In absentia

OK, recently I was to attend Serve it Forth but due to mundane intervention I was unable to make it, but my class and recipe was passed along to be taught and made in absentia.

My topic: care and feeding of vegetarians:

The following is/ was the notes on my subject.

I am addressing vegetarians and not vegans though with minor changes things can be made vegan friendly as well.

Vegetarian can mean many things, some might eat chicken and fish, others may eat no meat at all but be ok with products such as milk, butter and honey. When in doubt, ASK! Communication is key when it comes to anyone with dietary restrictions.

Vegan on the other hand is a very specific diet. No meat, animal products, or animal by products of any kind. No flesh of any kind, eggs, butter, milk, or honey.

Feeding vegetarians can be daunting and many people solve this by serving them some extra veggies or some bread and butter. For a weekend it they will get by but one is  forgetting that they really need sources of protein. We are providing protein for our omnivore friends, why not our vegetarian ones as well.

The average person’s need according to the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake), is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman. I am not saying we can be perfect in providing all the protein they need but we can be mindful and do the best we can for them. Below is a small list of protein alternatives and their protein content. I have limited the list to period, simple to make items.

Alternative protein sources:

Lentils and beans: 4gm per ¼ cup (cooked)

Peas: 5gm per ⅔ cup

Eggs: 6gm per large egg

Rice: 2.7gm per ½ cup (cooked)

Oatmeal: 6gm per 1 cup (cooked)

Nuts:

Almonds: 5.9 gm in 22

Pistachios: 5.9 gm in 49

Walnut halves: 4.3 gm in 14  

Peanuts: 6.7 gm in 35

Cashews: 4.3 gm in 18

Cheese:

Parmesan: 10 gm per ounce

Cheddar, Brie, Gouda, Mozzarella: 6-7 gm per ounce

Cheese spread, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta: 3 gm per ounce

Vegetables:

Broccoli: 6.8 gm per cup

Spinach: 13 gm per cup

Brussel Sprouts: 3 gm per cup

Fruits:

Apricot: Fresh; 2.2 gm per 1 cup halves

Dry; 4.4 gm per 1 cup halves
Orange: 1.7 gm per cup
Cantaloupe: 1.3 gm per 1 cup cubes

Peach: 1.4 gm per cup slices