Tag Archives: Guest blogging

Veg Week 2014: Supporting Teens Gone Veg | Guest Post from ‘Smart Girl Veg’

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To celebrate National Vegetarian Week 2014, The Tofu Diaries has invited fellow bloggers to get involved and share! Today’s guest blog is from Rachel whose work helps to support young vegetarians in their journey towards a meat-free lifestyle. As someone who made the decision to give up meat very young I wish Rachel’s book ‘The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian’ had been around back then! She is here to tell us more about why she chose to focus on teenagers, the concerns they may have, and how parents can support their children in their choices.National Vegetarian WeekHi, everyone!

As a US-based registered dietitian nutritionist and author of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian, I’m excited to help my UK friends celebrate National Vegetarian Week.

Smart Girl’s Guide to Going VegetarianThe Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian and the corresponding blog smartgirlveg.com are both written directly for the teenage vegetarian. Why did I choose to focus on teenagers? A few reasons:

1. Anecdotal evidence suggests that teenagers are the group most likely to experiment with vegetarianism. I have found that at least ¾ of the vegetarians I meet first went veg (or began their journey to veg) when they were teenagers. What’s more, I also meet a good number of adults who tell me that they’re not vegetarian now, but they were for a brief while in high school or college. Ask around and I suspect you’ll find the same (and if any scientist out there wants to conduct actual research on this topic, I’d love to hear the results).
2. Teenagers who go veg have special needs above and beyond those of adults who give up meat. More on that later.
3. I spent my teenage years transitioning from a meat-eating diet to a vegetarian one. That experience set me on a path to pursue nutrition as a career, and to develop a passion for educating and assisting teenagers who are in transition mode when it comes to their health. Long story short: I was a cruddy vegetarian, and it took me years to figure out that being healthy was more about what I was adding to my diet than it was what I was removing from it. I aspire to save others from the same trouble.

You may be wondering what’s so special about a teen gone veg. Here are some of the unique concerns for a younger person:

Control. Most teenagers are living at home with their parents; others in eat at a school cafeteria. Limiting your diet is one thing. Limiting your diet when you’re not the one doing the grocery shopping? Totally different.

Doubt. A teenager who decides to give up meat is much more likely to hear “oh, it’s just a phase” than an adult making the same choices. Many adults also jump to the conclusion that a teenager who eliminates meat from her diet may be dabbling in disordered eating behavior. There is some research suggesting that young women who have had an eating disorder are more likely to have been vegetarian at one point or another, however giving up meat is not indicative of disordered eating (that said, adults should always be aware of red flags for disordered eating in teens, which giving up meat in conjunction with several other characteristics can be considered. Read more about this in The Smart Girl’s Guide to Going Vegetarian).

Nutrition. All vegetarians should take care to get proper nutrition (including protein, zinc, B12 and more), however teen girls in particular have the added challenge of getting enough iron. Most teenage girls, vegetarian or not, don’t get an adequate amount of the nutrient, and since meat is one of the easiest ways to get iron into your diet, it can be hard for vegetarians to meet their daily needs.

Of course, with a little guidance, support, and good food, any of these hurdles can be easily overcome. If a teenager in your life is choosing to go veg on some level—whether they’re testing the waters by giving up red meat, going vegan, or anything in between—be sure to take their decision seriously and use the transition as an opportunity to bond. Share great blogs like this one, ogle beautiful vegetarian food on Pinterest and Instagram, tweet your ideas for Meat Free Monday (UK) or Meatless Monday (US), take your teen grocery shopping with you and, of course, sit down to delicious, health-enhancing meat-free meals together. You will both be nourished and nurtured from the experience.

Did any Tofu Diaries readers first go veg as a teenager? If so, please share your experience! How did you handle challenges when it came to control, doubt, and nutrition?

Thanks so much to Rachel for sharing some insights into her work and helping along the next generation of veggies. Be sure to check out her and follow her blog for more!

Veg Week 2014: Moroccan Carrot & Quinoa Salad | Guest Post from ‘Miles for Thought’

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To celebrate National Vegetarian Week 2014, The Tofu Diaries has invited fellow bloggers to get involved and share! Today’s guest blog is from Ani who is going to share her story of how moving to a plant-based diet was the natural progression for her as a keen runner and the benefits she has felt since making this change. Ani also has a delicious Moroccan carrot and quinoa salad recipe for us!National Vegetarian WeekMy name is Ani and I started Miles for Thought over a year ago.  My blog is an attempt to document my life as I strive to live a healthy and balanced life through the wild ride that is college.

Here is my story:

Throughout high school, I played soccer and lacrosse and was always active.  This being said, I always hated running.  Weird I know looking back… but running was always a punishment; for example, “oh you want to walk back into formation?  Go run 3 miles.”  Without the motivation of a team in college, exercise severely fell to the wayside.  It wasn’t until the spring of my freshman year that I decided to get back into shape.

Running became the perfect option.  All you need is a good pair of shoes and you’re off.  At first, I just ran whenever I felt like it and for however long I felt like it.  This has gradually transformed into higher mileage, faster times, and a detailed running log that keeps track of my training.  It was a tough beginning, but slowly a mile run became two, which became three and four, ultimately leading to many races including a marathon.  Not only did running become a way to exercise, but it became an escape from the stress which inspired the name of this blog.

As I got more into running, it was a natural progression to get serious about what I ate.  It did not make sense to me to put in the work and effort to increase my mileage, only to throw it away in the form of artificial sweeteners and preservatives.  Shock of all shocks: college kid does not drink alcohol or indulge in 2am pizza runs.  Instead, I decided to focus on eating real, whole foods.

