ON WHAT TO EAT


Notes for my children - & anyone else who might be at all interested


"It is always dangerous to ignore the suffering of any living being, of whatever species, even if we think it necessary to sacrifice an animal for the benefit of the majority. To deny the suffering involved, or to avoid thinking about it, is a convenient solution, but such an attitude opens the door to all kinds of excesses as we witness in wartime. It also destroys our own happiness. As I often say, sympathy and compassion always end up proving beneficial."

                                                                                    - The Dalai Lama



Being vegetarian is :

                                   Compassionate -  both for animals & those who work with them.


                                   Sustainable       - it takes thousands more litres of water to produce
                                                               a kilo of beef than to grow the same quantity of grains
                                                               vegetables or pulses.

                                   Healthy             - a balanced vegetarian diet is one of the healthiest ;

                                                               high in all those vitamins, minerals & other elements
                                                               such as fibre now universally accepted as good for
                                                               health & low in the saturated fats now known to
                                                               cause many health problems.


                                                              With thanks to the Vegetarian Society's excellent
                                                              on-line site.



                                                                       *


Deciding what to eat can be fun & interesting. If we plan a little ahead, it allows us to think about what we like to eat, how we can make it healthy & fit into our budget.

The basis for a good diet is the same for everyone. Over the course of the day, we should eat some foods containing these elements :



                                                  PROTEIN

                                                  CARBOHYDRATE

                                                  FATS

                                                  VITAMINS

                                                  MINERALS

                                                  WATER


The concerns of some people who have little or no experience of being vegetarian are about protein, iron, calcium & iodine, vitamin B12 & vitamin D .  This is because most people rely on meat, fish and animal "products" such as milk and eggs to provide these elements and if we exclude them from our diet, or restrict our dairy intake, we have to take care to make sure we provide an adequate alternative source.

Whilst we should be reassured by the fact that there are many cultures around the world who don't eat meat and have survived countless generations , we should also be aware that their long history of not eating meat has involved handing down knowledge of what to eat to sustain health & bring up healthy children . If we lack this embedded knowledge & have no family tradition of being vegetarian, we have to devise our own. We must learn about our bodies' needs, which available foods can provide them & how to prepare a meal we can afford - & actually want to eat !

                   
                         " A new vegetarian is like an adult learning a second language "

                                                             - Sharon Yntema " Vegetarian Baby "


Which brings me to understanding food :


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