Help! A Vegetarian's Coming to Dinner

[Guest guest]

By Diana Mathias

Epoch Times Los Angeles Staff

Dec 15, 2007

 

 

 

Most vegetarians do not expect an entire meal to be made just for them, but they will appreciate it if you graciously make an effort to provide a few choices such as fruit, basic vegetable dishes, baked potatoes, and hearty whole wheat bread. (Photos.com)

 

A holiday tradition―the family gathers at your house for feasting and festivities. But this year someone is bringing a friend (Always welcome, the more the merrier) who is vegetarian (What?! What can I cook?). Here are a few suggestions to return you to the "Always welcome, the more the merrier" frame of mind. First, know that from my experience most vegetarians do not expect to be served an entire meal just made for them. They know their diet is a personal choice and don't expect everyone else to follow it. So just by making an effort to offer something especially for them you are doing something very gracious. Second, find out what level of "vegetarianism" they are at. Do they eat fish, do they eat dairy products, or are they vegan (no eggs, milk, or cheese)? Third, look over your traditional menu for available dishes that don't have meat in them. Cranberry sauce is a good start, as well as corn, sweet potatoes, and other basic vegetable dishes. Just let each person apply their own butter if the guest is vegan. Note that mashed potatoes are suitable for someone who eats milk and butter but not for a vegan. Another dish that doesn't meet the vegan's requirements is the green bean casserole if it is made with cream of mushroom soup that has milk in it, but it is a good selection for a regular vegetarian. Pumpkin pie is another vegetable food, good for all except those who don't eat dairy products. (And yes, you can serve mincemeat. We eat it in the U.S., and it does not really contain meat.) Once you have determined which of your regular foods are edible for your guest, you can decide what else you'd like to have to fill out their meal. Now the challenge comes. You can look up recipes, for instance from Moosewood Restaurants at moosewoodrestaurant.com, and order cookbooks, too. Or you can look at the recipes on the bag or box of rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, etc. But one caution―cooking with unfamiliar grains can result in disastrous failures which are really inedible. It's best to try the recipe a week or so before the holiday meal, just in case. If you decide not to get that adventurous and not to cook, here's another way to include all your guests' preferences in a delicious meal. Buy already-prepared vegetarian food and warm it up while you are doing other cooking. In health food stores there are many frozen vegetarian selections you can buy ahead of time. Or you can call a vegetarian restaurant and order the food to go. Pick it up, heat it in your oven, and serve along with all your traditional food. But one note, people who are not vegetarian can get very brave under these circumstances and want to try this food when it is offered in this safe setting, so you may find that it goes much faster than you'd expect. It is a good idea to order extra so more than just the one vegetarian can eat it. With these tips I wish you a festive, fulfilling holiday, presented in the true spirit of "the more, the merrier." You can search for local vegetarian restaurants on the internet. One site I've found is vegdining.com.

Peter H

 

 

Blake Wilson <mbw Sent: Thursday, 13 December, 2007 4:00:29 PM Re: En: NOTMILK - Top Reasons NOT To Be Vegetarian

 

 

weston pricers are a kooky bunch that's attractive to people because it comes with a "philosophy" of sorts that they can use to justify eating animals (all parts, by the way) yet remain committed (in a convulted way) to ecology, organic farming, health, etc.

 

they are based in washington DC yet claim to not be a lobby for the meat and dairy industry, which is funny. actually, to give them an inch of credit, they are opposed to factory farming, big animalculture, etc. but i think that's just to satisfy their guilt!

 

my sister in law is one, and it's amazing: we'll sit down to eat at a restaraunt (always a challenge for me) and she will order the bacon cheeseburger and argue that it's healthy, and that's how "nature" intended us to eat (they are heavily into some weird interpretation of what human nature and tradition consists of) because "look at all the healthy indigenous populations that eat only lard and animal fat". eh?

 

blake

 

You have to wonder about the mentality and sanity of these people,and their listeners.Jo@gro ups.com, yarrow wrote:>> Yeah, they have rants on their website by people> claiming to be former vegans and vegetarians with> lots of warnings about how dangerous it is, and> how they saved themselves in time. They do to> nutrition what karlrove did to politics. Several> hosts on that radio station are fans of this> dreck.>>> At 1:08 PM -0800 12/12/07, fraggle wrote:> you haven't heard from the folks at weston price then.....>> a local radio station has a show where the host is a huge fan ofem...>> pretty sickening>> -----Original

