There are several types of vegetarian diets. A vegan diet is the strictest form of vegetarian diet. A true committed vegan will not even eat honey, because they come from bees, a vegan will not eat any animal products even eggs are off limits. A vegan eats only plant products only. A lacto vegetarian not only eats plants but also eat dairy products. An ovo vegetarian eats eggs as well as plants. Pesco vegetarians not only eat plant products but also include fish in their diet. A vegetarian diet is low in fat and cholesterol and free of hormones and drugs often used in raising meat. Since vegetarians stop eating most if not all animal products, animal products that contain most of the important nutrients needed for the human body, vegetarians have to get these important nutrients from plant products.
Protein In A Vegetarian Diet
The biggest concern for a vegetarian diet is to get enough protein. Dairy products, eggs, and fish supply sufficient amounts of good quality protein, but a vegan must plan his or her diet carefully so they get enough protein. Plant products like grains, nuts, and dried beans are a good source of protein. Amino acids are long chains of proteins; in all there are 20 amino acids that make up over 100,000 proteins in the human body. 11 of these 20 amino acids can be made in the body, so it is not necessary to include them in the diet. The other 9 amino acids are essential amino acids, because they must be included in the diet in order for the body to make all the proteins needed. Complete proteins are any food protein that contains all nine essential amino acids. Proteins found in meat, poultry, seafood, milk, milk products, and eggs are complete proteins. Incomplete proteins mean that one or more of the essential amino acids is either missing or is not present in high concentration. Plant foods like dried legumes, grains, nuts and seeds contain incomplete proteins. Soybeans, quinoa, and amaranth are unusual among grains and legumes, because they contain complete proteins. The trick to getting enough protein in a plant only diet, or vegetarian diet, is to eat a balance of these foods each day so that amino acids missing from one of these foods is supplied by the other. These proteins that complement each other are called complementary proteins.
How To Include Complementary Proteins In A Vegetarian Diet
It is very important for vegetarian to pair their food wisely.
- Dried legumes and grains.
- Dried legumes and seeds and nuts.
- Grains and milk products.
The three food pairings I listed above are useful in getting complementary proteins in a vegetarian diet.
Vitamins And Calcium
A vegetarian diet along with proteins, need to get other nutrients daily that are normally obtained through eating animal products.
- Vitamin B12: vitamin B12 is found only in animal products like milk and eggs. A vegan must get this vitamin by eating grain foods, like breakfast cereals that have this vitamin added to it, or a vegan will just have to take vitamin supplements. Lacto vegetarians and Ovo vegetarians usually eat enough dairy products and eggs to get enough vitamin B12 in their diet.
- Vitamin D: vitamin D can be found in vitamin D fortified milk and is created in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. A vegan that does not get enough exposure to sunlight can get vitamin D from vitamin-fortified cereals or a soy beverage.
- Calcium: calcium can be found in abundance in dairy products, but a vegan can get calcium from eating green leafy vegetables and dried legumes. They can also get calcium supplements or drink calcium-fortified beverages.
Dried Legumes
Dried legumes consist of dried beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts and are a good source of proteins for a vegetarian diet. Dried soybeans are very high in protein, but can take hours to cook and when cooked do not taste that well, you can eat dried soy beans without cooking them.
Soy Products
Soy products are an important source of protein to a vegetarian diet.
- Soy milk: made by soaking dried soybeans, draining them, grinding them, combining them with water, boiling, and then straining the milky liquid. Plain soymilk and flavored soymilk are available.
- Tofu: made by curdling soymilk, the same way cheese is made by curdling dairy products. It looks like a soft white cake with a mild, slightly bean flavor, you can also use tofu in sauces. Tofu is available in different types packed in water in sealed packages; as long as the tofu package is not open it will keep long.
- Japanese Silken Tofu: it is a softer type of tofu; the curd of silken tofu is not pressed to remove moisture. Silken tofu has the most delicate texture and also the mildest flavor of all the tofu. You can eat it cold with a dipping sauce.
- Japanese cotton tofu: firmer than the silken tofu, you can deep-fry this tofu.
- Chinese firm tofu: the firmest of all the tofu and has the coarsest texture. You can fry, stir-fry, grill, bake in casseroles, simmer in stews, or put it on skewers. Before frying, marinating, or stewing tofu remove the extra moisture from the tofu so the tofu can absorb the flavors you are trying to use with them.
- Making A Firmer Tofu
to make tofu firmer and less likely to break apart when cooked, press it between something with paper towels around to get the moisture out of the tofu, then deep fry the tofu until it has a golden color, or you can drop it in a simmering water for about 5 minutes.
- Tempeh: a fermented soybean product originating in Indonesia, it is not only made with soybeans but is also made from soy plus grains like barley, millet and rice. Tempeh is sold in cakes and has a dense, meaty texture; you can braise, sauté, or stir-fry tempeh.
- Bean paste/Miso: a paste made from fermented soybeans, it can sometimes include wheat, rice, or barley. They have different kinds of miso like light, sweet, salty and robust. White miso is the lightest; it is yellow with a sweet flavor and soft, moist texture. Red miso is brown or reddish brown, salty and fuller in flavor, it can be smooth or chunky, red miso can be used in soups. Hatcho miso is the thickest, darkest, strongest tasting miso, it is dark brown and thick enough to cut, kind of like fudge. You can also use hatcho miso in soups.
- Textured Vegetable Protein or TVP: made from defatted soy flour, processed and dried to give it a spongelike texture. You can get TVP unflavored or flavored to taste like different kinds of meat. To make TVP, mix with water, let stand until softened, and then add to your recipes. TVP is high in protein, fiber and the best part it is cholesterol free.
Grains
Grains are sources of complementary proteins when eaten with legumes or dairy products. Rice is an important grain in a vegetarian diet; brown rice has more vitamin and fiber content than white rice. Other grains with good protein content are wheat, corn, bread, noodles, tortillas, farro, barley, and millet.
Nuts And Seeds
Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds are great for a vegetarian diet because they are rich in protein, but high in fat.