For Those Trying
to Identify Food Allergies or Intolerance’s
Table of Vegetarian
Sources of Protein
*To lose fat and look better
*To get healthier
*To feel better
*To gain muscle
*To control your sweet tooth cravings
Changing lifestyle habits is sometimes more difficult than some people
imagine. Our North American dietary
habits are especially difficult to change.
Why? Because fat and grease and
carbohydrates and sugar TASTE GREAT.
The reality is that it’s those very same things that make us a very sick
culture. It is an excess of these very
foods that is responsible for the epidemics of heart disease, cancer, and
osteoporosis. We need to learn to
appreciate foods that are not processed, do not contain animal derived fats and
we need to decrease and balance the
excess carbohydrates we consume with healthy forms of protein so that we
balance hormonal levels in our bodies.
Balanced hormonal levels will reduce hunger soon after eating a full
meal and avoid hypoglycemic incidents that many people experience.
Eating should be a pleasure, it should be a time of sharing and
celebration of life. Too often we see
it as an inconvenient necessity and we don’t take care to plan meals or to be
sure that our meals are balanced and nutritious. Changing to a healthier, more balanced diet is often quite a
shock for most people, the food is different, the portions are different, the
taste is different. You’ll crave things
for about a week and then all that goes away and the new system becomes habit,
you integrate it into your life and you learn more about healthy
alternatives. The key when attempting
to change dietary habits is to be patient with yourself and if you “cheat” one
day, remember that the next day is a new day and you can start fresh then. Gradually you will “cheat” less and eating
whole, live, healthy foods will simply become a natural part of your routine.
Accept that this is a life long habit change. The rewards in terms of health,
energy and peace of mind in the long term are worth the hard work that you will
need to put in in the short term.
Where We Are Coming From
Modern food processing and presentation leaves out many of essential
nutrients, our soils are depleted and our fresh fruits and vegetables are
sprayed with poisons. We eat too much
non-nutrients like fried foods, pop, coffee and we consume many forms of animal
fat, much more than we need. This
results in the consumption of too little nutritious foods. We want convenience, fast food, we’re busy
and don’t want to think about what we put in our mouths. No wonder many of the diseases we see today
in North America can be traced back to malnutrition and a deficit of many
essential nutrients. Simply
supplementing with a multivitamin often results in great improvement for many
people. The standard diet proposed by
most dietitians, heart and diabetic specialists is based on the idea that we
should get 70% of our daily calories from carbohydrates. The rest of the diet
should be 15% from protein and 15% from Fat. Some even get that fat percentage
down to 10%. Each day the average North
American consumes: 450 mg of
cholesterol, 10-15 mg of fiber and 3500-6500 mg of sodium. ½ of the total calories in the diet come
from simple sugars and the other ½ comes from carbohydrates.
· This is a NON-DEPRIVATIONAL eating plan. If you get
hungry, eat. Then figure out what you ate
too much of or too little
of at your last meal to cause you to be hungry too soon
· Fats
should be mono-unsaturated whenever possible. Avoid hydrogenated oils such
as margarine or vegetable
oils. Use extra virgin olive oil or clarified
butter. Supplement with flax oil ( 3
tbsp) each day (do not heat flax oil)
·
Eat sufficient
protein for your body's needs, no more, no less. Exactly how much is
determined by your lean
body mass and your
activity level. Your health care
practitioner can help you to calculate this number.
· Eat
protein with low levels of saturated fat such as fish, chicken, turkey,
extra-lean cuts of beef or ham, tofu,
egg whites, and low-fat dairy products.
· Eat more fish. At least 3-4 times per week.
Eat deep ocean, cold water fish such as salmon, ocean char, halibut,
haddock, cod, sole, pollock, herring, sardines and trout (not an ocean fish but
acceptable - try to get wild trout rather than farmed trout).
