Low-Carb and Vegetarian?

A low-carb lifestyle has worked well for Pete, carnivore that he is. It worked so well, in fact, that I decided to try it myself. Sure, I have a few extra pounds to lose, but the main reason I chose this diet is to break my carb addiction. Yes, addiction. I realized that thanks to a series of scheduling challenges, health issues and increasing laziness, I was eating utter crud. Well, not crud, if it weren't the only thing I ate. Carbs and dairy, 3 or 4 times a day, washed down with a diet coke or a glass of wine. Breakfast? A bagel and cream cheese. Lunch? A sandwich, heavy on the cheese. Dinner? Some form of pasta and cheese. A snack? Crackers and cheese. See the pattern? No fruits, veggies, or lean protein. Frankly, I don't know how I lived that way. If it weren't for Flintstones, I'd probably have keeled over by now.

Interestingly, that was technically a vegetarian diet. Most people think all vegetarians are skinny, healthy people. They are, if they eat a balanced diet - just like omnivores. But many vegetarians actually eat crud like that under the misconception that they're eating well. Some even live on really bad junk food, like soda and doughnuts - hey, it's still vegetarian, right? Most vegetarians fall somewhere in the middle, of course.

Personally, I'm an omnivore who's too cheap to buy high-end, grass-finished lean meat all the time, so I like to include some vegetarian meals in my menus. I just recently found a small cookbook by Margo DeMello entitled Low-Carb Vegetarian. She was apparently one of those misunderstood unhealthy vegetarians, and used low-carb dieting to improve her weight and health. Her cookbook is not so much a collection of new recipes as revisions of old favorites from her past. This book is very useful for anyone looking for alternatives to meat, i.e. soy-based products. If you've never explored them, and think that soy = tofu, this book is excellent for showing you what is available and how to trade it for meat products. I prefer minimally processed foods, but I think it's very valuable to know what your healthier options are if you just can't live without a certain food.

I'm not sure why this book is called Low-Carb Vegetarian and not Low-Carb Vegan, as all the recipes are, in fact, completely vegan. Perhaps the editors were concerned with how small the vegan cookbook market may be. It's easy enough to substitute dairy products for the soy-based pseudo-dairy in the recipes, but remember that the nutritional facts will be off. This may or may not be an issue depending on which plan you follow. South Beach lets you eat as much as you want of certain foods, but the Zone suggests you count your protein intake, among other things. The Zone, in particular, seems to be the program the author is most familiar with (because it has a vegetarian program available), but she does address the overall low-carb concept and several of the most popular plans.

Is this one I'll keep on my kitchen counter? Probably not, simply because I spent several years as a vegetarian and am already comfortable making substitutions. Will it save us money? Probably not - directly. Soy-based products are often costly because of the processing involved, and the limited market. Having said that, if you are not already in the habit of making substitutions, replacing a few meat-laden meals with meatless ones could save you lots of medical expenses in the future. This book is simple and non-threatening to omnivores because the recipes, like Taco Salad or "Chicken" Caesar Salad, are familiar tastes already. Tofu can be scary; soy "chicken" is not. In fact, this book inspired me to stock my fridge and freezer with many of the vegetarian options I'd forgotten over the years. No mac & cheese for this girl tonight!

Meatless Meat

As a devout Foodie, I watch cooking shows often. Not the Food Network, per se, although some of their shows are fine. No, I'm hardcore. I own DVDs of the original French Chef shows, of The Complete Pepin, and of Mexico: One Plate at a Time (lest you think I only like French cooking). My latest acquisition is the complete box set of the Two Fat Ladies. I've been waiting for 10 years for the series to be put on DVD, and had just about given up hope when I saw the collection - and had a few extra fun tickets to spare - on the same day. "Quelle treat!", as Jennifer Paterson often said.

The children and I were watching one of our new shows last night at bedtime. Fortunately, the 3 year old had fallen asleep, because Clarissa Dickson Wright suddenly presented a suckling pig. Oh dear. Now, the children will specifically ask for chicken, or ask if a certain meal will be pork or beef, but apparently the whole "I'm eating an animal" thing had escaped them. My 6 year old gallantly hid his own shock and disgust behind, "It's a good thing the baby's asleep - you know she loves her piggies!" I offered to change the show or skip the segment, but the damage was done, and he declined. The pig segment was mercifully brief and soon the show was on to more amusing scenes, such as the Two Fat Ladies going for a swim, and a polo match.

But the suckling pig had left its mark. A few moments later, my son asked me if we could have meat that doesn't come from animals. I told him that people can live without eating meat at all, and that they're called vegetarians. No, that wasn't what he wanted. He wants meat that doesn't come from animals.

It was far too late to dive into an explanation of meat vs. protein, alternative sources, alternative eating choices, humane treatment of food animals, and all that. All my husband and I agreed on was that we need to have a serious talk with the boy. That something must die for him to eat is a hard lesson, and not one to take lightly. My husband said he can't remember when or how he learned that meat is dead animals. I grew up in rural Maine, so I knew, and I was fine with it since roosters and geese are mean bastards. Of course the cows weren't mean, but they were tasty. In any case, we've got to have an intelligent, open conversation with our son, as all omnivores must do at some point. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, have you had a similar discussion? Or have you had a moment when you personally realized that food is much more than a package at the supermarket? I'm sure Jennifer and Clarissa would have some simple and sage advice for me!