| Every family can benefit from increasing the | | | | should be easy to put together a vegetarian |
| amount of fruit and vegetables in their diet. Even | | | | menu a couple of times a week. |
| if you are not vegetarians, consider cooking a | | | | - Go easy on the higher fat foods such as |
| couple of "meat free" meals each week. People | | | | cheese. It is still possible to gain weight on a |
| who follow a vegetarian diet tend to have lower | | | | vegetarian diet if you eat the wrong foods in |
| cholesterol, stronger immune systems and are | | | | large portion sizes. Remember to check that any |
| more likely to maintain a healthy body weight. | | | | cheese you buy is vegetarian, as some cheeses |
| Here are some tips to help you make the switch: | | | | are made from animal rennet. Increase your |
| - Start with a "family favourite" recipe, such as | | | | consumption of beans and pulses in tasty stews |
| lasagna or bolognese, and modify the recipe for a | | | | and casseroles. Legumes are a good source of |
| meat free version. Remember, you don´t | | | | protein. |
| have to make the meal solely from vegetables. | | | | - If you don´t think you can miss meat out |
| Use one of the many soya-based meat | | | | of your recipes altogether, try giving up red meat |
| equivalents. | | | | instead. Switch to chicken or turkey mince in |
| - If you find the thought of cooking a vegetarian | | | | pasta sauces and burgers, as the fat content is |
| meal from scratch a little daunting, buy a couple | | | | considerable lower. |
| of supermarket ready meals first. Most stores | | | | - Most cooking styles will have a wealth of |
| offer a great choice of dishes and it should be | | | | vegetarian options available, meaning you can |
| easy to find one that appeals to the | | | | have an extensive and varied repertoire of family |
| family´s taste. | | | | meals. Italian pasta sauces, stir fry recipes, |
| - Buy a cheap vegetarian cookbook or download | | | | mexican food, curries.. the choice is endless. |
| recipe ideas from the internet. There is a wealth | | | | - Many vegetarian dishes can be easily cooked in |
| of information out there, so there are no excuses | | | | your slow cooker. Vegetable stew, Winter |
| for serving limp salads! | | | | Vegetable Casseroles, soups and curries. Save |
| - When eating out, try to switch to a vegetarian | | | | time, effort AND calories with these healthy |
| option. Even the fast food chains offer | | | | choices. |
| vegeburgers and bean burritos, so making the | | | | Try making the switch and see if your family can |
| switch is easy. Just make sure that you go easy | | | | tell the difference. The first time I made lasagna |
| on the side orders. French Fries might be made of | | | | to the usual recipe, but with soya mince, no-one |
| potato but they are still loaded with fat! | | | | around the table even noticed. And if your family |
| - If you find the taste of some vegetarian meals | | | | enjoys the meals so much that you decide to |
| a little bland, use herbs, spices and seasoning to | | | | make a lifestyle change, remember that you will |
| add taste and flavor. | | | | have to start checking the ingredients on every |
| - Think of all the recipes that your family enjoys | | | | food item that you buy. Read the nutritional labels |
| and eats anyway. Chances are that there are | | | | of every product carefully, as animal products do |
| quite a few vegetarian meals in the list! Tomato | | | | turn up in the strangest places! |
| soup, bean salad, coleslaw, macaroni cheese..it | | | | |