· Eat carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. The list is
quite long and includes most fruits and vegetables but excludes pasta, bread, potatoes, and starchy vegetables. And remember, with this way of eating you will probably be eating less than
half of the carbohydrates that you normally eat, so it is recommended that you
avoid breads and pastas and focus on fruit and vegetables.
· Drink water mostly away from meals. So as not to dilute digestive enzymes. Moderate amount of tea or warm water OK with
meals. Be sure to get at least 8
glasses of pure water a day, herbal teas unsweetened juices and coffee
substitutes are also options
· Eat
within one hour of waking and have a Zone-favorable snack before a workout
and before bedtime.
· Eat Food in the proper macro Nutrient ratio - The 'Block'
· NEVER
go more than 4 or 5 hours without eating. Don't eat more than 6 blocks of
food at any meal.
· Eat small meals more frequently throughout the day, and avoid heavy
meals late in the day to ease digestive function
· East mostly what is local and in season. In summer:
local fruits and vegetables eaten raw (as in salads), versus in winter
cook local fruits (cooked apples/peaches/pears with cinnamon) and vegetables
(such as root ones like potato and carrot, or squash)
· Wash all produce and grains very well before
eating with a mild solution of lemon juice and water.
· Maximize live, whole fresh, organic, home-cooked
foods with variety.
· Enjoy meal time - a time to be thankful for
abundance, a time for resting and sharing
· Eat slowly and chew well
· Most of all, be moderate.
Good foods are; foods with a low glycemic index, and foods heavy in
monounsaturated fats. Some specific
good foods:
Salmon and other fish
Fresh fruits and organic vegetables
Olives and olive oil
Almonds and other raw nuts
Sesame seeds, pumpkin
seeds, sunflower seeds (all raw)
Avocado and of course,
guacamole
Dark green leafy
vegetables: collards, swiss chard,
kale, watercress, dandelion greens
Sprouted grains, sprouted
beans (mung, alfalfa, fenugreek, buckwheat and wheat), sprouted seeds
Unsweetened yogurt, kefir,
cottage cheese
Raw honey
Seasonings: chives, garlic, parsley, bay, basil, sage,
thyme, savory. Kelp and vegetable
seasonings. Lots of cayenne, ginger,
horseradish.
Soy cheese
Rice milk or soy milk
Soy meats, burgers, franks
TVP
Wild rice, quinoa
Eggs
Foods with a high glycemic index (things that you digest quickly) like
fruit juices or rice cakes, food heavy
in polyunsaturated fats or saturated fats, and foods high in arachidonic
acid Some specific foods to avoid or
eat in moderation only:
Fatty cuts of red meat
(high in saturated fats)
Organ meats - liver, kidney,
etc. (high in arachidonic acid)
Egg yolks (high in
arachidonic acid)
Pasta (high glycemic index)
Juices (high glycemic
index)
Rice, especially rice cakes
(high glycemic index)
Bread (including whole
wheat, white, muffins, bagels, cookies, crackers)
Refined white sugar
Processed foods
Fried foods
Coffee
Carbonated pop
Chemical additives, esp MSG
and HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein)
Dairy (cheese and commercial milk)
Sulfured, dried fruit
Prepared, smoked, fried, salted or
processed meats.
Cotton seed oil
Margarine and shortening
Roasted and salted nuts
Salt
· Avoid wheat, corn and highly glutinous grains (oats, barley, rye). This includes bread, cereal,
pasta, muffins, etc.
· Avoid dairy.
Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream.
Try unsweetened soy milk instead.
· Avoid the
following vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes.
We’ll have sample meal plans up in this section soon!
1. Replace the salt in your
shaker with green spice. Grind up dried
stinging nettles, kelp, dulce for a dash of calcium and other minerals easily
in reach for each meal.
2. Have another shaker within
easy reach when preparing meals. Fill
this shaker with various types of seeds to shake into dishes. Try:
sesame, sunflower, poppy and pumpkin.
3. Create a rice medley for
more variety in your meals by buying several different types of brown
rice. Be sure that each type takes the
same amount of time to cook. Some good
types to try: purple rice, short grain
rice, black rice.
