Instead of planning your meal around meat, chicken, or fish as the centerpiece, think of whole grains or legumes as the centerpiece. Enhance the grains or legumes with your favorite seasonings, vegetables, nuts, or seeds. Take a little extra time to make it special. Surround your special dish with steamed vegetables. Include a salad or even two every day made with dark leafy greens and a variety of chopped, diced, or shredded vegetables. Those who regard salads as "rabbit food" don't realize how many enriching nutrients and valuable enzymes they're missing.

Some of you many not be aware of the many different grains available. You can enjoy a different grain every day of the week and still look forward to those yet untried. Following is a list of whole grains to incorporate into your new diet: brown rice, wild rice, corn and cornmeal, whole wheat, cracked wheat, bulghur wheat, pearl barley, barley flakes, hulled barley, whole rye berries, rye flakes, oat groats, oatmeal, millet, quinoa, spelt, triticale, amaranth, teff, and kamut.

Legumes consist of all varieties of beans and include lentils and split yellow and green peas. Each variety of bean sparks the taste buds with a very different flavor and texture. Since the digestive system may require a little time to adjust to the added fiber contained in legumes, begin with small amounts and increase slowly. Your own body will be your guide on how much and how quickly to increase quantities.

If you are one who has always thought of nuts as simply a snack, and one to be avoided because "they're too high in fat," reconsider them as an excellent source of protein. A handful or two a day are a good protein replacement. Though nuts are high in fats, they offer essential fatty acids so necessary to the body's many processes. Nuts are also delicious and add delightful crunch to a dish.

Each kind of nut possesses different nutrients. You may have learned that one Brazil nut a day contains your daily requirement of selenium. Include seeds as well for their taste and health benefits. Following is a list of nut and seed varieties: walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds.

Tofu, tempeh, and seitan are excellent ways to dress up a meal. Vegetarian cookbooks are a good source of information on how to prepare these foods and offer a myriad of creative soyfoods recipes. Tofu and tempeh are made from soybeans. Seitan, which may be less familiar to you, is made from wheat gluten. Check the cooking@homew/zel feature in this web site for some helpful, easy recipes that use tofu.

There's no need to be concerned about getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet. High protein foods such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds are all easily obtainable and offer enough diversity to make vegetarian cooking fun and adventurous. Though they provide much smaller quantities, fruits and vegetables also contain protein.

Begin by serving one plant-based meal a week. Plant-based foods exclude animal products entirely. If this feels too drastic, begin by eliminating meat, chicken, and fish at that meal, but include eggs or dairy products. Refer to the list of Comfort Foods below for ways to incorporate vegetarian foods without feeling that you are depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy. Serve your vegetarian meal with one or more cooked vegetables. Include a salad with a variety of fresh vegetables every day. 

Then, progress to one full day of eating vegetarian. Begin your day with a whole grain cereal, either cooked or dry. When shopping for your cereal, read ingredient labels faithfully. Know what you are buying. Look for cereals that list "whole wheat flour, whole rye flour, whole barley flour, etc." rather than "wheat flour, rye flour, etc." Refined cereals are lacking vitamins and minerals that whole grains contain naturally. Look at the nutritional label. A truly healthy cereal should have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Include several pieces of fresh fruit throughout the day every day.

Drink plenty of water. Doctors recommend at least eight glasses per day. Eliminate non-nutritional beverages, such as carbonated beverages and heavily sweetened juice drinks, and replace them with water, preferably purified or distilled.

When you've succeeded with a whole vegetarian day, see if you can eliminate the animal based foods at one meal every day. We, ourselves, began with a vegan dinner every day. As you gain more confidence in your food preparation, establish new shopping directions, and realize the physical and emotional benefits, you will be encouraged to continue your new path.

For a truly healthy focus, one that will boost your energy and improve your mental skills, include a wide variety of foods every day. A plant-based diet consists of whole foods, foods that have their vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and enzymes intact, rather than extracted, refined, reformed, and rolled off the food factory lines in neat little packages that cheat you out of nutrition. If you choose to include eggs and dairy products in your vegetarian diet, you can consider these your source of protein. If you follow a vegan plan, include some items from each of the following categories each day to be assured of complete nutrition: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Legumes, Nuts and Seeds

• Eat your veggies with abandon. You simply can't over-consume vegetables. In fact, most people don't get enough.
• Visit farmers' markets to get the best and freshest of the local vegetables that are in season. Most farmers pick their vegetables the day before and bring them to market early the following morning.
• Experiment with vegetables that are new to you. Include some raw veggies each day. These contain enzymes that help the body's digestion, absorption, and elimination processes.
• Your plate should include a mosaic of vegetable colors. Each color contains different phytochemicals in varying quantities. Phytochemicals are plant-based nutrients that benefit the body by strengthening the immune system to ward off diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
• We all have favorite foods, but rather than eating just broccoli or asparagus, try expanding your variety little by little to include some red vegetables, such as beets and tomatoes.
• Include yellow vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and winter or summer squashes, and yellow bell peppers.
• White vegetables include onions, turnips, cauliflower, parsnips, and potatoes. Orange vegetables include carrots and rutabagas.
• Green veggies are the largest group and include string beans, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, broccoli, asparagus, avocados, Swiss chard, cabbage, lettuces, green bell peppers.

