Baby steps to a vegetarian diet

Earlier this week, I saw the word "vegetarian" in the pile of new books while I was looking for a reference on statistics at the CHK library.

"May I see that book, please?" I asked the librarian.

"Have the College acquired this?"  Suppliers leave a number of books for the faculty to review on a regular basis and the librarian will make the purchase order once the faculty give their recommendation.

"Yes."

"Oh, that's great.  That will be on my to-read list.  I'll postpone borrowing that until the end of this semester."

I quickly browsed through the pages and found this box on page 11, "Steps for an easy transition to a vegetarian diet."

Allow me to share with you those steps.  Below the text box, the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a group under the American Dietetic Association was cited as the source of those suggestions.

• Take stock your current diet or look at your what you eat on a regular basis.  What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner?  What's inside your fridge?  The first step is to be come aware of what you eat.
• Add more vegetarian meals by revising favorite recipes that are meat based.   My first yoga teacher, Sandy, is not a big fan of fake meat. Eating fake meat is simply "cheating" and may not really teach a person how to eat proper wholesome foods.  I guess instead of substituting the meat with a fake one, use a fresh alternative instead, like tofu or tempeh.  Another way to recreate the meat based dish into a vegetable dish.  For Filipinos who love their sinigang, sometimes the focus is on the meat.  So instead, add more veggies and highlight the greens instead.
• Expand your options by finding new recipes and trying different products from the store. Have you tried pasta with roasted vegetables?   Or pasta with green vegetables and nuts?  These are healthy and delicious recipes which is a good alternative to the Pinoy ultimate favorite - spaghetti with meat sauce.
• Make a list of vegetarian meals that you can eat away from home.  Crackers and cheese, Chinese vegetarian fresh lumpia, vegetable bibimbap, fresh fruits, Cheese-pesto-sandwich.  
• Eliminate meat at breakfast. Although Jessica wrote a very informative article that yoghurt+muesli+fruit for breakfast might not be for you, this easy to prepare breakfast is packed with nutrients that can help you start your day right.  Except of course if you're lactose-intolerant.  I have several books on Ayurveda but I'm not really applying it yet to my diet because I have to address my hunger first.  And with the workload and communiting stress that I experience here in Manila, I don't have the time and the resources to be too picky about what I eat.  I am an ovo-lacto-vegetarian and in my present situation, that's the best way I could go.  I never felt healthier though.  So for a typical mobile Pinoy who wants rice for breakfast, how about garlic rice, fried egg, tofu, and steamed kangkong sans the alamang?
• Take stock of your menu once again.  Do your meals include a variety of grains, legumes, soy, vegetables, and fruits?  Yes.  Do you eat 5 different fruits and vegetables day?  I don't or atleast not very aware that I should have 5 different produce.  Do you eat 6-11 servings of primary whole grains with little processing a day?  Hmnn... 6... yes... I think.  For more information on nutritional guidelines for vegetarians, visit the Vegetarian Diet.

My usual diet is here.  Hope this helps.

Cheers.