4. When you buy tofu,
be sure that the processing ingredient has been some kind of calcium, this way
it is a very good source of calcium.
5. Try keeping on
hand a good quality dressing (tahini, pesto etc) to add to the vegetables.
6. Keep ground flax
seed in your freezer to add to recipes at every opportunity.
7. Try making up huge batches
of vegetable broth and freezing it in icecube trays and then popping the cubes
into freezer bags for easy use in rice, soups
Lisa’s Famous Multigrain Porridge
Jennie’s Nappa Soup with Ginger and Fried Tofu Balls
Other Suggestions for Mid-Day Meals
Mom’s Vegetarian Lasagna Noodles
Winter Vegetable and Black Bean Curry
Doran Classic Vegetarian Chili
Boni’s Curried Red Pepper Chicken
More Suggestions for Healthy Snacks
Nana Murray’s Prize Dill Pickles
6 sliced apples and 3 sliced pears
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
raw sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp ground flax seed (buy whole flax seeds, grind a fairly large amount in the blender, put in a jar and keep in the freezer for easy use)
1 tbsp nut butter (almond, sesame, sunflower or pumpkin)
In a small saucepan add an inch of water (1/2 cup) to the fruit, cinnamon and seeds. Simmer for about 10 min. Then stir in nut butter and top with ground flax seed and Unsweetened soy milk
Sliced fruit (peach, plum, etc)
raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
Cinnamon and nutmeg
Ground flaxseed
Shredded coconut (unsweetened)
Cooked wild rice
Organic raisens
Unsweetened soymilk
Maple syrup
Mix all ingredients and enjoy.
2 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup wheat germ
½ cup wheat bran
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup raisins
½ cup honey
¼ cup crushed almonds or cashews
¼ cup oil
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
½ tbsp cinnamon
other possible additions: dried apples and/or dried cranberries (max ½ cup combined), flax seeds (1-2 tbsp), raw pumpkin seeds (crushed 1-2 tbsp), hemp seed nuts (1-2 tbps)
Blend ingredients together and bake in a lightly oiled casserole dish for 15 mins or so, turning every few minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Notes:
Heat of hemp seeds should not exceed 325 F – I mix them in just as I pull the granola out of the oven
Maple syrup can replace honey. But you’ll be missing out on the crunchy clusters.
1 cup Cooked pumpkin (not canned), you could also use squash or sweet potato
¼ cup Soymilk
1 tbsp Honey
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Nutmeg
Combine all ingredients to make a custard and bake in a pan at 350°c until gelled. Spoon out and serve with raw pumpkin seeds, ground flaxseed, soymilk, almonds etc
2 Tbsp Kasha
2 Tbsp Quinoa
4 Tbsp Millet
4 Tbsp Oatmeal (optional, contains gluten)
Grind all grains to a fine powder in a clean coffee grinder. Add water and cook over low heat until thick and soft, adding more water as needed. You may serve this with rice or soy milk, maple syrup or honey and raisins or fresh fruit. It’s a great place to hide children’s liquid vitamins, vitamin C powder and flax oil. Serves 2 for breakfast.
1. 2 egg whites poached in water, 1 piece of toast with almond butter, ¼ cup of cottage cheese.
2. Whole Eggs: whichever way you like. Try cooking them with vegetables: omelets, scrambled.
4 cups cold water or vegetable broth
1-1/2 cup rinsed and sorted green lentils
1 bay leaf
1 cup diced carrots
3 diced potatoes
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
Oregano and savory, salt and pepper to taste.
Place all ingredients in a pot and cook for 40 minutes – 3 hrs.
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 lb. rips tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 10)
6 cups vegetable stock
4 tbsp canned tomato paste
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp fresh sweet basil
1 grated potato
Measure all ingredients into large soup pot. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer slowly for 15 minutes, stirring often. Cool a bit and run through blender. Strain to remove seed if desired. Check for seasoning.