  
  

• Introduce whole grains into your diet. They contain bran that offers fiber and B vitamins, germ that provides essential fatty acids and vitamin E, and the endosperm that contains considerable protein.
• Make your breakfast with whole grain cereals, such as oatmeal, Cream of Rye, Quinoa Flakes, Barley Flakes, Cornmeal mush, Zoom, or Malt-O-Meal.
• Sprinkle your cereal with raisins, date nuggets, currants, nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, maple syrup, or date sugar, and try using a soymilk to top your "breakfast sundae." The variety is limitless. Whole grain dry cereals are in abundance. Your local supermarket has some of these, but a health food market has the widest variety.
• Read ingredient labels carefully so you can make informed decisions. Look for cereals that contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving, preferably higher. Many whole wheat cereals contain 5 or 6 grams of fiber per serving.
• Buy whole grain breads rather than refined white breads. The whole grain breads are higher in fiber and contain most of the B vitamins that have been processed out of the breads made with white flour.
• Cook brown rice rather than white rice. Yes, it does take a bit longer to cook, but you're health is worth much more than the extra 20 or 30 minutes it takes to cook whole grains.

  
  

• Wild rice has wonderful flavor, great texture, and 3 grams of fiber per serving compared to 1 gram of fiber for white rice.
• Try some barley for a change.
• How about making polenta from whole grain cornmeal?
• The health food markets often have bulk grains such as quinoa, millet, spelt berries, rye berries, oat groats, whole wheat berries, and buckwheat. If these are not available in bulk, they are certain to be sold in packages.
• Enjoy some whole grain pastas instead of the usual refined pastas made of durum wheat. Health food markets sell pastas made from quinoa, spelt, rice, barley, buckwheat, and whole wheat. The textures will be noticeably different, but these offer a higher fiber content than durum wheat pasta.
• Soak organic grains overnight and start them sprouting the next day. They should be ready to eat within a day or two and can be added to a salad or sprinkled over almost any of your favorite foods.

• This category consists of all varieties of beans including lentils and green and yellow split peas. Each type of bean has its own unique texture and flavor to lend variety in the vegetarian diet.
• Beans can easily be incorporated into soups and salads, but don't stop there. Put cooked beans into the food processor with seasonings and make a dip. Mash beans with your favorite flavor enhancers and make a sandwich spread or even a sandwich filling. Try some new recipes that use beans as the centerpiece of your meal; a vegetarian chili is one example. Beans are very high in protein as well as vitamins and calcium.
• Beans can be soaked overnight and put into a sprouting jar or bag the next day. Within a day or two they should be ready to enjoy. Sprinkle them over a salad or add them to soups or casseroles. Sprouted beans vastly increase their vitamin and mineral content during the sprouting process.
• Tofu, made from soybeans, provides almost unlimited creativity to the vegetarian diet. Tofu comes in water-packed cartons and can be found in most supermarkets. For organic varieties, shop at a health food market.
• Tofu is available in a number of different consistencies from regular, which is quite soft, to firm, and extra firm varieties. The regular tofu makes excellent sauces when prepared in the blender or food processor with seasonings. Firm and extra firm tofu work well in salads, stir fries, or marinated and baked in the oven.

  
  

• Delicious spreads that take the place of dairy products can be made in the food processor by combining firm or extra firm tofu with seasonings and by processing to a smooth consistency.
• Silken tofu comes in soft, firm, or extra firm and makes an excellent base for savory sauces, fruity parfaits, or fruit smoothies. Many vegetarian cookbooks include recipes for using tofu, while other cookbooks are devoted completely to soy products.
• Soy products abound these days and can be found in the form of veggie hot dogs, lunchmeats, patties, ground "meat" style, veggie ham, veggie fish, veggie chicken. Many supermarkets sell these items in the deli section. Health food markets offer a wider variety than most supermarkets. Asian markets will have some of the veggie meats in their freezer section. Be sure to read labels for ingredients. Some of these products may have ingredients you do not want to include in your diet.
• Tempeh is a soy product that developed in Indonesia and is made by fermenting soybeans in flat cakes. These offer further variety in the bean category and can be marinated, chopped, shredded, stir-fried, baked, or barbecued. Tempeh, an excellent source of protein, is available in health food markets in the deli section or in Asian markets in the frozen food case.

• Eat them in their raw state rather than roasted. The roasted nuts are roasted in oil, adding extra fats which you may consider undesirable. In their raw state nuts contain valuable essential fatty acids which are lost when roasted or heated.
  

• Nuts add wonderful texture to a salad and can turn a pasta sauce into a special treat when added at the end of cooking.
• Nut butters from organic sources are delightful spread on apples and pears and enjoyed as a snack.
• Nuts can be ground into a powder in a small electric coffee grinder. Add ground nuts to a sauce or a soup that needs a little thickening and boost the nutrition as well.

• Seeds are a storehouse of protein, calcium, fiber, and essential fatty acids. Include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds.
• Since seeds are very subject to rancidity, purchase them from a store that sells them in large quantities and turns them over quickly. Store seeds in the refrigerator to avoid rancidity. It's easy to incorporate seeds of all varieties into the diet.
• Sesame seeds are delicious sprinkled on salads and over cereals. Sesame seed paste, also called tahini, makes a delicious tahini sauce when mixed with lemon juice, garlic, water, salt, and a dash of cumin. This sauce enhances grain dishes, bean dishes, baked potatoes, and even pita sandwiches. Tahini can also be made into a salad dressing.
• Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds add crunch to salads, cereals, and cooked grain dishes.
• Flax seeds can be ground in a small electric coffee grinder and sprinkled over cereals and salads for added fiber.
• For sprouting, purchase organic seeds that are especially for sprouting use. These have not been sterilized and still contain a living germ. Try making your own alfalfa, red clover, radish, and onion seed sprouts. In their whole organic form sunflower seeds are fun to sprout. It's a delight to see tiny sprouts emerging from their dark, tough, outer hulls.

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