choosing what to eat, part deux

you know, it baffles some people when I respond directly to anonymous comments. but I do. so, from the previous post:

I really think flexitarian is just another word for picky. Flexitarian carries no more moral, ethical, or political clout than omnivore. If you want some moral, ethical, or political clout to accompany your dietary decisions, just say you are a locavore and leave it at that.

actually, I think a flexitarian is far more than just another word for picky. as a matter of fact--being a flexitarian, in my mind, and in the mind of some other sources, differs from being an omnivore because you make an active choice to tailor your eating habits. that said, I am not a locavore. I try to be a locavore, I actively attempt to be a locavore, and I am a locavore a lot of the time, but I eat plenty that is not produced locally. And, while we're at it--let's just clear something up. I have no interest in moral, ethical or political clout. I have an active interest in improving the environment. Reducing my meat consumption does that. And that's a fact.

Furthermore, I'm a bit concerned by your post as it suggests to me that you might not be getting sufficient nutrients. You really cannot be a healthy vegetarian by simply replacing meat with dairy. It is an honest mistake. But, it is really not how healthy vegetarians eat.

Yeah, that's probably because I didn't lay out all of the other things I eat every day. I have ground flax seed every day. And plain organic yogurt. And an egg white sandwich for breakfast. I eat kale or spinach daily. (and to prove the point about--the kale, spinach and eggs and local. the rest is not). Yes, some of my protein comes from dairy. But you know there's also protein in broccoli. and rice. and bread. and bell peppers. and peanut butter. and there's even just a smidge in chocolate :) Thank you for your concern, but I have actually tracked what I eat and made sure I met my nutritional goals. You are definitely right though--you can't just replace meat with dairy and think everything will be hunky dory.

Legumes are your friend and you really should be consuming them in one form or another everyday that you don't eat meat.

I also eat edamame pretty frequently. And black beans. I definitely don't eat them every day I don't eat meat, but all of that tortilla soup? yep, had black beans. I put green beans in with my steamed squash, when they're in season. And I'm a big fan of hummus. This definitely made me think about adding them to our veggie quesadillas though. thanks!

The vegetarian times website has a great feature that allows you to search for recipes based upon your ingredients. You should give it a try.

I'll check it out! If anyone else wants to see this website, it's here. A lot of the recipes look rather complicated or call for semi-exotic ingredients, but if I find any good ones I'll let you know.