Message-----> jo> Dec 12, 2007 10:39 AM> @gro ups.com> Re: En: NOTMILK - Top Reasons NOT To BeVegetarian>> Surely these have been swapped. I have never> heard any of these said about meat eating being> healthier than vegetable eating.>> Jo>> -> <cordeiropasc oalSilas Cordeiro Pascoal> To:> <veg-brasil@ ...>veg-brasil@. ..> ;> <@gro ups.com>@gro ups.com> ;> <alimentos_ inteligentes@ ...>alimentos_inteligen tes Wednesday, December 12, 2007 11:34 AM> En: NOTMILK - Top Reasons NOT To Be Vegetarian>>>> cohensmilk1 <<cohensmilk1@ ...>cohensmilk1@ ...> escreveu:>> Para: <notmilk@ .com>notmilk@ .com> De: "cohensmilk1" <<cohensmilk1@ ...>cohensmilk1@ ...>> Data: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:12:58 -0000> Assunto: NOTMILK - Top Reasons NOT To Be Vegetarian>> Top Reasons NOT To Be

Vegetarian>> Over the 14 years that I have been lecturing,> writing columns, and attending health conferences,> I've been witness to ten major myths promoted> by various anti-vegan groups such as the dairy> industry, meat industry, Weston Price Lost-and-> Foundation, and <http://www.mercola. idiot>www.mercola. idiot.>> THE TEN MYTHS>> 1) Meat eaters have lower rates of heart disease> than do vegetarians.>> 2) Meat eating men make for better lovers because> they have higher rates of the male sex hormone.>> 3) Meat eaters have lower rates of all of the> major diseases than do vegetarians.>> 4) Vegetarians have higher mortality rates than> meat eaters.>> 5) A vegetarian diet is not appropriate for a> pregnant woman or

nursing mother.>> 6) Children born to vegetarians are smaller> than children born to meat eaters.>> 7) Meat eaters obtain more vitamins and nutrients> than vegetarians, because the animals they eat also> consume vegetables.>> 8) It is a proven fact that vegetarians have higher> rates of heart disease than meat eaters.

>> 9) Meat eaters have lower rates of diabetes than> do vegetarians.>> 10) Meat eaters have lower rates of breast cancer than> do vegetarians.> ____________ _________ _________ _______>> ONE BY ONE, LET'S DISPEL THOSE MYTHS> ____________ _________ _________ _______>> 1) Meat eaters have lower rates of heart disease> than do vegetarians.>> "Significant atherosclerosis is rare in peoples> whose diet over the life span is predominantly> vegetarian and low in calories, total lipids,> saturated lipids and cholesterol.">> Nutrition and Athersclerosis by Louis Katz. 1958> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 2) Meat eating men make for better lovers because> they have higher rates of the male sex hormone.>> "The study measured testosterone levels

in 696> Oxford University men. Of the study participants,> 233 were vegan (ate no animal products) and 237> were vegetarian (ate milk and dairy products).> The remaining 237 subjects were men who ate meat> on most days of the week...vegans had higher> testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat> eaters.">> British Journal of Cancer, 83(1), July 2000> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 3) Meat eaters have lower rates of all of> mankind's major diseases than do vegetarians.>> "Scientific data suggest positive relationships> between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for> several chronic degenerative diseases and conditions,> including obesity, coronary artery disease,> hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and some> types of cancer.">> Journal of American Dietetic Association, 11/97, 97(1)>

____________ _________ _________ ________>> 4) Vegetarians have higher mortality rates than> meat eaters.>> "Vegetarians often have lower mortality rates> from several chronic degenerative diseases than> do non vegetarians.">> British Medical Journal, 1996; 313> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 5) A vegetarian diet is not appropriate for a> pregnant woman or nursing mother.>> "Vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of the> life cycle, including during pregnancy and lactation.">> Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;59(suppl) :1176S-1181S.> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 6) Children born to vegetarians are smaller> than children born to meat eaters.>> "Vegan diets can meet the nutrient and energy needs> of pregnant women. Birth weights of infants born> to well

nourished vegetarian women have been shown> to be similar to birth-weight norms and to birth> weights of infants of non vegetarians.">> Pediatrics. 1989;84> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 7) Meat eaters obtain more vitamins and nutrients> than vegetarians, because the animals they eat also> consume vegetables.>> "Vegetarian diets offer disease protection benefits> because higher concentration of antioxidants such> as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals.">> Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;63(suppl)> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 8) It is a proven fact that vegetarians have higher> rates of heart disease than meat eaters.>> "Mortality from coronary artery disease is lower in> vegetarians than in non vegetarians.">> British Medical Journal, 1994; 308>

____________ _________ _________ ________>> 9) Meat eaters have lower rates of diabetes than> do vegetarians.>> "Type 2 diabetes mellitus is less likely to be a> cause of death in vegetarians than non vegetarians.">> Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;48(suppl)> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> 10) Meat eaters have lower rates of breast cancer than> do vegetarians.>> "Breast cancer rates are lower in populations that> consume plant based diets.">> American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures, 1994> ____________ _________ _________ ________>> Real science overwhelmingly supports the conclusion> that a plant-based diet make for healthier people.>> Robert Cohen> http://www.notmilk.

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