Move to Vegetarian Meals

If you are like most families, you have an eye on your finances. One thing that will fit the bill for reducing food costs is to think about planning more vegetarian meals. Preparing meals from scratch will also save money and improve nutrition since you have control of the ingredients.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics notes that it is much cheaper in use of fuel, water and land to raise vegetable protein such as soy and legumes than animal protein such as beef, poultry and fish. Studies show from a health perspective that individuals who are vegetarian have lower rates of obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

A vegetarian diet can take different forms:

• no dairy excluding milk, yogurt, cheese and butter
• no eggs
• no animal products at all which is called vegan

How will your protein needs be met? There is protein in:

• nuts, seeds and nut/seed butters
• dried beans, dried peas, lentils
• soy products such as tofu, edamame, tempeh, and soy milk products (milk, yogurt and cheese)
• veggie burgers

Add a variety of wholesome foods to provide nourishing vegetarian meals.

• fruits and vegetables
• whole-grains and starchy vegetables such as brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole-grain pasta, sweet potatoes and green peas
• oils such as olive, grapeseed, canola, sunflower, etc.

Eating vegetarian does not necessarily mean your diet will be healthy. There are many vegetarian foods that are low in nutrients: sugary processed cereals, white flour bakery items, snack crackers and chips, candy, and desserts with loads of sugar.

If you bypass animal protein, be sure the remainder of your diet includes good choices, with a variety of plant-based protein foods throughout the day. Even kids can benefit from vegetarian meals. Research shows that children who eat a primarily vegetarian diet eat more fruits and vegetables, with fewer sweet and salty foods. That is good news.

How to move toward more plant-based meals? Perhaps start with meatless Monday dinners – that’s just one dinner a week without animal protein. Alternate breakfast options could include hot cereal topped with chopped nuts for protein. How about a hearty homemade bean soup for lunch rather than meat-based sandwich? Or chili made with soy-based crumbles to replace the ground beef.

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About the Author

Rita Smith is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She's been working in the field of nutrition and disease prevention for more than 35 years and currently works at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. Each week, Rita provides nutrition counseling to clients who have a variety of disorders or diseases including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroparesis and weight management. For these clients, food choices can help them manage their health problems.