ADA states the obvious – everyone goes nuts

So the American Dietetic Association came out with a new research report showing that vegetarian and vegan diets have health benefits over omnivorous diets for all people in all age groups (including children and breastfeeding women), but only if you eat a balanced diet.

This irks me. It is almost like saying that it is important to eat a balanced diet if you’re going to be vegetarian, but if you eat meat, it doesn’t matter. Because meat will make up nutritional deficits? In America, omnivorous diets are the norm, and because you’re suggesting a change from the norm, everyone has to make a big deal about it, but it makes it sound like omnivorous diets are inherently more healthy, but this latest ADA study shows they are not.

Any diet is more healthy when it’s balanced. Obviously. And I have my doubts about whether most people eating meat really eat a very “balanced” diet, but no one cautions against omnivorous diets because of it. You know?

The other thing about the warnings and cautions for vegetarians is that it makes people think it’s harder than it is. I have been vegetarian and vegan on and off for years. I found being vegan a little more difficult because your “on the go” options become a little slimmer, but once you learn which processed foods are vegan it gets easier (unless you like subsisting on gas station apples). For example, did you know that Oreo’s are vegan? They aren’t healthy, but they are vegan. You’re allowed eat junk food as a vegan. Just like any other diet, it’s all about moderation. My dad would say, “It isn’t what you do sometimes; it’s what you do all the time.”

I was at my aunt’s house this weekend, and she said that she feels like whenever she makes vegetarian dishes she has to go all out - find a recipe, spend hours cooking, and drop hundreds of dollars on strange vegetables. And I think this is a common concern, but it isn’t true. I can’t tell you how many nights I eat plain old spaghetti, which costs about $3 for 8 servings. Sometimes I put extra veggies in the sauce or have a simple side salad. Veggie lasagna is also much simpler than it seems – you can use frozen veggies and jarred sauce. I don’t even cook the noodles ahead of time. You can make soups and stews and tacos (just substitute beans) and veggie burgers with fries and casseroles and stir-fries and basically anything except for meat. I think the trick is not to look for complicated vegetarian recipes, but to revamp what you normally eat. And if you enjoy cooking complicated recipes, then do that too. Just don’t feel like you have to in order to be vegetarian.

A note about tofu and soy “meat” since people seem to feel very strongly about it: I eat very little tofu, which I do like. I grew up eating it, so I think that helps, but the trick is not to expect it to taste like meat because it is never going to. You can drown it in BBQ sauce and deep-fry it, but it will just taste like deep fried BBQ tofu – not fried chicken. And the same goes for soy burgers and tofu hot dogs – they are not going to taste like meat. They taste very good, but in their own way.

But you know what? Who says you can never ever eat meat again if you declare yourself vegetarian? You could be a weekday vegetarian. You could plan yearly “veg breaks.” If you think you’re really going to miss the hamburgers at your 4th of July picnic every year, then have that burger once a year. I promise there are no vegetarian police to come arrest you.

I would also just like to say that my boyfriend has been a vegetarian for a lot longer than I have… something like 7-10 years, and he says he never thought he could be a vegetarian. In fact, the story goes that he became vegetarian on a bet – someone bet him that he couldn’t go without meat for a month and he just kept going. So this isn’t just a chick thing. Men will survive without meat. I even have a couple of raw vegan friends who lift weights and are all muscle-y. So being really active isn’t even an excuse.

There are plenty of good reasons to be a vegetarian, like it's healthier for you, it's better for the planet, and you don't have to worry about cruelty to animals. Well, you still have to worry about cruelty to animals, just not the ones you're eating.