacto-ovo Vegetarian - No meat, but eats dairy products and eggs
• (Lacto means dairy, Ovo means eggs)
• Lacto Vegetarian - No meat, no eggs, but consumes Lacto (dairy products)
• Ovo Vegetarian - No meat, no dairy, but eats Ovo (eggs)
• Vegan -The ultimate vegetarian (I think). They don't intake any animal products including meat, dairy, eggs, gelatin nor honey.

Benefits of Being a Vegetarian

Being a vegetarian requires disciplines since we are surrounded by animal products in our food sources. But, many choose to become a vegetarian based on their commitment to their...

• Improve Overall Health
• Environmental Concern
• Natural Approach to Wellness
• Food-safety Concern
• Animal Welfare
• Weight Loss/ Weight Management

Whatever their reasons may be, it is noted that people who are plant based diet do not suffer from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity as much as meat eaters who tends to eats less fiber and too much saturated fat. Animal products contains high volume of salt, chemicals, hormone which can causes the blood to retain water and can cause plaque to build up in an arteries. So, lifestyle of vegetarian seems to be much more healthy than our modern diet..

BUT, Here Are 3 Major Challenges in Vegetarian Diet

1. Junk-Food-Eater-Vegetarians

Some vegetarians have health problems just like any others including obesity because they consume too much junk food, like soda pop, cookies, chips, French fries, too much candy bars, etc. Technically, they are not animal products, but they are nutritionally empty bulk food, high fat food that are not healthy for anyone. Walter Willett, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health says "the healthiest vegetarian diet will have a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes."

2. Lack of Protein

We need protein for our body growth, maintenance and repair our cells. Most of protein source in our food are meat, eggs, fish, dairy produce etc that are not part of vegetarian diet. But, there are many other plant based protein, such as peanut butter, tofu, almonds, beans, potato, spinach. So, just make sure there is enough protein in your diet.

3. Lack of Nutrition in our vegetables and fruits

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables itself cannot provide you nutrition necessary for your body to be nurtured any more. Nutrient content of our vegetables and fruits have greatly diminished last five decades because of mineral depletion of the soils, mass production of food, genetically modified food...For example, you only needed 2 peaches to supply woman's required vitamin A in 1951. Today, we need to eat 53 peaches to meet the same requirements. It means drinking kale smoothie is not enough! I don't think anyone can possibly have time and money to eat all produces necessary for our body to flourish. So, REAL supplementation is necessary to stay well.

Conclusion

Non-meat eating diet does not promise you to stay healthy. But, overall, living as a vegetarian can be healthy for you if you choose to stay proper vegetarian standard of consuming a lot of fresh vegetables, fruits, fibers, nuts, and protein with proper supplementation. And, remember to be moderation in all things.

The choice is yours.

Always Be In Harmony

Kazumi

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Weight Loss Secrets: Diet, Nutrition, and Healthy Living

Weight loss secrets that consist of nutrition and diet product has helped many people nurture a healthier and better lifestyle by supplying essential minerals and vitamins in the diet. Nutrition and diet is substantial for everyone, especially for runners, or for those who work hard. If you're on a diet, or you're sick, or you regularly eat fast food, you have to really pay attention to what you and your family get from the food, whether it meets the standard diet and proper nutrition for your body or not.

Nutritious diet is important for everyone because these foods provide the nutrients the body needs to stay healthy, grow, and work well. In 2005, the dietary guidelines for US citizens, introduced something called "nutrient density," a term that sounds complex but simply refers to how many nutrients are contained by a food. Nutrient density is absolutely important, especially when nutrition and health has become primary consideration.

Experts believe that the nutrients can help avoid heart attack, fight some cancers, and even slow the aging process in particular ways. And if you're like most of us, did not get enough to eat unhealthy foods, you may be trying to trick your body by providing nutritional supplements to make up for the guilt of not paying attention to your diet.

Even the best weight loss secrets will give better results when coupled with regular exercise and proper nutrition, because when people consume a healthy diet and do some exercise, they will feel better, have so more energy and more immune to health issues. Health and nutrition products can help to ensure the proper level of nutrition to be given to your body so that your body remains healthy.

Nutritious snacks can be very important to your overall health and nutrition. When you eat snack, you can fill in nutritional gaps, if you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. 
This will help you keep your mood stable, and helps suppress appetite and control weight. However, too much snacking can also be a bad thing as well, and can definitely contribute to adding some excess weight to your body. If you're searching for a major culprit in US's obesity epidemic, the majority of nutritionists will tell you to stick a poster on a wall: a picture of glass of cold, bubbly soda pop.

Good nutrition is one way to improve the body for health. As you can see, the habits of good nutritional and adequate caloric intake are very important. However, it is expected to also keep the intake at least some dairy products because they represent a lot of good sources of nutrients, such as calcium and protein. And good nutrition is synonymous with good health.

In the end, it all comes back to each of us to learn all that we can learn about these weight loss secrets, and then apply that knowledge for the good of our lives. Nutrition puts us on the path to good health, and good health is something we all want to live and be happy. 

For a more detailed information, diet, nutrition, and healthy living plans, motivation and specific weight loss secrets, please visit http://www.weightlosssecrets90.com/

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