My journey to transitioning to a primarily plant-based diet was a slow one.  I grew up loving meat, so a juicy burger or medium-rare steak was often our family’s way of celebrating birthdays and big events.  My mom is a phenomenal cook and I never questioned what I was served.  Dinner was a meat, a starch, and a vegetable – typical American.

When I began running more seriously, I gave up red meat for health reasons.  It did not sit well in my stomach before runs and I always felt heavy when I ate a steak or a burger.

Last summer, I ate white meat once or twice a week and the rest of my meals were filled with seafood and legumes.  I felt so much better when I began cutting out more meat and was never left with a sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach.  Not only was my running performance improving, but I felt much better throughout the day and found myself with more energy.

When I moved back to school that year and my meals were fully in my control, I decided to go vegetarian.  It was only a few months in that I became more and more plant-based, cutting out eggs and dairy.

There are many different reasons why people decide to go vegetarian, vegan, or limit a certain type of food.  I made this decision for my health and the link that animal protein has to certain types of cancer and heart disease.  Now the reasoning behind my decision has grown – there are so many ethical reasons to maintain a plant-based diet.  Quite frankly, I cannot believe I did not do this sooner.  I do not preach to those that choose to eat meat – my brothers and dad are meat and potatoes people.  I have made my choice and I am excited to cook and experience delicious and satisfying meals that are plant-based.Morroccan Quinoa Salad

Moroccan Carrot & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

Spiced Quinoa

  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Salad

  • 5 medium carrots
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons raisins or currants
  • 1/4 cup toasted almonds, unsalted
  • Large handful each fresh parsley and coriander
Method
  1. Rinse the quinoa in a metal sieve for about 30 seconds.  Add quinoa and water to a pot and season with salt.  Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, then remove from heat and let steam with the lid on for another 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, ribbon the carrots using a vegetable peeler and place in  a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, and lemon juice and set aside.
  3. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and add spices.  Add the spiced quinoa to the carrots along with the raisins, toasted almonds, and fresh herbs.  Toss everything together and serve immediately or refrigerate for later.  Serves 2.

Nutrition: 362 calories, 10g fat, 12g protein, 6g fiber, 60g carbs

Thanks so much to Ani from Miles for Thought for sharing her story and this delicious recipe. Be sure to check out & follow her blog for more!

Veg Week 2014: The Science Behind Meat Alternatives | Guest Post from ‘Chemily Blogs’

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To celebrate National Vegetarian Week 2014, The Tofu Diaries has invited fellow bloggers to get involved and share! Today’s guest blog is from Emily, an undergraduate chemistry student in Birmingham, who is putting her scientific prowess to incredible use by researching in-vitro meat and current meat substitutes. Her research is going to be presented at a research conference in Shanghai this summer. I’m very excited to share this post with you on the work being done in this area as well as the ethical and environmental issues surrounding it.National Vegetarian WeekEveryone has their own reasons for not eating meat; health, ethics, or even just a dislike of the taste. All valid reasons – after all, it’s your stomach, so you should be able to choose what goes into it. Now more than ever, though, there is a strong environmental argument for vegetarianism.

I understand I’m probably preaching to the converted, so I’ll keep it brief. Livestock farming used 30% of global land. A recent study conducted by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency showed that while vegan protein sources have a carbon footprint of 1 to 2 kg of CO­2 per kg of product, beef production can have a carbon footprint of up to 129 kg of CO2 per kg beef. It is worth mentioning at this point that the carbon footprint of meats – beef in particular – varies considerably depending on the production methods used; essentially, it’s a trade-off between animal welfare and environmental concerns. Other meats are not quite as bad as beef, with pork weighing in at up to 11 kg of CO2 per kg, and poultry at up to 6kg. Although not as significant as beef, this carbon footprint is still three times bigger than that of plant-based alternatives.

Of course, as I’m sure anyone who’s had to answer the question, “but where do you get your protein from?” will know, the world isn’t going to just go vegetarian overnight. It might be expensive, cruel, and bad for your bowel, but at the end of the day people just like beef. New research is looking into ways around this.

You’re probably familiar with most of the meat alternatives on the market. Some are pretty much accepted by meat eaters; I know plenty of people, vegetarian and otherwise, who cook with Quorn, and tofu is served up in plenty of restaurants. Most people, however, are a bit reluctant to have this be the only source of meat in their diet.

For years, scientists have been looking into “lab grown meat” as an alternative to farming. This involves using cells taken by a harmless biopsy from the muscles of a living farm animal to culture stem cells, which can then be used to grow muscle cells, or “myofibres”, in a lab. These cells can be used to produce edible meat products without the need for slaughter.

A burger produced in this way was served up last year in London and was fairly well received. The fat content was much lower than your average piece of meat, as it was made entirely from muscle fibre; this made for a very lean burger, which apparently didn’t do a lot for the flavour. The media focus was mostly on the cost – which was around £200,000 for the burger – however as a proof of concept it was successful. Scientists are now looking into making the process more efficient, and producing a product that more closely mimics the meat people are used to eating.

So, if the process can be scaled up, we now have the technology to produce meat without the need for slaughter. For many vegetarians this could become an ethical grey area – although I for one don’t see a problem with it. What do you think? Would you be up for trying it?

Thanks so much to Emily from Chemily Blogs for this very informative and fascinating article. Be sure to check out & follow her blog for more!