Though I completed my undergrad studies in Nutritional
Science way back in the 80s and actually spent a year in the Master’s program
at the University of Hawaii, there was one thing I never understood. Why are
people who adhere to a strict vegetarian diet referred to as vee-gans (vegan)?
Since it’s a vegetable based diet as in vehj-tah-bul, why aren’t they called
vehj-ans? I mean, we don’t call the food items in the produce section
veeg-tah-buls. Oh well, maybe that’s why I moved on to pharmacy.
Vegetarians
Vegetarians are people who don’t consume any animal flesh
or products derived from animal flesh. So obviously steak, pork, poultry and
sea critters are off limits. However, so are dishes that use beef or chicken
broth as the broth is also created from the flesh (and bones) of the respective
animal. Vegetarians can consume products that come from animals like milk and
eggs (non-fertilized) and often are referred to as lacto-ovo vegetarians.
The biggest issue with vegetarianism is when you’re
dining out as the public’s understanding varies with what you can and cannot
consume. For instance, my sister was a vegetarian for several years and when we
visited the local neighborhood Chinese restaurant, would inquire about possible
vegetarian dishes for sis. “Yes, it’s vegetarian, no chicken meat, just chicken
broth” or “Yes vegetarian, only fish in the stir fry”. Um... not vegetarian on
both counts.
Vegan
All vegans are vegetarian but not all vegetarians are
vegan as veganism excludes all animal products whether flesh or not, so even
milk and eggs are off limits. In fact many vegans embrace no animal products in
their whole lifestyle so no animal hides are allowed to adorn their bodies.
While my sister was in her vegetarian phase, we used to tease her that she had
to wear plastic shoes.
And though a totally plant based diet means zero dietary
cholesterol as cholesterol only comes from animal based foods, you can still be
afflicted with hypercholesterolemia as your own liver produces cholesterol and
high levels of serum cholesterol are often due to genetic causes. Dietary
cholesterol simply makes a bad thing worse and it’s dietary saturated fat that
raises serum cholesterol even more so than dietary cholesterol. So even vegans
who consume excess saturated fats in the form of palm and coconut oils can
inadvertently raise their cholesterol levels even without consuming any beef,
pork or chicken. Though the biggest dietary drawback to veganism is a lack of
vitamin B12 or cyanocobalamin in your diet as B12 like cholesterol, is only
found in animal sources. Which can be a serious issue as along with the
possible megaloblastic anemia that a B12 deficient diet can cause, chronic low
levels of B12 can lead to dementia which isn’t reversible by supplementing B12
after the fact.
But is it a
Healthier Diet?
For the most part, a vegetarian or vegan diet is
healthier as it usually is lower in saturated fat and cholesterol free plus you
invariably consume a lot more dietary fiber and micronutrients - both vitamins
and minerals - than your basic animal-based diets. And though plant proteins
usually aren’t complete proteins lacking or low in one or two of the nine
essential amino acids, combining different plant proteins such as bean, wheat
and sesame now makes it complete with each different food source making up for
what the other lacks. Or simply consume more quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds,
soybeans or potatoes.
Personally I adhered to a vegan diet for several weeks –
not by choice – but because I volunteered for a classmate’s nutrition thesis
research project. Because she was looking at vitamin B utilization during both
aerobic and anaerobic activity, she provided research subjects with their daily
vegan meals. During this time period was the only time I could swat the net on
a basketball court. I literally was jumping about 5 or 6 inches higher… and it
wasn’t because the higher fiber in the vegan diet was giving me a turbo boost
from my backside. I also felt a lot more energetic during those several weeks.
So why didn’t I continue a vegan diet? With food
technology today, you can substitute real cheese with soy based “cheese”. You
can substitute ground beef with textured vegetable protein. Heck, there are
even plant based burgers that “bleed” red while cooking and have the exact
mouthfeel as real beef. But science still hasn’t been able to mimic a real
sunny side or poached egg with that glorious runny yolk. Until then, I’m not
giving up all animal products!
Because of the strong flavor of chili and spices, I’m
pretty sure you won’t miss the animal flesh and though this isn’t like your
usual bowl of Texas Red, it’s the classic style of chili common in the 50th…
Vegan Chili
1 cup textured vegetable protein (I’m using Beef Not!
Which is soy flour and corn based)
1 medium onion finely diced
4 to 6 stalks celery finely diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Vegetable oil (I use garlic infused macadamia nut oil)
3 to 4 cans kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can chopped olives
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
Water
2 to 3 tbsp chili powder
1 to 2 tsp powdered cumin
1 to 2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Powdered chipotle or hot sauce (optional)
In a large Dutch oven, cook the onions, celery and garlic
until softened. Add the water, beans, olives and tomato products so the liquid
level is a little above the solids. Add the textured vegetable protein and
powdered/dried spices then bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally and adding extra water if the
liquid drops well below the solids.
Pescatarian Diets
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