1 pound of carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
3 cups of vegetable stock
3 medium onions, peeled and halved
1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced
Vegetable oil
salt and black pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Place the carrots, bay leaf, chicken stock in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the carrots are nearly tender (approximately 15-20 minutes.)
While the carrots are simmering, sauté the onion and apple in the oil. Yes, you actually put the onion and apple in the same pan at the same time. Sauté the onion and apple until they’re both soft and golden brown. When the carrots are finished simmering, add the onion and apple. Simmer the soup until all of the vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and puree the soup in a blender or with a hand blender. Add a little lemon juice and serve immediately.
Use any vegetables that you have handy. Try: Carrots, potato, leeks, onion, garlic. Don’t use strong tasting vegetables like cabbage.
Put all vegetables in a large pot with some olive oil and a little water - let it sweat it out for an hour or so in a covered pot - be sure that there is always sufficient oil and water. Add fresh herbs.
Now fill up the pot with water and keep broth simmering until it boils down. Add more water and repeat until you are satisfied with the taste. Strain and freeze until needed.
In a big pot combine 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, a head of garlic chopped (not too fine), 2-3 leeks sliced (white and tender green), 2-3 shallots chopped and 1 onion chopped. Sauté until tender and add a little salt.
Add mushrooms, 2-3 carrots, several potatoes cut up, 1/2 oz of rutabaga or 1-2 parsnips, broccoli stems peeled are optional. Sauté a bit and add about 1/2 can tomatoes (cut up with juice). Cry white wine is optional.
Now add vegetable broth along with 1 Tbsp crushed sun dried tomatoes, 1-2 Tbsp salsa, 1 heaping Tbsp pesto. Simmer with cover off for 2-3 hours. Add more water as needed.
Now add chick peas or other beans or heads of broccoli. Simmer some more. Serve hot. Will keep in fridge and can be canned, but does not freeze well.
Preparation:
1. Rinse and chop up Nappa vegetable
2. Chop up ginger into slices (about 2 ½ tbsp)
3. Soak vermicelli noodles in cold water to soften
4. 1 bag fried soy/tofu balls halved (found in chinese grocery stores)
5. Slice up spring onions (about 2 ½ tbsp)
Method:
1. In a large soup pot gently saute ginger, salt or soy sauce and spring onions in oil of choice until the aroma is released
2. Fill up with desired abound of water (about 2L)
3. After soup is brought to a boil, throw nappa in. Bring heat down to medium and gently bring to a bol again.
4. Finally add tofu balls and vermicelli and seasonings of choice. Simmer for several minutes and serve hot.
1 cup wild rice
1 cup green lentils
2 cups corn niblets
2 sweet red peppers, roasted, peeled and diced
1 Jalapeno chile, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives or green onions
3 oz chevre (goat cheese) or feta, broken up
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1. Add rice to large pot of boiling water. Cook until tender, about 40-45 minutes. Drain well. Cool.
2. Rinse lentils and add to large pot of boiling water. Cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain well. Cool.
3. Combine rice, lentils, corn, red peppers, jalapeno, cilantro, chives, chevre and pine nuts.
4. For the dressing, combine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in oil. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Toss dressing gently with salad ingredients.
Dressing: 1 egg
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flax oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
Pinch salt and pepper
Salad: Romaine lettuce
2 cups finely shredded raw beets
2 cups finely shredded carrots
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced.
1 cup of alfalfa sprouts
handful of roasted pumpkin seeds
Beat egg in food processor or blender until foamy. With machine running add oil in a thin stream. Gently mix in remaining dressing ingredients.
Divide lettuce among 4 salad plates. Make a small mound each of beets and carrots on each plate. Arrange tomatoes and cucumbers beside the mounds. Add 1 or 2 small clumps of alfalfa sprouts per plate. Scatter pumpkin seeds over top and drizzle with dressing.
