I am a vegetarian. As soon as those words leave my mouth, many non-veg people begin to look confused. To some, I might as well have said, "I eat only dirt and unicorn tears."
As most vegetarian people can attest, the first question is usually, "where do you get your protein?" That is followed by another confused look and a question like, "so...like...what did you have for breakfast?"
First, I need to tell you that I am NOT a vegetarian snob. By that, I mean that you can eat whatever you want and I'll still like you. If you order a steak when we are at a restaurant together, I won't move to another table. Unless, of course, you wave it under my nose and say, "are you sure you don't want some of thiiiiis?" But you wouldn't do that, would you?
Ok, back to protein. Where do I get my protein? From lots of different foods. I eat some tofu, yes, but there is also protein in vegetables, beans, lentils, peas, pastas, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. In hopes of dispelling the myth that vegetarians are protein-starved and weak, I'll occasionally share the ingredient list and protein content for my meals. I wish to illustrate this point: eating a variety of healthy vegetarian foods will provide ample nutrients, including protein. I will sometimes include information on iron and/or calcium as those seem to be of concern as well.
Appropriately, I think, I'll start with breakfast. I am a huge breakfast fan. Love it! I tend to eat quite a bit in the morning, so your portions might be smaller if you prefer a lighter meal.
Allison's "keep-you-full-for-hours" oatmeal:
As most vegetarian people can attest, the first question is usually, "where do you get your protein?" That is followed by another confused look and a question like, "so...like...what did you have for breakfast?"
First, I need to tell you that I am NOT a vegetarian snob. By that, I mean that you can eat whatever you want and I'll still like you. If you order a steak when we are at a restaurant together, I won't move to another table. Unless, of course, you wave it under my nose and say, "are you sure you don't want some of thiiiiis?" But you wouldn't do that, would you?
Ok, back to protein. Where do I get my protein? From lots of different foods. I eat some tofu, yes, but there is also protein in vegetables, beans, lentils, peas, pastas, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. In hopes of dispelling the myth that vegetarians are protein-starved and weak, I'll occasionally share the ingredient list and protein content for my meals. I wish to illustrate this point: eating a variety of healthy vegetarian foods will provide ample nutrients, including protein. I will sometimes include information on iron and/or calcium as those seem to be of concern as well.
Appropriately, I think, I'll start with breakfast. I am a huge breakfast fan. Love it! I tend to eat quite a bit in the morning, so your portions might be smaller if you prefer a lighter meal.
Allison's "keep-you-full-for-hours" oatmeal:
