- Choose quality over quantity. Subconsciously we know which foods are good for us. For example, nobody would confuse donuts to be healthy food. But the same number of calories eaten as broccoli is far healthier.
- Do not seek a wide variety of foods. you should select limited varieties of healthy balanced meals and majority of times, choose from these foods. Preplanning is always good. When you are hungry, it is hard to make the right choices especially when mind-boggling variety of super tempting foods are available.
- Avoid hyper-palatable food. We are not strangers to hyper palatable foods. One of my favorite place to get these foods are in State Fairs when I used to live in Kansas, I would take three days off from work to visit the fair so that I could sample all varieties of fried and not good-for-you treats. I love freshly fried Potato chips. It’s hot, It’s delicious, it is salty. And hits the spot, It becomes a vicious cycle. It’s just like listening to loud music. Initially, the music is loud but after a few hours, the same volume of sound is not that loud. This is exactly what happens when we keep on eating super delicious foods. After a few days, you will crave more delicious foods and, delicious foods have a high amount of fat and sugar in them.
- Eat less calorie-dense foods. If you are eating exact same number of calories in the form of donut vs. Broccoli, which one do you think will take you longer? I would suspect broccoli. Broccoli will occupy a larger volume in your stomach, therefore, keeping you full longer. There is a limit to this trick so I would recommend combining high-volume low-calorie foods with a good source of protein and healthy fats.
- Include foods with plenty of fiber in your diet. This is easier said than done. easy ways to include fiber in your diet is to include beans, lentils, and fresh green vegetables.
- Protein is satisfying. In general, a vegetarian diet is not considered a high-protein diet. But there are several options that one can choose from vegetarian foods which can be high in protein. For example, Paneer which is Indian cottage cheese has high protein but a low amount of fat. Beans and lentils are good sources of protein and they are quite satisfying.
- Plan what you will eat when you get hungry. When very hungry, healthy foods suddenly become unappetizing.
- Watch your portion of food.
- Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates in the evening.
- When in doubt, drink a few cups of water. Many times the hunger signal is not actually hunger but in fact thirst.
Why we started this blog
Bvegetarian blog
This is a blog where we share our thoughts, experiences, and recipes for vegetarian cooking.
We know each other since we have been 5 years old and now we are in our early 50s.
Prabhakar became a gastroenterologist, and trained at Harvard while Kumar went on to have a glorious career in the Indian army and retired as a colonel!
Despite an explosion of cooking shows and fancy ingredients, unfortunately, home cooking has not seen a resurgence.
Stoves are getting fancier, ovens are getting artificial intelligence, and toasters surf the web but the overall health of the public is not getting better.
One easy way to get to and keep healthy is to start cooking vegetarian meals at home!
No one needs a thousand recipes or a hundred recipes if we master the basics of cooking which include selection, prepping, and applying appropriate cooking methods to bring out the flavors and nutrition.
Traditional foods have a history, they are tried and tested. They have stood the test of time. How can we argue against the simplicity and wholesomeness of rice and beans? Corn tortillas or wheat Rotis paired with beans or dal?
TV shows have made us believe that unless the food is gourmet it’s not worth eating. Simple foods are often the best.
Disclaimer
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Introduction: By Col. G. Kumar
At the very outset my sincere thanks to my childhood buddy and classmate, the good doc, Prabhakar Swaroop, who has given me the confidence and opportunity to pen down my thoughts on this very interesting and relevant topic of the sheer joy of being a vegetarian.
Being a veteran of the Indian army I have indeed faced the challenges of the service not only related to combat operations but also very many times on the logistics front of feeding the troops in adverse conditions. After all, didn’t the famous French general Napoleon rightly say “An army marches on its stomach”
My being a vegetarian, to be honest, was simply due to my being born in a family of vegetarians. My being an army man, as a matter of honour was a choice of arms I preferred over a few other jobs I got as a fresh graduate some three decades or so ago. But remaining a vegetarian throughout my life, despite the many opportunities in service and dare I say even compulsion for sheer survival has been indeed a conscious decision I took never to regret.
By and by I shall keep sharing my two cents, I mean my thoughts, for whatever it’s worth as I am a diehard and staunch advocate for going veg. Just like that famous jingle of a soft drink called 7up: just cool and light and easy. More of it in my next flow of thoughts
Au revoir
Jai Hind
15 Reasons for being a vegetarian
I think there are two varieties of vegetarians, those who will and have never eaten dead animals and then there are those who will eat small amounts of meat from time to time. Choosing not to eat meat can be difficult for many reasons. We do not live in a time where we must procure our own meat by killing it. I suspect if we were to be transported to a time where we must procure our own meat a large majority of us will have to reduce the amount of meat we eat.
I have noticed that some vegetarians and vegans walk around feeling important and more worthy than meat eaters. It’s a personal choice and I do not think by choosing to eat meat you automatically become a worse person that those who are vegetarians. I have eaten meat in the past and do occasionally enjoy smoked salmon with cream cheese on a nice, toasted bagel.
There may be ethical reasons to not eat animals but on the other hand, our ancestors were shrewd hunters. We as humans are in this position on top of the food chain because our meat-eating ancestors were able to get dense caloric foods in meat and fats with the help of fire. We should be in gratitude to those ancestors so that we can now choose not to eat meat. Numerous cave paintings depict hunting scenes.
Here are the 15 reasons to eat vegetables over meat!
