Lauren Butts - Okay, So Now Youre a Vegetarian: Advice & 100 Recipes from One Teen to Another: A Cookbook

OK, SO NOW YOURE A VEGETARIAN . Copyright 2000 by Lauren Butts. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information, address Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Butts, Lauren,

OK, so now youre a vegetarian: advice and 100 recipes from one vegetarian to another Lauren Butts.1st ed.

p. cm.

I. Vegetarian cookery. 1. Title.

TXS37.B927 2000
641.5636dc21

99086652

eISBN: 978-0-307-76871-1

v3.1

to my mom

A lot of people helped make writing this book possible! Thanks to my agent, Susan Ginsburg, for her great advice and positive attitude. Many thanks also to Judy Kern for helping me through the difficult process of writing and editing my first book. Thanks to Kendra Harpster for all her work on the copy of this book.

Donna Shieldss and Gale Leigebers nutritional information was invaluable to me as a vegetarian and also as an author. Thanks to Deborah Kerner, designer, for making my book look really cool.

Mrs. Heider, my home ec teacher, taught me the basics of cooking and inspired all of her students to eat well and have fun. Thanks also to my English teacher, Mr. Aleccia, for improving my writing with his priceless lessons on everything from semicolons to the culture of India!

Linda Eckhardt was always there for me with great advice and constant good humor.

Thanks to Christopher Briscoe for the wonderful cover photo. Thanks also to Denali Tice, Justyn Reese, Travis Christy, Kerry Galpern, Brian Weeks, and Ben Clark for modeling on the cover and making it look so good!

Megan Louie, Ashley Miner, Alan Borelli, McKenzie Weiler, Lindsey Arkenburg, Julia Clark, Darren Dalton, Emily Schuler, Sarah Close, Jon Endrikat, Cassie Pagnini, Lucy Yanow, Ben Burnham, Andrea Khanzadian, Keith Gregory, Chelon Dyal, Brad Rahmlow, and Jenn Hsieh, thanks a ton! You guys are the best. Thanks for your fearless taste-testing, for your honest opinions, and for supporting me!

Finally, thanks especially to my family. Mom and Dad, thanks for believing in me and always being there for me. Keith, you are the best little brother ever. I couldnt have done this without you guys!

If youve chosen a vegetarian lifestyle, youve made a commitment that will have a long-lasting effect on your personal health. The fact is, people choose to be vegetarians for many different reasons. It could be a religious belief that prevents you from wanting to eat animal foods, or maybe its your compassion for animals and youre making a statement for their rights. Some people are motivated by their ecological concern for the planet. They believe animals are an inefficient way to feed mankind, and that a plant-based diet promotes better use of the earths resources. A vegetarian eating style might be right for still others because they just dont like the way meat tastes. And those already paying for their own groceries, may find it easier on the wallet; not eating meat simply saves money.

Regardless of your motivation, the end result is the same. Youve decided to eliminate animal products, perhaps in varying degrees, from your diet. Many people fall into the moderate category of ovo-lacto vegetarians, meaning they will eat eggs (ovo) and dairy products (lacto), but not meat, fish, or poultry. Ovo-lacto vegetarians enjoy breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, as well as dairy and eggs. The more strict type of vegetarian is called a vegan; someone who eats absolutely no animal-based foods. Vegans must get all their protein from plant foods, such as beans, tofu, grains, nuts, seeds, and soy products. Vegan diets require more careful planning, but can be a perfectly healthful way to eat. You may be in one of these categories or somewhere in between, eating fish, but not meat, or perhaps eating eggs but not dairy foods. There is no right or wrong way to be a vegetarian.

P eoples nutritional needs vary somewhat depending on their specific age, height, weight, and activity level. However, there are general nutritional guidelines known as the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). Developed by the National Research Council, these recommendations should serve as a framework for planning a healthy vegetarian diet. Weve included the RDAs for age groups eleven to eighteen and nineteen to twenty-four, and you will see that some of the nutrients vary slightly from one chart to the other. If your height and weight exceeds the eleven-to-eighteen-year-old chart, go to the next chart for your ideal daily nutrients.

Try to eat foods that get you as close as possible to these numbers, but dont get overwhelmed by all the numbers. These RDAs are generous enough to allow for variations among different people, and the term daily should really be loosely interpreted. If you are averaging, over the course of three days, close to the recommended nutrients, youre doing okay. Try to focus on nutrient dense foods, which means eating things that have lots of nutrients relative to the number of calories they provide. For example, fruits and vegetables are nutrient dense (high nutritional value and relatively few calories) while potato chips are definitely not nutrient dense (no nutritional value and a high calorie count).