You want to become a vegetarian but you want a vegetarian diet filled with a variety of fun, diverse, and nutritional foods. Maybe you sometimes feel like you're cutting out a lot of options since you decide to become a vegetarian or vegan. In this article you will learn how much variety you can get in your new vegetarian diet - perhaps even more than your meat-eating days!
By substituting soy products like tofu or textured vegetable protein (TVP) or wheat gluten (seitan, available in health food or Oriental markets), you can get great protein and chewy texture in your favorite vegetarian recipes. Beans are great in casseroles or chili. Chickpeas, split peas, haricot, lentils (red, green or brown), and kidney beans all have great health benefits. Many raw foods such as nuts and seeds are available both in and out of the shell, whole, halved, sliced, chopped, raw, or roasted. Cashews, peanuts, walnuts, almonds are some easy-to-find favorites. Sunflower and sesame seeds are excellent vegetarian foods for spicing up salads and other vegetable dishes. They're quick energy pick-ups and healthier than a mid-day sugar boost.
As a vegetarian, you also have your choice of vegetarian ethnic dishes Mexican, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Thai, Middle Eastern and the list goes on. Pasta marinara, bean burritos, tacos, pizza, vegetable soups, whole grain bread and muffins, sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, stir-fries, all types of salad, veggie burgers with fries, beans and rice, even egg-less pancakes. There are also foods for those who want to eat a vegan, raw, or organic diet. Even those who have celiac disease, are lactose-intolerant, or have food allergies will find good vegetarian foods to suit their restricted diet.
The freezer sections of most big grocery stores or health food stores or natural food stores carry an assortment of vegetarian convenience foods such as veggie bacon, vegeburgers, and vegetarian hot dogs and breakfast sausages. Start buying some of these foods and sampling them. I guarantee you will find some that you will absolutely love.
Vegetarian Diets
