veg diet 20120 - Part 15

Iron is an important nutrient. In a vegetarian diet it is often derived from whole grains and leafy green vegetables. Where children are concerned it is often a good idea to include eggs in a vegetarian diet. They are a good source of iron.
Dairy produce such as milk, butter and cheese are valuable to the vegetarian child. Milk and cheese contain calcium, while butter contains essential fatty acids.
If your child cannot tolerate cow's milk then try goat's or sheep's milk which are often more digestible. The vegetarian child needs these sources of animal protein far more than an adult vegetarian.
It is not wise for a child to eat an entirely vegan diet. A child's body is still growing and it needs these animal products. If you source your eggs and dairy produce from farms that have high animal welfare standards then you need have no moral qualms.

A Vegetarian Holiday Season
If you have just gone vegetarian and are coming up to you first vegetarian holiday season, or if you find yourself cooking for a vegetarian this holiday season this is the article for you. A vegetarian holiday season need not be a gloomy series of substitutes for meat. Vegetarian fare can be festive in its own right.
A good nut roast is one of the delights of the vegetarian table. It takes some time to make so it is not something that vegetarians eat every day. But it takes much less time than a turkey.
You will need a selection of nuts and this is season of nuts. You will also need a food processor to grind them to a paste. The kind of nuts you use influences the flavor and color of the finished roast. Almonds, walnuts, cashews and some hazel nuts make an excellent vegetarian roast but be guided by your own tastes.
Grind the nuts and season them with salt, pepper and spices. Nutmeg is an ideal spice to use. Add some liquid such as vegetable stock and put the mixture into a tin. It should be baked in the oven for about an hour depending on size.
To accompany your vegetarian roast you will need sauces. Cranberry sauce is fine for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. An onion gravy made with vegetable stock will be eaten by all your guests.
Stuffing can be cooked in a separate dish. A combination of brown rice, dried fruit, chopped apples and spices will make a delicious accompaniment to the vegetarian roast. Just avoid adding meat fat. Rely on vegetable fat such as vegetarian suet.
For the visual aspect of a festive vegetarian meal you need to think about vegetables. Decorate your table with a variety of vegetable dishes. Baked squashes make a spectacular centre piece. Stuffed vegetables will show that you have taken that little bit of extra care about the meal.
If your meal is to be entirely vegetarian give the vegetables centre stage on your table. Their colors will delight the eyes of your diners. If you are entertaining vegetarians and non- vegetarians then the turkey will have to take pride of place. But all your guests will be able to tuck into the vegetarian dishes. Your meal may open their eyes to the world of vegetarian cuisine.

Remember that your vegetarian guests may be vegan. If you cannot ascertain this in advance then it will be as well to avoid the use of eggs and milk in your vegetarian dishes. A nut roast is often bound together with eggs but this is not essential. Cream sauces for dessert can be made from ground nuts. Cashews are always popular for this. Soya cream is also available.
When creating a cheese board take care to ensure that at least one cheese is made without rennet. Rennet comes from the lining of a cow's stomach and many vegetarians will not eat it. You might also like to have a few soy based cheeses. The soft soy based cheeses are an excellent option for guests who are watching their cholesterol levels as well as vegetarians and vegans.
The whole point of a holiday season is to share with friends and family. So if you are a non- vegetarian cooking for vegetarians or you are a vegetarian cooking for non-vegetarians make your festive table welcoming to all.

Some Statistics To Make You Think About Becoming A Vegetarian
The modern diet that relies heavily on meat and animal products is both unhealthy and wasteful of the earth's resources. By becoming a vegetarian you can contribute to the preservation of scarce resources and enjoy a healthier diet.
Meat and dairy production is a large scale industry that consumes vast amounts of grain and soy beans. Great tracts of forest have been cut down to provide grazing land for cattle contributing to the problem of global warming.
This resource hungry industry provides more food for the rich world than ever before. Yet many people go hungry while we in the rich industrialized world suffer from a whole range of diseases that are caused by eating too much meat and animal fat.
An estimated 800 million people live in the shadow of hunger. World hunger is increasing at a rate of 4 million a year.
If all the farm produce that is used to feed animals was used to feed people a vegetarian diet then no one in the world would need to be hungry. It takes 7.5 pounds of animal feed to produce 1 pound an pork and 5 pounds to produce 1 pound of chicken.
The American pork industry consumed 1.08 billion bushels of corn in 2004 and 265 million bushels of soybeans. This creates competition between humans and animals.
When we factor in the use of fossil fuels in the livestock industry for heating, lighting and transportation then the modern meat based diet begins to look totally unsustainable.
It takes one sixth of an acre of land to produce enough food for a vegan but more than three acres to feed a meat eater.
The high price of meat has encouraged many farmers in poor countries to shift away from their traditional crops that provided a largely vegetarian diet. They are increasingly producing livestock that they can sell to richer countries. Two-thirds of the grain that is exported from America goes to feed livestock. Fishing does not use up grain. But it does not really provide a sustainable alternative to meat. Most of the world's major fisheries are in decline because of over fishing.

Fish farming is as costly in terms of feed as other forms of livestock farming. It takes 5 pounds of feed to produce a pound of fish.
The only real alternative to this waste of resources is for vegetarianism to become the diet of more people. A vegetarian is taking a stand against the wasteful use of resources.