2 purple or green Kohlrabi
½ small jicama (mango and apple work well too), peeled and cut into thin strips
½ tsp salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2-3 dill sprigs, leaves chopped
1. Trim the stems, leaves, and knobs from the Kohlrabi, but do not peel them unless bruised. Cut Kohlrabi in half. Using a sharp knife, slice into very thin half moons. Grating is also satisfactory. This is terrific topped with a handful of raw pumpkin seeds.
1/2 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup finely chopped tomato
1/3 cup finely parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped mint (fresh only)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch pepper
1 tsp salt
Boil the quinoa until soft, drain and cool. Add rest of ingredients to quinoa in a bowl and mix. Serve as a side salad.
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh mixed vegetables
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 chopped red pepper
3/4 cup almonds toasted
1/2 cup raisinsh
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt
3 cups cooked brown rice
Combine first set of ingredients & toss in with the rice.
Combine second set of ingredients, pour over mixture, and toss.
Chill overnight.
Great for a summer picnic or pot-luck. Delicious warmed-up with chopped cooked chicken pieces.
Submitted by: Andrea McGilvray
1. Any of these served with a tuna salad (tuna mixed with mayonnaise or tofu mayonnaise, green onions)
2. Any of these served with egg salad
3. Leftovers from last nights supper
· In short, vegetables, meat (fish, or organic poultry) or tofu.
· Lentils cook very quickly and are easily spiced with curry or Italian spices.
· Meat and fish also cook easily. Most fish poaches in about 10 min. Steam it with vegetables, herbs, garlic etc. Bake meat or chicken in the same pot with vegetables.
· Use squash or cauliflower instead of starches like rice or potatoes.
· Include lots of dark green, leafy things
· Try including ½ an avocado as a side dish.
½ bunch of fresh collard greens
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup sesame seeds
Place all ingredients in a skillet over medium heat and stir often until collards are soft and bright green. Serve hot.
2 Yams
1 onion
3 potatoes
1 pepper squash
1/2 turnip
1 parsnip
3 carrots
Rosemary
Thyme
Water
Chop all vegetables and place in glass pan with the water and herbs. Marinate in the fridge for 8 hours. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and serve hot sprinkled with a handful of sesame seeds. Marinated tofu is very good added to this recipe after the vegetables have been cooked.
Tip:
tastes best when prepared the day before and refrigerated over night.
Also,
do not server directly from the oven.
Allow to sit for 10-15 min. so
the
juice can go back up into the noodles before serving.
1/2
clove of garlic(I use my homemade pesto)
2
tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/2
tsp. salt
1/2
tsp. dried oregeno
1/2
tsp. sweet basil(If you use pesto you already have the basil)
1
6oz tomato paste
1
15oz tomato sauce or can of tomatoes
1/4
cup of water
1
16 oz container of ricotta or cottage cheese
pepper
1
lb. mozzarella
1/2
cup parmesan
spinach
broccoli
tvp
-cook
noodles
-make
sauce(I don't really use these quantities, it would make a very little
sauce,
but it gives you an idea of what kinds of quantities you need),
simmer
for 15 min.
-wash
spinach and clean away stocks etc, was and cut broccoli
-combine
cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. parsley, salt and pepper and 1/4 of the
mozzarella
-layer
in pan, first sauce, then noodles,
cottage cheese mixture, spinach,
mozarella,
then start again. finish with sauce,
dot a piece of brocolli on
each
serving, and add the last of the mozarella, sprinkle with parmesan.
enjoy!
1 cup whole mung beans, sorted, washed and soaked overnight
5 cups water
Spice Mixture
2 tsp garlic, minced
½ tsp salt (optional)
2 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)
1 cup tomatoes, fresh or canned without salt, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomatoe paste without salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup onions, finely diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
1. Drain, rinse and drain mung beans
2. In a large saucepan, boil drained mung beans in water for 10 minutes, skimming off any froth that forms. Lower heat slightly, cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until mung beans are tender.
3. In a bowl, assemble the spice mixture ingredients.
4. In another saucepan, heat oil and sauté onions until soft.
5.