- You can retire sooner. On average, meat products are more expensive than vegetables.
- You will get plenty of fiber when you eat beans and lentils. Happy morning!!
- Health benefits like reduced cancer risks.
- Leaner body weight.
- You don’t need to store your fresh fruits, vegetables, and your dried beans in a fridge. Great perk if you are a “prepper”!
- Imagine a beef smoothie for breakfast.
- Chutneys and Achars! Need I say more?
- Your foods are wonderfully aromatic.
- Can reheat vegetarian meals in a microwave without getting that weird reheated chicken smell.
- Fewer carbon emissions
- It’s easy to get meat substitutes nowadays.
- Live longer.
- Cleaning is far easier.
- Can you imagine Mark Whatney in the movie “The Martian” eating growing farm animals instead of potatoes? No possibility of that happening!
- Despite not having the genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, meat-eating has been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
How to effortlessly add more fiber to your diet.
When we think of fiber, then naturally comes to mind. In fact, fiber is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of fiber. beans and lentils are also excellent sources of fiber. You can divide fiber into two broad categories which are soluble fibers and insoluble fibers.
Fiber helps us in many ways. It increases the stool bulk thereby helping us avoid constipation and it also promotes the growth of good bacteria which can help with our gut immune system as well as improve many aspects of our mental, and cardiovascular as well as reduce the risk of colorectal cancers.
One question I get from many patients is where to get fiber from. Our modern diet has become so devoid of fiber that the average American diet gets only 9 gm of fiber per day. One thing to remember is one gram of fiber will lead to 5 grams of stool and we hope to achieve about 250 gm of stool on a daily basis so that we can avoid constipation. Many of our health societies recommend between 25 to 35 gm of fiber per day.
Let’s discuss how not to add fiber but how to avoid not having enough fiber in our diet. A diet rich in animal proteins will naturally have low fiber content. Though animal muscle has fiber, it’s not the same as plant fiber. Plant fiber is mostly cellulose and a few other varieties of fiber. I will discuss soluble fiber as well. This is not the same variety of fiber as you find in plant roughage. When your diet is not naturally plant-rich, you will need to supplement with additional fiber like psyllium husk or wheat bran. On the other hand, if you are consuming a “vegetarian diet” but are in fact eating highly processed foods like foods made of refined flour, cookies, cakes as well as sweetened carbonated beverages you are not getting enough fiber.
It’s a common belief that foods high in fiber are not naturally palatable, and to a certain extent, it’s true. I am yet to see a person who has a broccoli or kale problem. One easy way to add fiver naturally to your diet without much effort is to reduce the amount of hyper-palatable foods in your diet. These foods which have been designed to be addictive reduce the desire to eat green leafy vegetables. Once our palate gets used to these fatty, sweet, salty treats why we will want to eat kale salad?
- Start adding fiber to your diet starting from your breakfast.
- Eat Salad with green leafy vegetables dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add chopped fruits for sweetness and chopped nuts for texture. After you have eaten the salad, then consume whatever you have on your plate.
- Cooking does not reduce the fiber content but you can consume larger amounts of cooked vegetables thereby increasing the daily fiber intake.
- There is no shame in eating cooked vegetables for breakfast. It does not have to be a blueberry muffin.
- Read labels if you are consuming packaged foods. Foods that are labeled high fiber are not necessarily high fiber. Look at the nutrition fact label. One way to look at it would be calories per gm of fiber. It doesn’t make sense to eat a packaged good that has 250 calories but has 3 gm of fiber.
- Avoid sweetened beverages, they have no fiber. High calorie with no fiber is not a good deal for your health.
- Save the best ‘tasting’ course on your plate for the last. Eat the vegetables first so that you are not tempted to not eat them after you have finished the delicious pasta dish. One added advantage is that your stomach will be fuller after the vegetables and you are less likely to go for seconds.
- When in doubt, add over the counted fiber to your diet. Use as per instructions on the label. For further information about these fibers head to this page: “How to add additional fiber to your diet.”
- Drink plenty of water. Fiber needs water to be effective.
Vegetarian foods and restaurants
How to navigate through restaurant menus for vegetarian eating?
Animal products can sneak into your food in various forms. Here I am making exceptions for dairy products. Many of the foods that you will eat will have eggs or animal fat in them. I found to my dismay that refried beans contains beef lard and here I was eating steamed rice and canned refried beans thinking that I am doing good. Till, I read the label. I still think refried beans are delicious but since then, I have found brands of refried beans that do not contain animal fat and I enjoy them with a dash of hot sauce.
- Ask the server
- Choose steamed rice over fried rice. Many fried rice preparations will have a small amount of eggs.
- Look into the vegetarian selection! Many menus do contain a choice of entrée. It will be either fish, meat or a vegetarian option. I get a portabella sandwich if available.
- Desserts: This can be tricky. Many of the baked items have eggs. Generally, I will go for ice cream or a bowl of fresh fruit. I would occasionally drizzle a little bit of local honey if available over my fruits to satisfy my sweet tooth.
- Request the chef: Many a time the chef will quickly whip up a dessert for you if you ask before the meals are underway
- Salads: Salads are not always vegetarian. Some have a bit of bacon, anchovies, boiled eggs, or even chicken or fish. It would be wise to assemble your salad if you are a salad bar.
- Look through the menu before going to the restaurant. Almost all restaurants have their menus available online.