Enticing Vegetarian Virgins

As big meat eaters are dwindling, vegetarianism is on the rise, moving from the days of alfalfa sprouts and wheat germ to diet staples of wholegrain, complex carbohydrates, legumes, nuts and seeds. It is becoming more acceptable to be vegetarian.

Persons who switch to a vegetarian lifestyle do so out of some form of enlightenment that consuming animal products is unhealthy, anti-religious, against animal rights or to save the planet, Earth.

Besides religion, some persons choose to become vegetarian because of concern for the environment or for their own health issues. To impressionable young minds, vegetarianism sounds sensible, ethical and 'cool'. Children can get hooked to a vegetarian lifestyle and so care must be taken when feeding children a vegetarian diet, especially if dairy and egg products are not included.

Younger children are usually part of a family practice such as Seventh-day Adventists or vegan parents. It is best to discuss with young children the importance of having vegetarian diets and how to maintain them.

Vitamin deficiency

Since vegetarians do not eat meat, it means that they will miss out on vitamin B12, naturally available in animal products - meat, poultry, fish, eggs and milk. Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells.

It is also needed to help make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. Signs of deficiency associated with B12 include anemia, fatigue, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Deficiency also can lead to neurological changes, such as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Additional symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are difficulty in maintaining balance, depression, confusion, dementia, poor memory, and soreness of the mouth or tongue.

To prevent such deficiency, vegetarians are advised to eat fortified cereals which are one of the few sources of vitamin B12 from plant sources, and are an important dietary source of vitamin B12 for strict vegetarians and vegans. Strict vegetarians who do not consume foods that come from plants fortified with vitamin B12 need to take a dietary supplement that contains vitamin B12.

Tofu curd and whey

One of the main ingredients of vegetarian diets is tofu. As cheese is to milk, so tofu is to soybean. As a cow gives milk, so does soybean give soy milk. As animal milk is separated into curd and whey in the production of cheese, so is soy milk separated into curd and whey to from tofu. Soy milk is twice as rich in protein as dairy milk and protein from soy milk is complete protein with the eight essential amino acids.

Tofu comes in two broad categories - firm and soft or silken. The more versatile of the two is firm tofu, which can be likened to a potato in terms of its utility. Silken tofu will not stir-fry well and it is difficult to absorb all the flavors added to imitate meat and other animal-based dishes. Tofu is available in supermarkets. Like any dairy product, it must be refrigerated to protect its short shelf life.